1971 Sheffield City Council election

1971 Sheffield City Council election
27 councillors to Sheffield City Council
Majority party before election; Labour Party (UK);	Majority party after election ; Labour Party (UK);

The 1971 Sheffield City Council elections were held on 14 May 1971, with one third up for vote. Since the previous election, a by-election in November for Burngreave seen the Liberals increase their representation to two, with a gain from Labour.

Immediately following last year's election, the allocation of fourteen retiring Alderman was decided, with Labour taking the overwhelming majority, strengthened by their election performance and the knowledge that if repeated it would lead to a landslide victory for them.

Labour leader Ironmongers' prediction of an aforementioned landslide played out in this election, with Labour making over a dozen gains, with all-but-one coming from their competitor the Conservatives - the other being a Liberal seat in Heeley won in a by-election in 1969. This left them with a record number of 80 seats, and a similarly record-breaking majority of 52.

With such heavy losses, numerous high-profile Conservative councillors lost their seat, not least of which was a contender for the group's leadership, Irvine Patnick.^[1]

Election result

Sheffield Local Election Result 1971
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	21	13	0	+13	77.8	61.7	79,878	+8.8
Conservative	6	0	12	-12	22.2	32.8	42,528	-11.5
Liberal	0	0	1	-1	0.0	4.1	5,351	+2.1
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.8	1,109	+0.2
Independent Labour	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.3	433	+0.3
Independent Ex-Service	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	220	+0.2

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
	Labour	44	18	57	23
	Conservatives	35	9	23	4
	Liberals	2	0	1	0
	Communists	0	0	0	0
	Independent Labour	0	0	0	0
	Independent Ex-Service	0	0	0	0
Total		81	27	81	27
Total		108		108
Working majority		7	9	33	19
Working majority		16		52

Ward results

Attercliffe^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Firth	2,798	87.7	+11.0
	Conservative	Harold Mellor	391	12.2	−11.0
Majority			2,407	75.5	+22.0
Turnout			3,189
	Labour hold		Swing	+11.0

Beauchief^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Crewe	4,353	71.8	−4.8
	Labour	Terence Butler	1,705	28.1	+4.8
Majority			2,648	43.7	−9.6
Turnout			6,058
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.8

Birley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Marshall	4,269	71.3	+8.7
	Conservative	Danny George	1,720	28.7	−8.7
Majority			2,549	42.5	+17.4
Turnout			5,989
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.7

Brightside^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Wilson	3,132	83.0	+15.2
	Conservative	Kathleen Moore	568	15.0	−14.7
	Communist	Reg Arundal	72	1.9	−0.5
Majority			2,564	68.0	+30.0
Turnout			3,772
	Labour hold		Swing	+14.9

Broomhill^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Graham Cheetham	2,636	57.3	−12.9
	Labour	Peter Price	1,560	33.9	+4.0
	Liberal	John Isard	406	8.8	+8.8
Majority			1,076	23.4	−16.9
Turnout			4,602
	Conservative hold		Swing	-8.4

Burngreave^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charlotte Ellis	2,426	43.4	−7.2
	Liberal	Malcolm Johnson	2,200	39.4	+11.9
	Conservative	David Chapman	475	8.5	−12.5
	Independent Labour	Michael Newton	433	7.7	+7.7
	Communist	Roy Eccles	49	0.9	+0.0
Majority			226	4.0	−19.2
Turnout			5,583
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-9.5

Castle^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Marie Rodgers	2,541	84.0	+10.1
	Liberal	Frank Mettam	355	11.7	+11.7
	Communist	Edna Ashworth	129	4.2	+1.8
Majority			2,186	72.2	+22.1
Turnout			3,025
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.8

Darnall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Cornwell	3,811	79.6	+10.6
	Conservative	Michael Heath	976	20.4	−10.6
Majority			2,835	59.2	+21.2
Turnout			4,787
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+10.6

Dore^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Pat Santhouse	3,744	63.3	−12.8
	Labour	Edward Ferrett	1,802	30.5	+6.6
	Liberal	Ben Thorpe	366	6.2	+6.2
Majority			1,942	32.8	−19.5
Turnout			5,912
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.7

Ecclesall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Pinder	3,575	70.9	−8.9
	Labour	Ivy Evison	1,244	24.7	+4.5
	Independent Ex-Service	Geoffrey Widdison	220	4.4	+4.4
Majority			2,331	46.2	−13.4
Turnout			5,039
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.7

Firth Park^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Morris	3,260	70.4	+7.5
	Conservative	Madge Kerton	1,090	23.5	−11.8
	Liberal	Cynthia Hepworth	188	4.0	+4.0
	Communist	Barry Bracken	89	1.9	+0.2
Majority			2,170	46.9	+19.4
Turnout			4,627
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+9.6

