United Kingdom local elections, 1973

United Kingdom local elections, 1973

12 April 1973 (England & Wales) 1 May 1973 (Scotland) 10 May 1973 (England & Wales) 30 May 1973 (Northern Ireland) 7 June 1973 (England)

1 Unicameral area, all 6 metropolitan counties, all 39 non-metropolitan counties, all 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts, 1 sui generis authority, all 26 Northern Irish districts, all 8 Welsh counties and all 37 Welsh districts   Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Harold Wilson Edward Heath Jeremy Thorpe Party Labour Conservative Liberal Leader since 14 February 1963 27 July 1965 18 January 1967

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

The first elections to the new local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales and the new Northern Ireland district councils created by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 took place in 1973. Elections to the existing Greater London Council also took place.^[1]

England and Wales

The elections took place on three dates:^[2]

• 12 April 1973: Metropolitan county councils (601 councillors), Non-metropolitan county councils (3,128 councillors), Welsh county councils (578 councillors) and the Greater London Council (107 councillors & aldermen).
• 10 May 1973: Metropolitan district councils (2,517 councillors) and Welsh district councils (1,522 councillors).
• 7 June 1973: Non-metropolitan district councils (13,540 councillors).

Elections took place for all the seats on the councils. In the case of the new councils, they became shadow authorities, taking over from the existing local authorities on 1 April 1974. The elections for the new councils had been brought forward from an originally planned date in November 1973, to allow the councils more time to act as shadow authorities - the final dates were set in May 1972.^[3][4]

The April elections

The elections held on 12 April saw a very impressive performance by the Labour Party, which regained control of the Greater London Council and took control of all six of the new metropolitan county councils. In the rest of England, they won seven county councils, including two of the new "estuary" counties: Cleveland and Humberside. The party also won Gwent and the three Glamorgan county councils in Wales.

The poor Conservative vote in London and the metropolitan counties was somewhat compensated by winning thirteen of the non-metropolitan counties. Failure to gain Essex or Hertfordshire were disappointments to the party, but taking control of Gloucestershire was a success. The party also failed to gain its only realistic Welsh prospect, South Glamorgan.

There were no great successes for the Liberal party, which found itself in third place in all the metropolitan counties. They did however gain representation on the GLC for the first time, winning two seats at Sutton and Cheam and Richmond upon Thames. This followed the previous year's by-election success in winning the Sutton and Cheam parliamentary seat from the Conservatives.

Independents won two English counties outright: Cornwall and the Isle of Wight. They also formed the largest grouping on a number of other councils, and entered agreements with the Conservatives in the running of some of these. In Wales, Independents controlled three mainly rural counties.^[5][6]

The May elections

The results of the elections in May saw an improvement in the performance by the Conservatives since the county council elections, and a slight fall back in the Labour vote. The Liberals had a notable success, becoming the largest group on Liverpool council.

The Conservatives took control of five metropolitan districts, gaining seats in areas where they had been beaten in the elections to the county councils. They also gained one Welsh district, Monmouth.

The Labour party declared it was pleased with the results, especially as opinion polls had shown them losing support. They took control of most of the metropolitan districts, making a clean sweep of councils in Tyne and Wear and South Yorkshire and important councils such as Birmingham, Coventry and Manchester. Labour also took control of most districts in South Wales including Cardiff. The party's organiser for Wales also pointed to the fact that official Labour candidates won rural seats in north and west Wales for the first time.

Apart from forming a minority administration in Liverpool, the Liberals were able to hold the balance of power at Leeds, Stockport and Wirral. They were however disappointed with their performance at Calderdale which was won by Labour.^[7]

The June elections

In the June elections for 296 non-metropolitan districts, Labour won control of 71, the Conservatives 59, the Liberals 1, Democratic Labour 1, and Independents 67. 97 councils were under no overall control: in many of these councils Conservative and Independent groups formed an administration.

The Labour party won 4,327 seats, the Conservatives 4,286, Independents 3,534, and the Liberals 919; with the remaining 449 seats going to various other groupings.

It was a good result for the Liberal party who took control of Eastbourne and became the largest group on Adur, Newbury, Pendle and Waverley councils. The other two main parties also had notable successes: Labour considered control of Cambridge, Dacorum, Ipswich and Oxford to be good results; while the Conservatives celebrated taking Gloucester, Great Yarmouth, Lewes and Warrington councils.^{[8] [9]}

The break-away Democratic Labour Association won twenty of the thirty seats on Lincoln district council. The group were supporters of Dick Taverne, member of parliament for Lincoln who had been expelled from the Labour Party. Taverne had earlier in the year resigned his seat to force a by-election in protest against his expulsion, which he won against the official Labour candidate.

