1955 Liverpool City Council election

Elections to Liverpool City Council were held on Thursday 12 May 1955. After the election, the composition of the council was:

	Councillors	±	Aldermen	Total
Conservative	53	+1	27	80
Labour	65	-1	9	74
Protestant	2	0	1	3
Independent	1	0	1	2
Liberal	0	0	1	1

Election result

Liverpool Local Election Result 1955
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative
	Labour
	Liberal
	Protestant
	Communist

Ward results

* - Councillor seeking re-election

^(PARTY) - Party of former Councillor

The Councillors seeking re-election at this election were elected in the 'all-up' election in 1953 for a two-year term (as they were the candidates receiving the second highest number of votes). Therefore, comparisons are made with the 1953 election results.

Abercromby

Abercromby
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	P. McGuire ^(PARTY)	2,330	51%
	Conservative	J. H. W. Stewart	1,979	43%
	Communist	A. M^cClelland	264	6%
Majority			351
Registered electors			12,241
Turnout			4,573	37%
	Labour hold		Swing

Aigburth

Aigburth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	W. A. Kinnear *	3,615	88%
	Labour	T. Higgins	509	12%
Majority			3,106
Registered electors			14,033
Turnout			4,124	29&
	Conservative hold		Swing

Allerton

Allerton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	S. Minion ^(PARTY)	3,477	81%
	Labour	H. Knowles	810	19%
Majority			2,667
Registered electors			10,208
Turnout			4,287
	Conservative hold		Swing

Anfield

Anfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. A. Porter ^(PARTY)	4,566	66%
	Labour	W. K. Fox	2,373	34%
Majority			2,193
Registered electors			15,362
Turnout			6,939	45%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Arundel

Arundel
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	H. Lees *	3,660	72%
	Labour	J. Palliser	1,436	28%
Majority			2,224
Registered electors			13,376
Turnout			5,096	38%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Breckfield

Breckfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	S. E. Goldsmith ^(PARTY)	3,052	55%
	Labour	W. R. Snell	2,454	45%
Majority			598
Registered electors			12,375
Turnout			5,506	44%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Broadgreen

Broadgreen
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	L. T. Rogers *	3,669	68%
	Labour	Mrs. L. Wooding	1,695	32%
Majority			1,974
Registered electors			12,515
Turnout			5,364	43%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Central

Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	E. M. Mannheim ^(PARTY)	2,310	53%
	Independent	J. G, Granby	2,060	47%
Majority			250
Registered electors			10,443
Turnout			4,370	42%
	Labour hold		Swing

Childwall

Childwall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	A. Young ^(PARTY)	4,094	89%
	Labour	T. McNerney	517	11%
Majority			3,577
Registered electors			14,046
Turnout			4,611	33%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Church

Church
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	E. Jennings *	5,434	83%
	Labour	Mrs. P. B. Henley	1,136	17%
Majority			4,299
Registered electors			14,552
Turnout			6,569	45%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Clubmoor

Clubmoor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	N. A. Williams *	3,248	59%
	Labour	J. Murphy	2,299	41%
Majority			949
Registered electors			12,489
Turnout			5,547	44%
	Conservative hold		Swing

County

County
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	G. F, Allanson ^(PARTY)	4,285	52%
	Labour	R. Stoddart	3,889	48%
Majority			396
Registered electors			15,249
Turnout			8,174	54%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Croxteth

Croxteth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	T. H. Thompson *	4,478	85%
	Labour	R. J. Luke	781	15%
Majority			3,697
Registered electors			10,666
Turnout			5,259	49%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Dingle

Dingle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	F. H. Cain *	3,632	52%
	Conservative	J. F. Bamber	3,119	45%
	Communist	W. H. Hart	205	3%
Majority			513
Registered electors			14,627
Turnout			6,956	48%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Dovecot

Dovecot
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	T. H. Maloney *	3,221	53%
	Conservative	L. F. Hogan	2,894	47%
Majority			327
Registered electors			15,024
Turnout			6,115	41%
	Labour hold		Swing

Everton

Everton - 2 seats
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	J. L. Hughes *	2,996	68%
	Labour	W. Smyth ^(PARTY)	2,708	61%
	Conservative	W. Martin	1,424	32%
	Conservative	E. D. Minshull	1,356	31%
Majority			1,572
Registered electors			12,925
Turnout			4,420	34%
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Fairfield

Fairfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. S. Ross ^(PARTY)	3,636	64%
	Labour	Mrs. M. G. Wheeler	2,029	36%
Majority			1,607
Registered electors			15,181
Turnout			5,665	37%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Fazakerley

Fazakerley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	R. Poole *	3,912	59%
	Labour	Andrew Young	2,767	41%
Majority			1,145
Registered electors			12,790
Turnout			6,679	52%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Gillmoss

Gillmoss
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	J. Troy *	3,826	62%
	Conservative	C. P. Conway	2,320	38%
Majority			1,506
Registered electors			15,958
Turnout			6,146	39%
	Labour hold		Swing

Granby

Granby
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	W. T. Brodie *	2,580	52%
	Conservative	A. S. Snowden	2,386	48%
Majority			194
Registered electors			12,343
Turnout			4,966	40%
	Labour hold		Swing

Kensington

Kensington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Mrs. E. M. Wormald *	3,064	53%
	Conservative	G. D. Brewer	2,713	47%
Majority			351
Registered electors			13,448
Turnout			5,777	43%
	Labour hold		Swing

Low Hill

Low Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Mrs. M. J. Powell *	2,998	58%
	Conservative	J. P. Moyses	2,153	42%
Majority			845
Registered electors			11,360
Turnout			5,151	45%
	Labour hold		Swing

Melrose

Melrose
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	A. MacDonald ^(PARTY)	2,631	64%
	Conservative	J. Smith	1,478	36%
Majority			1,153
Registered electors			10,707
Turnout			4,109	38%
	Labour hold		Swing

Netherfield

Netherfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Protestant	G. E. Lewis *	1,879	50.1%
	Labour	H. G. Trainor	1,874	49.9%
Majority			5
Registered electors			9,811
Turnout			3,753	38%
	Protestant hold		Swing

Old Swan

Old Swan
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	B. M. Frazer *	4,093	54%
	Labour	V. Burke	3,450	46%
Majority			643
Registered electors			16,438
Turnout			7,543	46%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Picton

Picton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. E. Kendrick	3,454	51%
	Labour	Francis Burke *	3,310	49%
Majority			144
Registered electors			15,139
Turnout			6,764	45%
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Pirrie

Pirrie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	J. Morgan *	4,300	53%
	Conservative	B. A. Ryan	3,873	47%
Majority			427
Registered electors			17,632
Turnout			8,173	46%
	Labour hold		Swing

Prince's Park

Prince's Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	T. C. Greenwood *	3,442	55%
	Conservative	Ald. C. G. S. Gordon	2,768	45%
Majority			674
Registered electors			14,279
Turnout			6,210	43%
	Labour hold		Swing

Sandhills

Sandhills
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	S. Parr *	2,918	88%
	Conservative	W. H. Beavan	387	12%
Majority			2,531
Registered electors			9,888
Turnout			3,305	33%
	Labour hold		Swing

St. Domingo

St. Domingo
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	J. Gardner *	2,963	52%
	Protestant	Ald. Rev. H. D. Longbottom	2,730	48%
Majority			233
Registered electors			12,877
Turnout			5,693	44%
	Labour hold		Swing

St. James

St. James
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Mrs. E. E. Gough *	2,716	69%
	Conservative	C. McKeon	1,195	31%
Majority			1,521
Registered electors			11,684
Turnout			3,911	33%
	Labour hold		Swing

St. Mary's

St. Mary's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	S. R. Maddox *	3,199	52%
	Conservative	C. P. Clingan	2,915	48%
Majority			284
Registered electors			12,155
Turnout			6,114	50%
	Labour hold		Swing

St. Michael's

St. Michael's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	C. Cowlin ^(PARTY)	3,630	77%
	Labour	Mrs. E. E. Wright	1,101	23%
Majority			2,529
Registered electors			10,550
Turnout			4,731	45%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Smithdown

Smithdown
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	G. W. Clarke ^(PARTY)	2,888	62%
	Conservative	J. Moore	1,747	38%
Majority			1,141
Registered electors			13,713
Turnout			4,635	34%
	Labour hold		Swing

Speke

Speke
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	B. Crookes *	3,294	63%
	Conservative	C. Dickinson	1,907	37%
Majority			1,387
Registered electors			13,851
Turnout			5,201	38%
	Labour hold		Swing

