1974 Hamilton District Council election

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1974 Hamilton District Council election
7 May 1974 (1974-05-07) 1977 →
All 20 seats to Hamilton District Council
11 seats needed for a majority
Registered74,381
Turnout%
  First party Second party
 
Lab
SNP
Party Labour SNP
Seats won 13 2
Popular vote 17,530 10,248
Percentage 45.7% 26.7%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Con
Lib
Party Conservative Liberal
Seats won 2 2
Popular vote 4,765 2,784
Percentage 12.4% 7.3%
Council Leader after election


Labour

Elections to Hamilton District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The election used the 20 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.[1]

Labour took control of the council after winning a majority of the seats – 13 – and taking nearly half the popular vote. The Scottish National Party (SNP) took more than a quarter of the popular vote but only returned two seats. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals also returned two seats with less than half the vote share of the SNP. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate.

Background[edit]

Prior to 1974, Hamilton was one of nine burghs within the County of Lanark. As a large burgh, powers over planning, local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage as well as further powers over the police, public health, social services, registration of births, marriages and deaths and electoral registration rested with the burgh council. The rest of the local government responsibility fell to the county council which had full control over the areas which were not within a burgh.[2]

Following the recommendations in the Wheatly Report, the old system of counties and burghs – which had resulted in a mishmash of local government areas in which some small burghs had larger populations but far fewer responsibilities than some large burghs and even counties[2] – was to be replaced by a new system of regional and district councils. Hamilton Burgh and the surrounding areas including Blantyre, Bothwell, Uddingston, Larkhall and Stonehouse was to be placed in Hamilton District within the Strathclyde region.[3]

Results[edit]

1974 Hamilton District Council election result
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 13 N/A 65.0 45.7 17,530 N/A
  SNP 2 N/A 10.0 26.7 10,248 N/A
  Conservative 2 N/A 10.0 12.5 4,765 N/A
  Liberal 2 N/A 10.0 7.3 2,784 N/A
  Independent 1 N/A 5.0 2.1 812 N/A
  Independent Labour 0 N/A 0.0 5.6 2,138 N/A
  Communist 0 N/A 0.0 0.3 98 N/A
Total 20

Source:[4]

Ward results[edit]

Hillhouse[edit]

Hillhouse
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour R. Newberry 888 60.2
SNP J. Boothroyd 588 39.8
Majority 300 20.4
Turnout 1,476 49.0
Registered electors 3,041
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Udston[edit]

Udston
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour S. Dallas Unopposed
Registered electors 3,181
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Wellhall North[edit]

Wellhall North
Party Candidate Votes %
SNP M. Kirkwood 676 47.3
Labour H. Doyle 377 26.4
Conservative A. Aitchison 377 26.4
Majority 299 20.9
Turnout 1,430 46.3
Registered electors 3,104
SNP win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Central[edit]

Central
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative C. Brain 721 52.3
Labour T. Murphy 658 47.7
Majority 63 4.6
Turnout 1,379 54.7
Registered electors 2,543
Conservative win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Burnbank[edit]

Burnbank
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour C. Brownlie 1,267 61.2
SNP D. Brown 804 38.8
Majority 463 22.4
Turnout 2,071 50.3
Registered electors 4,164
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Bent[edit]

Bent
Party Candidate Votes %
SNP J. Ross 728 40.3
Labour M. S. Ewart 623 34.5
Conservative G. Cowper 455 25.2
Majority 105 5.8
Turnout 1,806 57.0
Registered electors 3,184
SNP win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Fairhill[edit]

Fairhill
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour N. Cochrane 1,273 51.3
SNP E. Moore 1,113 44.8
Communist A. Valentine 98 4.0
Majority 160 6.5
Turnout 2,484 50.7
Registered electors 4,942
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Wellhall South[edit]

Wellhall South
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour R. Sherry 627 53.0
Conservative G. Young 282 23.8
Liberal J. Millward 275 23.2
Majority 345 29.2
Turnout 1,184 52.8
Registered electors 2,273
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Low Waters[edit]

Low Waters
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative D. Williamson 1,661 66.9
Labour I. McKillop 822 33.1
Majority 839 33.8
Turnout 2,483 56.0
Registered electors 4,506
Conservative win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Cadzow[edit]

Cadzow
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour W. Condie 1,687 63.8
Conservative G. Skelton-Smith 957 36.2
Majority 730 27.6
Turnout 2,644 48.3
Registered electors 5,619
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Dalserf[edit]

Dalserf
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour M. Grove 857 44.9
SNP G. Smith 683 35.8
Independent Labour J. McLean 367 19.2
Majority 174 9.1
Turnout 1,907 51.3
Registered electors 3,715
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Machan[edit]

Machan
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour J. Hunter 985 42.8
SNP M. Fergusson 965 41.9
Independent Labour J. Kelly 351 15.3
Majority 20 0.9
Turnout 2,301 53.9
Registered electors 4,282
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Avonholm[edit]

Avonholm
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour J. Speirs 662 39.4
Independent Labour W. Little 623 37.1
SNP M. Miller 394 23.5
Majority 39 1.7
Turnout 1,679 57.1
Registered electors 2,957
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Strutherhill[edit]

Strutherhill
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour S. Casserly 726 44.0
Independent Labour J. Downie 662 40.1
SNP E. Rocks 263 15.9
Majority 64 3.9
Turnout 1,651 62.0
Registered electors 2,674
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Stonehouse[edit]

Stonehouse
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent M. Burns 812 40.0
Labour H. Chalmers 711 35.1
SNP C. McFarlane 505 24.9
Majority 101 4.9
Turnout 2,028 60.2
Registered electors 3,391
Independent win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Bothwell and Uddingston North[edit]

Bothwell and Uddingston North
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal T. Maxwell 939 44.0
Labour S. Sloss 809 37.9
SNP D. Kirkcaldy 388 18.2
Majority 130 6.1
Turnout 2,136 62.0
Registered electors 3,486
Liberal win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Bothwell and Uddingston South[edit]

Bothwell and Uddingston South
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal T. Grieve 1,568 68.1
Conservative G. McAllister 312 13.5
Labour G. Forry 279 12.1
SNP H. Graham 145 6.3
Majority 1,256 54.6
Turnout 2,304 66.6
Registered electors 3,485
Liberal win (new seat)

Source:[4]

High Blantyre[edit]

High Blantyre
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour J. Swinburne 1,353 55.7
SNP D. Crawford 1,075 44.3
Majority 278 11.4
Turnout 2,428 51.0
Registered electors 4,789
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Blantyre[edit]

Blantyre
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour D. Tremble 1,412 56.3
SNP T. Rarity 1,094 43.7
Majority 318 12.6
Turnout 2,506 54.9
Registered electors 4,648
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

Stonefield[edit]

Stonefield
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour G. McInally 1,514 61.2
SNP J. Waugh 827 33.4
Independent Labour A. McLauchlan 135 5.5
Majority 687 27.8
Turnout 2,476 57.7
Registered electors 4,397
Labour win (new seat)

Source:[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ Turnock, David (1970). "The Wheatley Report: Local Government in Scotland". Area. 2 (2). Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers: 10–12. JSTOR 20000437.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1975). The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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