The Results

Metropolitan county councils

Council	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Greater Manchester	23	69	13	1	0	Labour
Merseyside	26	53	19	0	Ratepayers 1	Labour
South Yorkshire	13	82	1	4	0	Labour
Tyne and Wear	26	74	1	3	0	Labour
West Midlands	26	74	4	0	0	Labour
West Yorkshire	25	51	11	1	0	Labour

Non-metropolitan county councils

Council	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Avon	36	32	2	3	0	NOC
Bedfordshire	32	39	8	3	1 Vacancy	NOC
Berkshire	42	26	13	5	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Buckinghamshire	36	18	4	12	0	Conservative
Cambridgeshire	28	22	5	13	0	NOC
Cheshire	31	29	1	6	0	NOC
Cleveland	35	52	0	2	0	Labour
Cornwall	3	1	0	75	0	Independent
Cumbria	31	38	1	6	0	NOC
Derbyshire	26	60	5	7	0	Labour
Devon	54	20	11	12	0	Conservative
Dorset	47	13	11	20	0	Conservative
Durham	2	56	6	7	0	Labour
East Sussex	48	19	9	8	0	Conservative
Essex	47	40	5	5	0	NOC (Conservative minority)
Gloucestershire	31	18	5	7	0	Conservative
Hampshire	44	27	6	20	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Hereford and Worcester	37	30	8	17	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Hertfordshire	33	33	3	2	Ratepayers 1	NOC
Humberside	36	51	3	7	2 Vacancies	Labour
Isle of Wight	6	6	7	23	0	Independent
Kent	63	31	7	2	0	Conservative
Lancashire	52	33	7	3	Ratepayers 1	Conservative
Leicestershire	41	37	7	8	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Lincolnshire	34	10	3	22	0	NOC
Norfolk	52	27	0	4	0	Conservative
North Yorkshire	39	12	12	29	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Northamptonshire	38	46	3	4	2 Vacancies	Labour
Northumberland	10	28	0	21	0	NOC
Nottinghamshire	35	54	0	0	0	Labour
Oxfordshire	36	21	0	10	0	Conservative
Salop	14	16	3	30	0	NOC
Somerset	35	7	2	12	0	Conservative
Staffordshire	28	47	1	9	0	Labour
Suffolk	47	29	3	0	3	Conservative
Surrey	46	12	9	5	0	Conservative
Warwickshire	27	21	5	2	0	NOC
West Sussex	52	10	7	13	Ratepayers 1	Conservative
Wiltshire	40	22	6	11	0	Conservative

Welsh county councils

Council	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Clwyd	11	20	4	30	1 Vacancy	NOC
Dyfed	0	29	8	40	Plaid Cymru 1 Ratepayers 1	Independent
Gwent	12	59	3	1	Ratepayers Plaid Cymru 1	Labour
Gwynedd	0	4	0	56	Plaid Cymru 6	Independent
Mid Glamorgan	3	63	2	6	Plaid Cymru 6 Communist 2	Labour
Powys						Independent
South Glamorgan	35	42	0	3	0	Labour
West Glamorgan	9	52	2	4	Plaid Cymru 1 Progressive Labour 1 Ratepayers 1	Labour

Greater London Council

Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
32	58	2	0	0	Labour

Metropolitan Districts

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Barnsley	South Yorkshire	0	57	0	1	Independent Labour 1 Democratic Labour 1	Labour
Birmingham	West Midlands	44	73	9	0	0	Labour
Bolton	Greater Manchester	35	31	2	1	0	Conservative
Bradford	West Yorkshire	53	31	9	0	0	Conservative
Bury	Greater Manchester	21	20	7	0	0	NOC
Calderdale	West Yorkshire	18	28	5	0	0	Labour
Coventry	West Midlands	12	42	0	0	0	Labour
Doncaster	South Yorkshire	12	43	0	4	Democratic Labour 1	Labour
Dudley	West Midlands	24	40	1	1	Independent Labour 1	Labour
Gateshead	Tyne and Wear	6	71	0	0	Rent and Ratepayers 1	Labour
Kirklees	West Yorkshire	18	45	8	1	0	Labour
Knowsley	Merseyside	6	52	4	0	Kirkby Householders Federation 1	Labour
Leeds	West Yorkshire	38	44	14	0	0	NOC
Liverpool	Merseyside	9	42	48	0	0	NOC(1)
Manchester	Greater Manchester	40	59	0	0	0	Labour
Newcastle-upon-Tyne	Tyne and Wear	23	51	1	3	0	Labour
North Tyneside	Tyne and Wear	19	48	7	4	0	Labour
Oldham	Greater Manchester	6	42	5	1	3 Vacancies	Labour
Rochdale	Greater Manchester	14	37	9	0	0	Labour
Rotherham	South Yorkshire	3	50	0	1	0	Labour
St Helens	Merseyside	9	36	0	0	0	Labour
Salford	Greater Manchester	15	50	1	0	0	Labour
Sandwell	West Midlands	24	66	0	0	0	Labour
Sefton	Merseyside	37	24	3	2	Ratepayers 3	Conservative
Sheffield	South Yorkshire	18	69	3	0	0	Labour
Solihull	West Midlands	28	12	2	9	0	Conservative
South Tyneside	Tyne and Wear	3	45	0	0	Progressive 18	Labour
Stockport	Greater Manchester	27	16	13	4	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Sunderland	Tyne and Wear	21	56	0	1	0	Labour
Tameside	Greater Manchester	14	38	2	0	0	Labour
Trafford	Greater Manchester	32	16	12	0	0	Conservative
Wakefield	West Yorkshire	6	58	0	1	1	Labour
Walsall	West Midlands	11	44	0	2	Ratepayers 3	Labour
Wigan	Greater Manchester	5	66	0	1	0	Labour
Wirral	Merseyside	29	24	13	0	0	NOC
Wolverhampton	West Midlands	20	40	0	0	0	Labour

