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.
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All 20 seats to Hamilton District Council 11 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 74,381 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
editPrior 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| 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
editHillhouse
edit| 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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | S. Dallas | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,181 | ||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Source:[4]
Wellhall North
edit| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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| 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- ^ "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.