Gleadless^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roger Barton	5,062	59.8	+13.6
	Conservative	Charles Davison	3,055	36.1	−10.0
	Liberal	Dennis Boothroyd	339	4.0	−3.6
Majority			2,007	23.7	+23.6
Turnout			8,456
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.8

Hallam^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Cliff Godber	3,146	58.3	−15.2
	Labour	Philip Moscrop	1,792	33.2	+6.8
	Liberal	Jean Mason	454	8.4	+8.4
Majority			1,354	25.1	−22.0
Turnout			5,392
	Conservative hold		Swing	-11.0

Handsworth^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Annie Britton	3,522	78.7	+13.8
	Conservative	Frank Brookes	953	21.3	−13.8
Majority			2,569	57.4	+27.6
Turnout			4,475
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+13.8

Heeley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alfred Mosforth	4,193	60.7	+9.0
	Conservative	Rodger Outram	2,234	32.3	−13.7
	Liberal	Michael Swain	293	4.2	+4.2
	Communist	Martin Ashworth	183	2.6	+0.4
Majority			1,959	28.4	+22.7
Turnout			6,903
	Labour gain from Liberal		Swing	+11.3

Hillsborough^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alf Meade	3,354	53.1	+8.8
	Conservative	Irvine Patnick	2,674	42.3	−13.4
	Liberal	Martyn Atkinson	290	4.6	+4.6
Majority			680	10.7	−0.7
Turnout			6,318
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.1

Intake^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mike Balty	3,887	66.7	+8.6
	Conservative	Peter Hodson	1,638	28.1	−13.7
	Liberal	Colin Andrews	299	5.1	+5.1
Majority			2,249	38.6	+22.4
Turnout			5,824
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.1

Manor^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Machin	3,168	85.4	+8.5
	Conservative	Peter Huddart	384	10.3	−10.7
	Communist	John Hukin	155	4.2	+2.2
Majority			2,784	75.1	+19.3
Turnout			3,707
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.2

Mosborough^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Havenhand	2,592	81.1	+16.3
	Conservative	Stan Titterington	605	18.9	−8.6
Majority			1,987	62.1	+24.9
Turnout			3,197
	Labour hold		Swing	+12.4

Nether Edge^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lionel Farris	2,829	64.8	−7.1
	Labour	Adam Pemberton	1,537	35.2	+9.6
Majority			1,292	29.6	−16.8
Turnout			4,366
	Conservative hold		Swing	-8.3

Nether Shire^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Ratcliffe	3,428	80.9	+15.2
	Conservative	Bryan Dick	649	15.3	−10.4
	Communist	Ken Hattersley	162	3.8	+1.5
Majority			2,779	65.5	+25.7
Turnout			4,239
	Labour hold		Swing	+12.8

Netherthorpe^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Woodhead	2,566	74.0	+6.7
	Conservative	Jean Grindrod	837	24.1	−8.5
	Communist	Violet Gill	65	1.9	+1.9
Majority			1,729	49.8	+15.2
Turnout			3,468
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+7.6

Owlerton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mary Kirk	3,506	81.6	+13.7
	Conservative	Patrick Fenoughty	792	18.4	−13.7
Majority			2,714	63.2	+27.4
Turnout			4,298
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+13.7

Park^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Philip Grisdale	3,948	86.7	+9.3
	Conservative	Roger Wright	489	10.7	−9.4
	Communist	George Matthews	116	2.5	+0.2
Majority			3,459	76.0	+18.7
Turnout			4,553
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.3

Sharrow^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Baxter	2,756	70.6	+10.2
	Conservative	Colin Barnsley	987	25.3	−14.3
	Liberal	Colin Wood	161	4.1	+4.1
Majority			1,769	45.3	+24.5
Turnout			3,904
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.2

Southey Green^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Francis O'Shaughnessy	3,062	87.4	+7.5
	Conservative	Kenneth Whitehouse	352	10.0	−6.8
	Communist	Ray Chambers	89	2.5	−0.7
Majority			2,710	77.4	+14.3
Turnout			3,503
	Labour hold		Swing	+7.1

Walkley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Veronica Hardstaff	2,957	68.2	+12.9
	Conservative	Stan Parnell	1,376	31.8	−12.9
Majority			1,581	36.5	+25.8
Turnout			4,333
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.9

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 2 December 2011.

[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 2 December 2011.

[1]

v t e (1970 ←) 1971 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1972)
London boroughs	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster
County boroughs	Cardiff Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newport Sheffield Swansea
City corporations	Aberdeen Dundee Edinburgh Glasgow
Rural districts	Easthampstead

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
Rotherham	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 2021 2024
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
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
Metro Mayor	2018 2022 2024
See also: Wards Boundary changes