Tuebrook

Tuebrook
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. E. Molyneux *	3,927	60%
	Labour	H. Lee	2,564	40%
Majority			1,363
Registered electors			13,838
Turnout			6,491	47%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Vauxhall

Vauxhall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	D. Cowley *	3,112	88%
	Independent	C. McBride	366	10%
	Communist	R. Cuerdon	76	2%
Majority			2,746
Registered electors			10,960
Turnout			3,554	32%
	Labour hold		Swing

Warbreck

Warbreck
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	A. W, Lowe *	4,456	67%
	Labour	A. T. Williams	2,170	33%
Majority			2,286
Registered electors			14,095
Turnout			6,626	47%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Westminster

Westminster
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Eddie Burke	2,281	53%
	Conservative	F. Shaw	1,986	47%
Majority			295
Registered electors			8,661
Turnout			4,267	49%
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Woolton

Woolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. Norton	4,250	77%
	Labour	Charles Patrick Wall	1,234	23%
Majority			3,016
Registered electors			12,160
Turnout			5,484	45%
	Conservative hold		Swing

^[2] ^[3]

Aldermanic elections

At the meeting of the City Council on 23 May 1955 the terms of office of twenty of the forty Aldermen expired and the Councillors elected twenty Aldermen to fill the vacant positions for a term of six years. Fifteen Conservative, one Independent, and two Liberal Aldermen were replaced by eighteen Labour Aldermen, allowing Labour to take control of the council for the first time.

Party		Alderman
	Labour	Henry Aldritt
	Labour	E. M. Braddock
	Labour	Joseph Cyril Brady
	Labour	Frank Hampton Cain
	Labour	Abraham Louis Caplan
	Labour	Hugh Carr
	Labour	John Hamilton
	Labour	Alexander Hardman
	Labour	John Leslie Hughes
	Labour	William George Ingham
	Labour	Lawrence King
	Labour	Harry Livermore
	Labour	Peter McKernan
	Labour	Charles James Minton
	Labour	Joseph Morgan
	Labour	David Nickson
	Labour	Stanley Part
	Labour	Fred Robinson
	Labour	John Mathew Taylor
	Labour	Elizabeth Trainor

^[4] ^[5]

By-elections

Low Hill

By-election caused by the election of John Mathew Taylor (elected Cllr. for Low Hill in 1954) as Alderman.

Low Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	George Matthew Scott	1,976	56%
	Conservative	John Peter Moyses	1,571	44%
Majority			405
Registered electors			11,360
Turnout			3,547	31%
	Labour hold		Swing

Abercromby

By-election caused by the election of Harry Livermore (elected Cllr. for Abercromby in 1953) as Alderman.

Abercromby
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John Herbert Wray Stewart	1,593	49%
	Labour	Miss Mary Seddon	1,537	47%
	Communist	A. McClelland	125	3.8%
Majority			56
Registered electors			12,241
Turnout			3,255	27%
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Central

By-election caused by the election of Bessie Braddock as Alderman.

Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	John Cullen	1,899	54%
	Conservative	Vivian Forsyth Crosthwaite	1,633	46%
Majority			266
Registered electors			10,443
Turnout			3,532	34%
	Labour hold		Swing

Granby

By-election caused by the election of Elizabeth Trainor (elected as Cllr. for Granby in 1953) as Alderman.

Granby^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Arthur Sydney Sowden	1,797	48%
	Labour	William Tipping	1,675	45%
	Liberal	Edward Kelly	252	6.8%
Majority			122
Registered electors			12,343
Turnout			3,724	30%
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

St. James

By-election caused by the election of Hugh Carr (elected as Cllr. for St. James in 1953) and William George Ingham (elected as Cllr. for St. James in 1954) as Aldermen.

St. James - 2 seats
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Thomas McManus	2,000	69%
	Labour	Alan Frank Skinner	1,746	60%
		John Fortune Jones	904	31%
Majority			1,096
Registered electors			11,684
Turnout			2,904	25%
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Speke

By-election caused by the election of Alexander Hardman (elected as Cllr. for Speke in 1953) as Alderman.

Speke^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Thomas Higgins	1,797	57%
	Conservative	Clarence Dickinson	1,094	35%
	Liberal	Miss June Stananought Pritchard	252	8%
Majority			703
Registered electors			13,851
Turnout			3,143	23%
	Labour hold		Swing

Pritchard had contested Kirkdale as a Liberal in the 1950 General Election

Westminster

By-election caused by the election of John Hamilton (elected as Cllr. for Westminster in 1953) as Alderman.