⁽¹⁾ A minority Liberal administration was formed

Welsh Districts

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Plaid Cymru	Independent	Other	Control
Aberconwy	Gwynedd	4	3	0	0	34	0	Independent
Alyn-Dee	Clwyd	9	25	4	0	7	0	Labour
Afan	West Glamorgan	0	21	0	0	0	Tenants Association 3 Ratepayers 5 Unofficial Labour 1	Labour
Arfon	Gwynedd	0	8	0	5	27	0	Independent
Blaenau Gwent	Gwent	0	31	3	1	1	Independent Labour 7 Ratepayers 7 Tenants and Residents 1	Labour
Brecknock	Powys	4	17	1	0	29	0	Independent
Cardiff	South Glamorgan	33	42	0	0	0	0	Labour
Carmarthen	Dyfed	0	7	0	0	28	Ratepayers 1	Independent
Ceredigion	Dyfed	0	4	9	0	30	0	Independent
Colwyn	Clwyd	1	0	10	0	22	0	Independent
Cynon Valley	Mid Glamorgan	0	23	0	12	0	3	Labour
Delyn	Clwyd	1	11	0	2	26	0	Independent
Dinefwr	Dyfed	0	17	1	0	13	Independent Socialist 1	Labour
Dwyfor	Gwynedd	0	0	0	1	28	0	Independent
Glyndŵr	Clwyd	0	3	0	0	30	0	Independent
Islwyn	Gwent	0	30	0	2	3	Communist 1	Labour
Llanelli	Dyfed	0	29	0	0	4	0	Labour
Lliw Valley	West Glamorgan	0	27	0	2	3	0	Labour
Meirionydd	Gwynedd	0	0	0	0	39	0	Independent
Merthyr Tydfil	Mid Glamorgan	0	25	0	4	1	3	Labour
Monmouth	Gwent	29	9	0	0	1	0	Conservative
Montgomery	Powys	0	2	3	0	44	0	Independent
Neath	West Glamorgan	0	24	0	2	2	Ratepayers 1 4 Vacancies	Labour
Newport	Gwent	8	36	2	0	5	0	Labour
Ogwr	Mid Glamorgan	6	42	1	1	3	Ratepayers 3 Independent Labour 1	Labour
Preseli	Dyfed	0	0	0	0	43	0	Independent
Radnor	Powys	0	0	0	0	31	0	Independent
Rhondda	Mid Glamorgan	0	30	0	1	0	Ratepayers 1 Communist 1	Labour
Rhuddlan	Clwyd	9	4	1	0	22	0	Independent
Rhymney Valley	Mid Glamorgan	0	38	0	4	2	Ratepayers 4	Labour
South Pembrokeshire	Dyfed	0	0	0	1	30	0	Independent
Swansea	West Glamorgan	12	30	1	0	3	Independent Ratepayers 3 Ratepayers 2	Labour
Taff-Ely	Mid Glamorgan	0	30	4	2	7	Ratepayers 4	Labour
Torfaen	Gwent	0	36	0	0	2	Communist 2 Rent and Ratepayers 3	Labour
Vale of Glamorgan	South Glamorgan	15	23	0	0	11	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Wrexham Maelor	Clwyd	4	24	2	1	14	0	Labour
Ynys Môn (Anglesey)	Gwynedd	0	4	0	0	41	0	Independent

Non-metropolitan Districts

A

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Adur	West Sussex	13	6	16	0	Shoreham Beach Residents Association 4	NOC
Allerdale	Cumbria	4	25	0	27	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Alnwick	Northumberland	0	4	0	24	0	Independent
Amber Valley	Derbyshire	4	32	3	0	21	Labour
Arun	West Sussex	33	4	4	5	1	Conservative
Ashfield	Nottinghamshire	1	52	0	2	0	Labour
Ashford	Kent	22	8	10	4	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Aylesbury Vale	Buckinghamshire	10	12	1	31	0	Independent

