1972 Sheffield City Council election

The final Municipal elections for Sheffield - soon to be abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 - were held in May 1972, with one third up for vote, as well as an extra vacancy in Brightside.

The election seen Labour further their stranglehold on the council with four gains from the Conservatives, as they repeated the previous year's wins. One of the notable casualties from last year, Irvine Patnick, managed re-election via re-location to the safe Conservative ward of Broomhill. The Liberals, standing the lowest number of candidates (3) in over a decade, were rewarded for focusing their efforts on retaining their sole representation on the council, as they easily defended their by-election-won seat of Burngreave, more than sextupling their majority there. Labour were reported to be overjoyed to see the return of former councillor, and veteran of the party, Joe Albaya in Intake, after over a decade's absence.^[1]

Election result

Sheffield Local Election Result 1972
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	21	4	0	+4	75.0	56.4	63,440	-5.3%
Conservative	6	0	4	-4	21.4	37.2	41,831	+4.4%
Liberal	1	0	0	0	3.6	4.3	4,870	+0.2%
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.9	1,082	+0.1%
Ratepayers	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.9	986	+0.9%
Independent Ex-Service	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	220	+0.0%

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Labour	57	23	61	23
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Conservatives	23	4	19	4
style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Liberals	1	0	1	0
style="background-color: Template:Communist Party of Great Britain/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Communists	0	0	0	0
style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Ratepayers	0	0	0	0
style="background-color: Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color; width: 3px;" \|	Independent Ex-Service	0	0	0	0
Total		81	27	81	27
Total		108		108
Working majority		34	19	41	19
Working majority		53		60

Ward results

Attercliffe^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Norman Eldred	1,720	81.3	−6.4
	Conservative	Joan Willows	395	18.7	+6.4
Majority			1,325	62.6	−12.8
Turnout			2,115
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.4

Beauchief^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Davison	4,339	75.4	+3.6
	Labour	Alec Waugh	1,414	24.6	−3.6
Majority			2,925	50.8	+7.1
Turnout			5,753
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.6

Birley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Yeardley	3,308	68.1	−3.1
	Conservative	Gordon Millward	1,547	31.8	+3.1
Majority			1,761	36.3	−6.3
Turnout			4,855
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.1

Brightside^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bill Michie	2,288	81.5	−1.5
	Labour	Peter Price	2,235
	Conservative	Herbert Sellers	395	14.1	−1.0
	Communist	Reg Arundel	125	4.4	+2.5
Majority			1,893	67.4	−0.5
Turnout			2,808
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.2

Broomhill^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Irvine Patnick	2,994	61.7	+4.4
	Labour	Peter Cave	1,860	38.3	+4.4
Majority			1,134	23.3	−0.0
Turnout			4,854
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.0

Burngreave^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Francis Butler	3,850	67.4	+28.0
	Labour	Ted Fisher	1,802	31.6	−11.9
	Communist	Martin Heywood	56	1.0	+0.1
Majority			1,802	35.9	+31.8
Turnout			5,708
	Liberal hold		Swing	+20.0

Castle^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Peter Horton	2,262	81.1	−2.9
	Conservative	David Chapman	449	16.1	+16.1
	Communist	Violet Gill	78	2.8	−1.5
Majority			1,813	65.0	−7.2
Turnout			2,789
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.5

Darnall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Prince	3,247	74.2	−5.4
	Conservative	Michael Heath	1,129	25.8	+5.4
Majority			2,118	48.4	−10.8
Turnout			4,376
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.4

Dore^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thornton Lambert	3,792	72.4	+9.0
	Labour	Edmund Ferrett	1,448	27.6	−2.8
Majority			2,344	44.7	+11.9
Turnout			5,240
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.9

Ecclesall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Agnes Edeson	3,559	74.7	+3.8
	Labour	Leon Harris	982	20.6	−4.0
	Independent Ex-Service	Geoffrey Widdison	220	4.7	+0.3
Majority			2,577	54.1	+7.9
Turnout			4,761
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.9

Firth Park^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert Morris	2,742	74.2	+3.7
	Conservative	Danny George	838	22.7	−0.9
	Communist	Barry Bracken	116	3.1	+1.2
Majority			1,904	51.5	+4.6
Turnout			3,696
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.3