Westminster
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Reginald John McLaughlin	1,601	52%
	Labour	Harold Lee	1,501	48%
Majority			100
Registered electors			8,661
Turnout			3,102	36%
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Everton

By-election caused by the election of John Leslie Hughes (elected as Cllr. for Everton in 1953) and David Nickson (elected as Cllr. for Everton in 1954) as Aldermen.

Everton - 2 seats
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Francis Burke	1,914	69%
	Labour	Alexander Coveney McLeod	1,853	67%
	Conservative	William Martin	869	31%
Majority			1,045
Registered electors			12,925
Turnout			2,783	22%
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Sandhills

By-election caused by the election of Peter McKernan (elected as Cllr. for Sandhills in 1953), Henry Aldritt (elected as Cllr. for Sandhills in 1954) and Stanley Part (elected as Cllr. for Sandhills in 1955) as Aldermen.

Sandhills - 3 seats
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Walter Harold Alldritt	1,428	88%
	Labour	John Scully	1,336	83%
	Labour	Hugh Rowlands	1,333	82%
		Alfred Midwood Proffit	189
Majority			1,239
Registered electors			9,888
Turnout			1,617	16%
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Vauxhall

By-election caused by the election of Joseph Cyril Brady (elected as Cllr. for Vauxhall in 1954) as Alderman.

Vauxhall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Dean-Jones	1,543	73%
	Independent	Charles McBride	522	25%
	Communist	Richard Cuerdon	62	2.9%
Majority			1,021
Registered electors			10,960
Turnout			2,127	19%
	Labour hold		Swing

Dingle

By-election caused by the election of Frank Hampton Cain (elected as Cllr. for Dingle in 1955) as Alderman.

Dingle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John Frederick Inman Bamber	3,015	52%
	Labour	Frank Chadwick	2,614	45%
	Communist	William Henry Hart	143	2.5%
Majority			401
Registered electors			14,627
Turnout			5,772	39%
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Pirrie

By-election caused by the election of Joseph Morgan (elected as Cllr. for Pirrie in 1955) as Alderman.

Pirrie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Edward Smith	3,619	53%
	Conservative	Bernard Alexander Ryan	3,230	47%
Majority			389
Registered electors			17,632
Turnout			6,849	39%
	Labour hold		Swing

Picton

By-election caused by the election of Charles James Minton (elected as Cllr. for Picton in 1953) as Alderman.

Picton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Sir Alfred Ernest Shennan	3,636	53%
	Labour	Henry Evans	3,196	47%
Majority			440
Registered electors			15,139
Turnout			6,832	45%
	Conservative hold		Swing

Dovecot

By-election caused by the election of Abraham Louis Caplan (elected as Cllr. for Dovecot in 1954) as Alderman.

Dovecot
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Indcox Davies	2,566	52%
	Conservative	Luke Francis Hogan	2,383	48%
Majority			183
Registered electors			15,024
Turnout			4,949	33%
	Labour hold		Swing

^[8]

Church by-election 27 October 1955

Church
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	George William Prout	unopposed
Majority
Registered electors
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing

^[9]

Alderman Mabel Fletcher M.A. Died on 2 December 1955.^[10]

Cllr. Peter James O'Hare was elected by the Councillors as an Alderman on 4 January 1956 and assigned as the Returning Officer for the County ward.^[11]

References

^ Jeffery, David. "Merseyside Local Election Results Project". Dr David Jeffery. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
^ Liverpool Daily Post 13 May 1955
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 pages 8 - 16
^ Liverpool Daily Post Tuesday 24 May 1955
^ Liverpool Echo, 14 June 1955
^ Liverpool Echo, 14 June 1955
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 pages 109 - 110
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 497
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 610
^ Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 716

[1] Jeffery, David. "Merseyside Local Election Results Project". Dr David Jeffery. Retrieved 14 April 2021.

[2] Liverpool Daily Post 13 May 1955

[3] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956

[4] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 pages 8 - 16

[5] Liverpool Daily Post Tuesday 24 May 1955

[6] Liverpool Echo, 14 June 1955

[7] Liverpool Echo, 14 June 1955

[8] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 pages 109 - 110

[9] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 497

[10] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 610

[11] Liverpool City Council Proceedings of the Council 1955-1956 page 716

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