B

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Babergh	Suffolk	7	11	0	20	0	Independent
Barrow-in-Furness	Cumbria	6	25	0	2	0	Labour
Basildon	Essex	9	31	0	0	6	Labour
Basingstoke	Hampshire	18	14	3	20	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Bassetlaw	Nottinghamshire	11	29	0	10	1	Labour
Bath	Avon	19	17	9	0	0	NOC
Beaconsfield	Buckinghamshire	27	1	3	9	2	Conservative
Bedford	Bedfordshire	20	22	2	12	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Berwick-upon-Tweed	Northumberland	0	2	0	26	0	Independent
Beverley	Humberside	16	1	7	36	0	Independent
Blaby	Leicestershire	8	0	7	20	0	Independent
Blackburn	Lancashire	19	27	11	3	0	NOC
Blackpool	Lancashire	40	10	3	3	0	Conservative
Blyth Valley	Northumberland	5	29	12	12	2	Labour
Bolsover	Derbyshire	1	28	0	4	3	Labour
Boothferry	Humberside	4	5	0	26	0	Independent
Boston	Lincolnshire	9	5	5	15	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Bosworth	Leicestershire	4	14	8	13	0	NOC
Bournemouth	Dorset	38	14	3	2	0	Conservative
Bracknell	Berkshire	9	17	1	1	Ratepayers 3	Labour
Braintree	Essex	14	19	1	21	Ratepayers 1	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Breckland	Norfolk	19	10	0	21	Independent Conservative 1	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Brentwood	Essex	24	11	1	2	0	Conservative
Bridgnorth	Salop	0	0	1	31	0	Independent
Brighton	East Sussex	31	28	0	0	0	Conservative
Bristol	Avon	25	56	3	0	0	Labour
Broadland	Norfolk	19	6	0	24	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Bromsgrove	Hereford and Worcester	25	13	0	0	Ratepayers 4	Conservative
Broxbourne	Hertfordshire	28	12	0	0	0	Conservative
Broxtowe	Nottinghamshire	24	20	0	1	Socialist Independent 1	Conservative
Burnley	Lancashire	12	39	1	2	0	Labour

C

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Cambridge	Cambridgeshire	11	26	5	0	0	Labour
Cannock Chase	Staffordshire	1	36	0	0	0	Labour
Canterbury	Kent	34	5	2	5	Ratepayers 3	0
Caradon	Cornwall	0	0	0	41	0	Independent
Carlisle	Cumbria	12	25	1	10	0	Labour
Carrick	Cornwall	4	5	4	32	0	Independent
Castle Morpeth	Northumberland	11	7	2	13	Ratepayers 1	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Castle Point	Essex	19	20	0	0	0	Labour
Charnwood	Leicestershire	28	14	5	13	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Chelmsford	Essex	31	16	8	5	0	Conservative
Cheltenham	Gloucestershire	21	7	4	2	Ratepayers 2	Conservative
Cherwell	Oxfordshire	15	16	0	14	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Chester	Cheshire	43	15	0	4	0	Conservative
Chesterfield	Derbyshire	7	45	2	0	0	Labour
Chester-le-Street	Durham	0	23	6	4	0	Labour
Chichester	West Sussex	13	0	6	28	Ratepayers 3	Independent
Chiltern	Buckinghamshire	26	11	0	7	Ratepayers 3 Residents 4	Conservative
Chorley	Lancashire	17	21	0	7	Independent Labour 2	NOC
Christchurch	Dorset	10	4	5	1	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Cleethorpes	Humberside	9	14	6	19	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Colchester	Essex	28	27	1	4	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Congleton	Cheshire	20	12	1	11	Ratepayers 1	NOC
Copeland	Cumbria	6	30	0	12	0	Labour
Corby	Northamptonshire	1	29	0	2	Independent Socialist 1	Labour
Cotswold	Gloucestershire	1	2	0	42	0	Independent
Craven	North Yorkshire	14	6	9	6	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Crawley	West Sussex	5	25	0	1	Ratepayers 1	Labour
Crewe	Cheshire	2	35	2	21	0	Labour

D

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Dacorum	Hertfordshire	26	33	0	3	0	Labour
Darlington	Durham	8	28	8	5	0	Labour
Dartford	Kent	14	30	0	0	0	Labour
Daventry	Northamptonshire	16	9	0	10	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Derby	Derbyshire	14	34	6	0	0	Labour
Derwentside	Durham	1	45	5	3	3	Labour
Dover	Kent	29	21	0	5	0	Conservative
Durham	Durham	0	40	7	14	0	Labour