Gleadless^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joe Thomas	3,888	57.3	−2.5
	Conservative	David Heslop	2,890	42.6	+6.5
Majority			998	14.7	−9.0
Turnout			6,778
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.5

Hallam^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gordon Wragg	3,611	68.7	+10.4
	Labour	Peter Bulger	1,643	31.3	−1.9
Majority			1,968	37.4	+12.3
Turnout			5,254
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.1

Handsworth^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Nicholls	2,530	64.8	−13.9
	Conservative	Frank Brookes	877	22.5	+1.2
	Ratepayers	Peter Jones	496	12.7	+12.7
Majority			1,653	42.3	−15.0
Turnout			3,903
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.5

Heeley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Senior	3,318	54.2	−6.5
	Conservative	Peter Earl	2,153	35.2	+2.8
	Liberal	Bob Jackson	520	8.5	+4.2
	Communist	Martin Ashworth	128	2.1	−0.5
Majority			1,165	19.0	−9.3
Turnout			6,119
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.6

Hillsborough^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Geoffrey Fairbrother	2,752	50.4	−2.6
	Conservative	Constance Dodson	2,702	49.5	+7.2
Majority			50	0.9	−9.8
Turnout			5,454
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.9

Intake^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joe Albaya	2,830	56.8	−9.9
	Conservative	Marvyn Moore	1,652	33.1	+5.0
	Liberal	David Winn	500	10.0	+4.9
Majority			1,178	23.6	−15.0
Turnout			4,982
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-7.4

Manor^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dora Fitter	2,493	83.8	−1.6
	Conservative	Peter Huddart	360	12.1	+1.7
	Communist	John Hukin	120	4.0	−0.1
Majority			2,133	71.7	−3.3
Turnout			2,973
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.6

Mosborough^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mary Foulds	1,860	66.7	−14.4
	Ratepayers	Harold Doxey	490	17.5	+17.5
	Conservative	Eric Vawser	440	15.8	−3.1
Majority			1,370	50.9	−11.2
Turnout			2,790
	Labour hold		Swing	-15.9

Nether Edge^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ivan Harrington	2,761	68.1	+3.3
	Labour	Malcolm Leary	1,290	31.8	−3.3
Majority			1,471	36.3	+6.7
Turnout			4,051
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.3

Nether Shire^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Philip Moscrop	2,676	78.3	−2.5
	Conservative	Bryan Dick	579	16.9	+1.6
	Communist	Kenneth Hattersley	162	4.7	+0.9
Majority			2,097	61.4	−4.2
Turnout			3,417
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

Netherthorpe^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Doris Mulhearn	2,281	74.9	+0.9
	Conservative	Jean Grindrod	675	22.1	−2.0
	Communist	Margaret Brown	90	2.9	+1.1
Majority			1,606	52.7	+2.9
Turnout			3,046
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.4

Owlerton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jack Watson	2,787	82.5	+0.9
	Conservative	Patrick Fenoughty	591	17.5	−0.9
Majority			2,196	65.0	+1.8
Turnout			3,378
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.9

Park^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Wall	2,898	82.5	−4.2
	Conservative	Jack Osborne	476	13.5	+2.8
	Communist	George Matthews	137	3.9	+1.3
Majority			2,422	69.0	−7.0
Turnout			3,511
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.5

Sharrow^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ethel Evans	2,537	71.7	+1.1
	Conservative	Colin Barnsley	1,003	28.3	+3.0
Majority			1,534	43.3	−2.0
Turnout			3,540
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.9

Southey Green^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dorothy Podlesny	2,440	86.0	−1.4
	Conservative	Anne Roebuck	326	11.5	+1.4
	Communist	George James	70	2.5	−0.1
Majority			2,114	74.5	−2.8
Turnout			2,836
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.4

Walkley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Kidd	2,144	62.3	−5.9
	Conservative	Stanley Parnell	1,298	37.7	+5.9
Majority			846	24.6	−11.9
Turnout			3,442
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.9

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab "Sheffield Local Elections 1960–1995 scans". Retrieved 2011-12-02.

[results-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab "Sheffield Local Elections 1960–1995 scans". Retrieved 2011-12-02.

[1]

v t e Council elections in South Yorkshire
Barnsley	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Doncaster	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2017 2021
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Sheffield	1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
South Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
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Metro Mayor	2018 2022 2024
See also: Wards Boundary changes