The 1967 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 11 May 1967 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as several other county borough elections in Wales and England.

The previous elections to this one were in May 1966 and the next elections would be in May 1968.

The election saw the Conservatives taking a significant number of seats back from the Labour Party, as well as winning every new seat.

Background

Cardiff County Borough Council had been created in 1889. Cardiff became a city in 1905. Elections to the local authority were held annually, though not all council seats were included in each contest, because each of the three councillors in each ward stood down for election in rotation.

The council also comprised aldermen who were elected for a six-year period by the councillors.

The local government elections took place in the context of Harold Wilson's Labour UK government struggling with cabinet splits over their plans to join the European Common Market.[1]

New wards

Two new Cardiff electoral wards of Rhiwbina and Whitchurch were created for this election, following the transfer of these areas from Cardiff Rural.

Three councillors were elected for each of these wards at this election, increasing the numbers on Cardiff City Council by six. Because each of the three councillors in every ward stood down for re-election in rotation, the winners of the Rhiwbina/Whitchurch polls would sit for three years before standing down, the second placed candidates would sit for two years and the third-placed candidates would need to stand for re-election in 12 months time.[2]

Overview of the result

Twenty-three seats in 19 electoral wards were up for election in May 1967. In a "landslide election" the Conservative Party gained their biggest ever majority on the council, taking 4 seats off the Labour Party, one of the Liberals and winning all six new seats in Rhiwbina and Whitchurch.[3] Gains included the traditionally Labour seat in the South ward, taken by 36 votes. Labour group leader, Alderman Lyons, blamed Independent candidates splitting the Labour vote.[3] The council gained its first ever black councillor, Manuel Delgado, in the Splott ward. It also gained a brother and sister combination, with Trevor Tyrell joining his sister, Bella Brown, in the Canton Ward.[3]

Plaid Cymru were fielding a large number of candidates for the first time in Cardiff and polled well in Plasmawr and the two new Rhiwbina/Whitchurch wards.[3]

Council composition

Immediately following the election the Conservatives had a majority of 18 on the council, though after aldermanic elections the balance on the city council was expected to be 50 Conservatives and 26 Labour representatives.[3] 11 Conservative aldermen were elected on 22 May, with the two Labour aldermen standing for re-election losing their places. Conservative alderman Layton Lougher was also replaced.[4]

Ward results

Contests took place in every ward at this election. In most wards one council seat was up for election, but in Rhiwbina and Whitchurch three seats were available.[5]

Adamsdown

Adamsdown ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour (Alderman) J. P. Keohane 1,261
Conservative Lionel Pugh 762
Liberal Harry Edwards 251
Plaid Cymru Bran Evans 234
Majority 499
Labour hold Swing

Canton

Canton ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Tyrell 1,948
Labour Olwen Parry * 1,393
Independent Reg Stuart 313
Majority 555
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Cathays

Cathays ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bernard Bateman 2,188
Labour John C. Edwards * 2,005
Liberal Vernon White 459
Plaid Cymru John Howell 318
Majority 183
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Central

Central ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Hallinan * 1,809
Labour Robert Dumbleton 921
Majority 888
Conservative hold Swing

Ely

Ely ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William H. Carling * 2,118
Conservative Keith Clode 1,481
Majority 637
Labour hold Swing

Gabalfa

Gabalfa ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emrys Pride * 2,117
Conservative Wyndham Powell 2,052
Majority 65
Labour hold Swing

Grangetown

Grangetown ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert McCourtney 1,457
Labour Albert Horle * 1,263
Independent Maxwell Christie 768
Majority 194
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Llandaff

Llandaff ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Julius Hermer * 3,035
Plaid Cymru John B. Hilling 766
Labour J. May 628
Majority 2,407
Conservative hold Swing

Llanishen

Llanishen ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harvey Salter * 4,074
Labour (Mrs) J. Southern 1,673
Majority 2,401
Conservative hold Swing

Penylan

Penylan ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative F. W. Jones * 4,919
Labour R. Frew 842
Majority 4,077
Conservative hold Swing

Plasmawr

Plasmawr ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hubert Harding * 1,974
Conservative Peter Meyer 1,531
Plaid Cymru Dafydd Hughes 1,024
Majority 443
Labour hold Swing

Plasnewydd

Plasnewydd ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Olwen Watkin * 2,475
Labour W. J. Philips 912
Plaid Cymru E. I. Rowlands 373
Liberal Queenie O'Neill 250
Communist Thomas Southern [a]
Majority 1,563
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Olwen Watkin had won the previous election for the Liberal Party.[3]

Rhiwbina

Rhiwbina ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Martin Davies 3,531
Conservative William Bain 3,497
Conservative William Davies 3,096
Plaid Cymru John Bevan 1,264
Plaid Cymru Gwilym Hughes 1,228
Labour (Alderman) F. G. Davies 1,030
Labour (Mrs) S. Williams 996
Labour C. Roderick 880
Liberal Raymond Stephens 534
Majority 1,832
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Riverside

Riverside ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Purnell * 2,094
Labour David Seligman 1,019
Majority 1,075
Conservative hold Swing

Roath

Roath ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Richards * 3,379
Labour (Dr) A. Jenkins 861
Majority 2,518
Conservative hold Swing

Rumney

Rumney ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. N. Rees * 2,570
Conservative Joan Taylor 1,477
Majority 93
Labour hold Swing

South

South ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Terry Roche 1,622
Labour H. G. Bartlett * 1,586
Majority 36
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Splott

Splott ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Manuel Delgado 2,167
Conservative Ian Hermer 1,737
Plaid Cymru Donald Nicholson 704
Liberal Stan Sheriff 187
Majority 430
Labour hold Swing

Manuel Delgado became Cardiff's first ever black councillor.[3]

Whitchurch

Whitchurch ward 1967
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George E. Brown 3,350
Conservative Jack Davies 3,264
Conservative Rose Thomas 3,061
Liberal George Parsons 1,451
Labour A. G. Donne 1,386
Plaid Cymru Hugh Edwards 1,244
Labour E. Edwards 1,098
Labour B. A. Matthewson 980
Majority 1,610
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

* = 'retiring' ward councillor for re-election
[a] = vote figure missing from results

References

  1. ↑ Gordon Jackson (12 May 1967). "Cabinet shake-up on the way". South Wales Echo. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "All eyes on Whitchurch and Rhiwbina - newcomers hold the key to power". South Wales Echo. 9 May 1967. p. 6. For to bring the election procedure into line with that in the city's other wards, whoever tops the poll in the two new wards goes to City Hall for a full three-year term. The runners-up will serve for two years, while those in third place ...must face the electorate again in 12 months time... In this way the added areas will in future elect one member every year from 1968.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "18-seat lead in Cardiff for Tories". South Wales Echo. 12 May 1967. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "Alderman ousted from city council". South Wales Echo. 22 May 1967. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "We will win them back, say Labour - The county boroughs - Cardiff results". South Wales Echo. 12 May 1967. p. 8.
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