E

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Easington	Durham	0	56	0	3	Independent Labour 1	Labour
Eastbourne	East Sussex	10	4	19	0	0	Liberal
East Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire	0	1	0	33	1 Vacancy	Independent
East Devon	Devon	14	1	3	42	0	Independent
East Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire	16	10	0	16	6	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Eastleigh	Hampshire	13	20	5	4	0	NOC
East Lindsey	Lincolnshire	5	1	3	5	Independent Conservative 2 Others 42	Non Party
East Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	5	14	0	0	17	NOC
East Staffordshire	Staffordshire	22	24	0	14	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Eden	Cumbria	0	0	0	37	0	Independent
Ellesmere Port	Cheshire	14	27	0	1	0	Labour
Elmbridge	Surrey	39	7	5	0	Ratepayers 14	Conservative
Epping Forest	Essex	44	10	0	5	0	Conservative
Epsom and Ewell	Surrey	0	3	0	0	Ratepayers 37	Ratepayers
Erewash	Derbyshire	9	36	5	4	0	Labour
Exeter	Devon	14	13	6	1	0	NOC

F

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Fareham	Hampshire	16	2	5	2	Ratepayers 11	NOC (Conservative-Ratepayers)
Fenland	Cambridgeshire	18	8	0	14	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Forest Heath	Suffolk	12	0	0	3	Others 9 1 Vacancy	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Forest of Dean	Gloucestershire	0	21	1	25	0	NOC
Fylde	Lancashire	28	2	2	4	Others 9	Conservative

G

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Gedling	Nottinghamshire	32	19	0	0	Independent Ratepayers 4	Conservative
Gillingham	Kent	13	14	8	0	0	NOC
Glanford	Humberside	0	1	0	33	0	Independent
Gloucester	Gloucestershire	31	2	0	0	0	Conservative
Gosport	Hampshire	9	19	0	2	Ratepayers 1	Labour
Gravesham	Kent	15	28	0	0	Ratepayers 1	Labour
Great Yarmouth	Norfolk	26	17	2	3	0	Conservative
Grimsby	Humberside	14	20	7	1	0	NOC
Guildford	Surrey	29	6	5	2	0	Conservative

H

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Halton	Cheshire	8	30	1	3	Moderate Party 1	Labour
Hambleton	North Yorkshire	4	1	1	42	0	Independent
Harborough	Leicestershire	37	28	2	0	0	Conservative
Harlow	Essex	0	38	4	0	0	Labour
Harrogate	North Yorkshire	35	2	15	7	1 Vacancy	Conservative
Hartlepool	Cleveland	15	30	0	1	0	Labour
Hartley Wintney	Hampshire	7	0	0	23	3	Independent
Hastings	East Sussex	12	11	9	1	0	NOC
Havant	Hampshire	8	8	10	4	Ratepayers 12	NOC
Hereford	Hereford and Worcester	0	10	8	3	Independent Conservative 3	NOC
Hertsmere	Hertfordshire	25	17	13	0	0	NOC
High Peak	Derbyshire	23	11	2	10	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Holderness	Humberside	0	0	0	29	0	Independent
Horsham	West Sussex	18	0	2	23	0	Independent
Hove	East Sussex	24	6	0	3	3 Vacancies	Conservative
Huntingdon	Cambridgeshire	15	9	0	26	0	Independent
Hyndburn	Lancashire	21	24	3	0	0	NOC

I

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Ipswich	Suffolk	11	36	0	0	0	Labour

K

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Kennet	Wiltshire	7	0	2	28	0	Independent
Kerrier	Cornwall	5	3	0	34	0	Independent
Kettering	Northamptonshire	14	16	7	8	0	NOC
Kingston-upon-Hull	Humberside	8	55	0	0	0	Labour
Kingswood	Avon	4	19	6	6	10	NOC

L

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Lancaster	Lancashire	32	18	1	6	Ratepayers 3	Conservative
Langbaurgh	Cleveland	27	32	0	5	0	NOC
Leicester	Leicestershire	11	37	0	0	0	Labour
Leominster	Hereford and Worcester	1	2	0	33	0	Independent
Lewes	East Sussex	26	10	0	6	Ratepayers 5	Conservative
Lichfield	Staffordshire	17	25	0	11	Ratepayers 1	NOC
Lincoln	Lincolnshire	6	1	0	3	Democratic Labour 20	Democratic Labour
Luton	Bedfordshire	12	30	6	0	0	Labour

M

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Macclesfield	Cheshire	25	10	10	12	Ratepayers 5	NOC
Maidstone	Kent	13	12	19	9	7	NOC
Maldon	Essex	9	4	3	14	0	NOC
Malvern Hills	Hereford and Worcester	1	2	11	8	23	NOC
Mansfield	Nottinghamshire	7	38	0	0	0	Labour
Medina	Isle of Wight	3	10	4	13	Ratepayers 3	NOC
Medway	Kent	22	32	5	0	0	Labour
Melton	Leicestershire	12	2	0	6	4	NOC
Mendip	Somerset	11	7	2	23	1 Vacancy	Independent
Mid Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	5	8	1	35	0	Independent
Mid Suffolk	Suffolk	6	9	1	24	0	Independent
Mid Sussex	West Sussex	25	3	5	21	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Middlesbrough	Cleveland	17	39	0	0	0	Labour
Milton Keynes	Buckinghamshire	8	27	0	5	0	Labour
Mole Valley	Surrey	16	3	5	9	Residents 9	NOC

N

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Newark	Nottinghamshire	20	29	0	3	0	Labour
Newbury	Berkshire	10	1	24	22	0	NOC
Newcastle-under-Lyme	Staffordshire	15	31	2	14	0	NOC
New Forest	Hampshire	12	1	5	37	3	Independent
Northampton	Northamptonshire	23	25	0	0	0	Labour
Northavon	Avon	26	19	1	1	Residents Association 1 2 Vacancies	NOC
North Cornwall	Cornwall	0	0	3	23	0	Independent
North Devon	Devon	0	1	15	28	0	Independent
North Dorset	Dorset	0	0	4	27	0	Independent
North East Derbyshire	Derbyshire	10	32	0	9	0	Labour
North Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire	23	17	0	7	Ratepayers 1	NOC
North Kesteven	Lincolnshire	8	2	0	27	0	Independent
North Shropshire	Shropshire	0	1	2	36	0	Independent
North Warwickshire	Warwickshire	8	19	0	4	Ratepayers 2	Labour
North West Leicestershire	Leicestershire	8	25	0	10	0	Labour
North Wiltshire	Wiltshire	24	4	7	11	0	Conservative
North Wolds	Humberside	3	2	1	37	0	Independent
Norwich	Norfolk	11	37	0	0	0	Labour
Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	10	44	0	0	0	Labour
Nuneaton	Warwickshire	7	26	2	0	0	Labour

O

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Oadby and Wigston	Leicestershire	18	7	5	3	0	Conservative
Oswestry	Shropshire	0	1	3	18	0	Independent
Oxford	Oxfordshire	12	30	3	0	0	Labour

P

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Pastonacres	Norfolk	6	4	0	37	0	Independent
Pendle	Lancashire	6	19	23	2	7	NOC
Penwith	Cornwall	0	1	1	38	0	Independent
Peterborough	Cambridgeshire	19	28	1	0	0	Labour
Petersfield	Hampshire	16	6	0	20	0	NOC
Plymouth	Devon	37	29	0	0	0	Conservative
Poole	Dorset	22	3	9	2	0	Conservative
Portsmouth	Hampshire	28	17	0	3	0	Conservative
Preston	Lancashire	19	38	0	0	0	Labour
Purbeck	Dorset	5	3	0	13	0	Independent

R

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Reading	Berkshire	16	16	14		0	NOC
Redditch	Hereford and Worcester	6	19	0	0	0	NOC
Reigate and Banstead	Surrey	29	15	4	2	0	Conservative
Restormel	Cornwall	0	0	2	36	0	Independent
Ribble Valley	Lancashire	30	1	0	7	0	Conservative
Richmondshire	North Yorkshire	0	0	0	35	0	Independent
Rochford	Essex	19	12	1	8	0	NOC
Rossendale	Lancashire	17	15	4	0	0	NOC
Rother	East Sussex	9	5	1	30	0	Independent
Rugby	Warwickshire	22	18	3	2	Ratepayers 3	NOC
Runnymede	Surrey	23	15	0	2	0	Conservative
Rushcliffe	Nottinghamshire	42	3	0	3	1	Conservative
Rushmoor	Hampshire	20	9	7	0	Ratepayers 7	NOC
Rutland	Leicestershire	0	0	0	20	0	Independent
Ryedale	North Yorkshire	0	5	0	40	0	Independent

S

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
St Albans	Hertfordshire	32	14	7	1	0	Conservative
St Edmundsbury	Suffolk	26	11	0	6	Independent Conservative 1	Conservative
Salisbury	Wiltshire	16	13	8	17	Ratepayers 2 2 Vacancies	NOC
Scarborough	North Yorkshire	15	5	11	16	1 Vacancy	NOC
Scunthorpe	Humberside	4	35	0	0	Independent Labour 1	Labour
Sedgefield	Durham	1	40	4	8	0	Labour
Sedgemoor	Somerset	19	14	3	12	0	NOC
Selby	North Yorkshire	16	7	0	20	1 Vacancy	Independent
Sevenoaks	Kent	28	6	6	14	0	Conservative
Shepway	Kent	33	12	1	8	0	Conservative
Shrewsbury	Shropshire	12	15	7	11	0	NOC
Slough	Berkshire	2	34	4	0	0	Labour
South Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	17	13	8	7	0	NOC
South Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire	0	7	3	43	0	Independent
South Derbyshire	Derbyshire	4	18	0	13	0	Labour
South Hams	Devon	2	0	0	40	0	Independent
South Herefordshire	Hereford and Worcester	1	0	0	35	0	Independent
South Holland	Lincolnshire	6	2	0	27	0	Independent
South Kesteven	Lincolnshire	13	12	0	9	21	NOC
South Lakeland	Cumbria	7	2	7	37	Independent Conservative 1	Independent
South Norfolk	Norfolk	6	7	1	33	0	Independent
South Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	15	2	2	17	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
South Ribble	Lancashire	30	16	2	1	0	Conservative
South Shropshire	Shropshire	0	0	1	35	0	Independent
South Staffordshire	Staffordshire	22	8	1	15	2	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
South Wight	Isle of Wight	1	0	1	22	0	Independent
Southampton	Hampshire	20	31	0	0	0	Labour
Southend-on-Sea	Essex	24	13	11	0	0	NOC
Spelthorne	Surrey	39	13	0	0	0	Conservative
Stafford	Staffordshire	18	15	0	23	Independent Labour 1	NOC
Staffordshire Moorlands	Staffordshire	12	14	2	26	0	NOC (Independent minority)
Stevenage	Hertfordshire	3	31	0	0	0	Labour
Stockton-on-Tees	Cleveland	25	33	0	2	0	Labour
Stoke-on-Trent	Staffordshire	8	60	3	1	0	Labour
Stratford on Avon	Warwickshire	15	2	5	32	0	Independent
Stroud	Gloucestershire	14	14 (Including 2 Labour & Co-Operative)	8	17	3 Vacancies	NOC
Suffolk Coastal	Suffolk	27	9	0	18	Independent Conservative 1	NOC
Surrey Heath	Surrey	35	0	0	1	0	Conservative
Swale	Kent	17	25	3	5	0	NOC

T

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Tamworth	Staffordshire	0	18	0	6	0	Labour
Tandridge	Surrey	26	3	10	3	0	Conservative
Taunton Deane	Somerset	21	14	0	13	0	NOC
Teesdale	Durham	0	0	0	29	0	Independent
Teignbridge	Devon	0	7	0	48	Independent Trade Unionist 1	Independent
Tendring	Essex	31	4	11	11	Ratepayers 3	Conservative
Test Valley	Hampshire	10	5	7	21	0	NOC
Tewkesbury	Gloucestershire	22	0	3	26	0	Independent
Thamesdown	Wiltshire	18	26	0	2	0	Labour
Thanet	Kent	33	14	5	11	0	Conservative
Three Rivers	Hertfordshire	19	12	13	0	0	NOC
Thurrock	Essex	13	33	0	3	0	Labour
Tiverton	Devon	0	3	5	32	0	Independent
Tonbridge and Malling	Kent	30	11	8	4	0	Conservative
Torbay	Devon	30	6	0	0	0	Conservative
Torridge	Devon	0	1	6	29	0	Independent
Tunbridge Wells	Kent	29	7	2	9	0	Conservative
Tynedale	Northumberland	4	10	3	25	3	Independent

U

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Uttlesford	Essex	21	7	2	12	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)

V

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Vale of White Horse	Oxfordshire	27	8	3	10	0	Conservative
Vale Royal	Cheshire	10	16	6	25	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)

W

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Wallingford	Oxfordshire	25	9	7	20	Progressive Independent 1	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Wansbeck	Northumberland	0	44	0	1	0	Labour
Wansdyke	Avon	12	22	0	11	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Warrington	Cheshire	32	22	3	3	0	Conservative
Warwick	Warwickshire	26	25	7	0	0	NOC
Watford	Hertfordshire	9	21	6	0	0	Labour
Waveney	Suffolk	22	27	5	2	0	NOC
Waverley	Surrey	28	2	25	6	0	NOC
Wealden	East Sussex	25	1	2	23	5	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Wear Valley	Durham	0	21	9	10	People's Representative 1	Labour
Wellingborough	Northamptonshire	14	13	0	5	Ratepayers 1	NOC
Welwyn Hatfield	Hertfordshire	19	24	0	0	0	Labour
West Derbyshire	Derbyshire	18	5	4	13	0	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
West Devon	Devon	0	0	0	30	0	Independent
West Dorset	Dorset	0	2	9	44	0	Independent
West Lancashire	Lancashire	10	23	3	14	0	NOC
West Lindsey	Lincolnshire	1	5	6	25	0	Independent
West Norfolk	Norfolk	14	22	0	24	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
West Oxfordshire	Oxfordshire	1	7	1	35	Independent Liberal 1	Independent
West Somerset	Somerset	3	1	1	27	0	Independent
West Wiltshire	Wiltshire	13	10	2	17	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
Weymouth and Portland	Dorset	18	21	0	0	0	Labour
Wimborne	Dorset	2	0	9	21	1 Vacancy	Independent
Winchester	Hampshire	14	5	5	25	Ratepayers 1 Tenants 1	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Windsor and Maidenhead	Berkshire	53	3	0	3	0	Conservative
Woking	Surrey	19	12	1	0	0	Conservative
Wokingham	Berkshire	23	0	13	15	Ratepayers 1	NOC (Conservative-Independent)
Woodspring	Avon	40	10	3	8	0	Conservative
Worcester	Hereford and Worcester	18	18	0	0	0	NOC
Worthing	West Sussex	17	1	0	12	0	Conservative
Wrekin	Shropshire	8	32	0	14	Independent Labour 1	Labour
Wychavon	Hereford and Worcester	10	4	2	29	0	Independent
Wycombe	Buckinghamshire	30	12	3	10	4	Conservative
Wyre	Lancashire	45	2	0	8	0	Conservative
Wyre Forest	Hereford and Worcester	30	20	9	1	Ratepayers 2	NOC

Y

District	County	Conservative	Labour	Liberal	Independent	Other	Control
Yeovil	Somerset	20	8	2	30	0	NOC (Independent-Conservative)
York	North Yorkshire	17	17	5	0	0	NOC

Future elections

The next county council elections took place in 1977.

Future elections to Metropolitan District councils were to be by thirds, with the one third of seats being elected in 1975.

The next election of non-metropolitan district councils and Welsh district councils was to in 1976.^[10]

Northern Ireland

Local government in Northern Ireland was reorganised in 1973 by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The county councils, county borough and municipal borough corporations and urban and rural district councils were replaced by twenty-six Local Government districts. Elections took place for all the seats on the district councils on 30 May.^{[11][12][13][14]}

District	Official Unionist	Democratic Unionist	Vanguard Unionist	Loyalist Coalition	Independent Unionist	SDLP	Republican Clubs	Nationalist and Unity Parties	Alliance	Northern Ireland Labour Party	Others	Control
Antrim	8	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	Independent 2	NOC (Unionist)
Ards	11	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	1	Independent 1	Official Unionist
Armagh	10	2	0	0	1	4	1	0	1	0	Independent 1	NOC (Unionist)
Ballymena	9	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	Independent 2 Non-Party 3	NOC (Unionist)
Ballymoney	4	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	Independent 1 Non-Party 5	NOC
Banbridge	8	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	Independent 3	NOC (Unionist)
Belfast	25	2	1	0	2	7	2	0	8	2	Unionist Loyalist 2	NOC (Unionist)
Carrickfergus	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	Unionist Loyalist 5 Loyalist 1 Non-Party 1	NOC (Unionist)
Castlereagh	8	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	5	0	Unionist Loyalist 2 Independent 1	NOC (Unionist)
Coleraine	12	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	Independent 1 Non-party 1	Official Unionist
Cookstown	7	0	0	1	1	3	1	0	0	0	Independent 1 Non-Party 1	NOC (Unionist)
Craigavon	7	3	2	3	3	2	0	0	4	0	Independent 1	NOC (Unionist)
Down	8	0	1	0	0	8	0	0	2	0	Independent 1	NOC
Dungannon	11	0	0	0	0	5	0	Unity 2 Republican 2	0	0	0	Official Unionist
Fermanagh	5	0	0	0	3	4	0	Unity 4	0	0	Independent 1 Unionist Unity 2 Non-Party 1	NOC
Larne	1	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	3	0	Independent 2 Non-Party 1	Loyalist
Limavady	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	2	0	United Unionists 8 Independent 1	United Unionists
Lisburn	14	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	Official Unionist
Londonderry	0	0	0	United Loyalists 9	0	10	1	Nationalist 3	0	0	0	NOC (Nationalist)
Magherafelt	4	0	1	United Loyalist 1	0	6	1	0	0	0	Independent 1	NOC
Moyle	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	Independent 5 Non-Party 4	NOC
Newry and Mourne	3	0	0	0	0	13	2	0	0	0	Non-Party 6 Independent 2	NOC
Newtownabbey	9	3	0	0	Unionist 3 United Loyalist 1 Loyalist 1	0	0	0	3	1	0	NOC (Unionist)
North Down	9	0	0	Loyalist 3	0	0	0	7	0	0	0	NOC
Omagh	6	0	0	0	Unionist Unity 2	4	0	Nationalist 1 Official Republican 1	0	0	3 Non-Party Community	NOC
Strabane	6	0	0	Unionist Coalition 1	0	4	0	0	0	0	Independent 2	NOC

Scotland

Local elections were also held in Scotland in 1973. At the time of the election, Scotland was the only part of the UK in which local government had yet to be reformed, with the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 only receiving Royal Assent in October 1973. The election saw Labour maintaining their control of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Dundee, although failing to make gains in Edinburgh.

References