1978 Strathclyde Regional Council election
2 May 1978 (1978-05-02)
All 103 seats to Strathclyde Regional Council[lower-alpha 1]
52 seats needed for a majority
Registered1,765,635
Turnout46.2%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Lab
Con
SNP
Leader Dick Stewart
Party Labour Conservative SNP
Last election 71 seats, 44.0% 20 seats, 28.4% 5 seats, 15.1%
Seats won 72 25 2
Seat change Increase1 Increase5 Decrease3
Popular vote 348,053 242,721 182,878
Percentage 43.0% 30.0% 22.6%
Swing Decrease1.0% Increase1.6% Increase7.5%
Council Leader before election

Dick Stewart
Labour

 Council Leader after election

Dick Stewart
Labour

Elections to Strathclyde Regional Council were held on Tuesday 2 May 1978, on the same day as the eight other Scottish regional elections. This was the second election to the regional council following the local government reforms in 1974.

The election was the last to use the 103 electoral divisions created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each electoral division elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.[2]

Labour, who had won the previous election to Strathclyde Regional Council, retained a large majority by winning 72 of the 103 seats – up one from the previous election in 1974. The Conservatives remained as the second-largest party after winning 25 seats, an increase of five from the previous election. Despite increasing their vote share by 7.5%, the Scottish National Party (SNP) lost three seats to hold just two as they ended as the joint third-largest party with the Liberal Party who had remained on two seats. One Independent Ratepayer was elected but no other independent candidates were returned.

One seat remained vacant following the election after the poll in the Crosshill and Prospecthill electoral division was postponed due to the death of Labour candidate and convener of the regional council, the Rev. Geoff Shaw on 28 April.[1]

Results

1978 Strathclyde Regional Council election
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 72 Increase1 69.9 43.0 348,053 Decrease1.0
  Conservative 25 Increase5 24.3 30.0 242,721 Increase1.6
  SNP 2 Decrease3 1.9 22.6 182,878 Increase7.5
  Liberal 2 Steady0 1.9 1.8 14,219 Decrease2.7
  Independent Ratepayers 1 Steady0 1.0 0.7 5,754 New
  SLP 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.8 6,410 New
  Independent 0 0 4 Decrease4 0.0 0.7 5,531 Decrease4.2
  Communist 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.3 2,423 Decrease0.9
  Independent Labour 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.2 1,573 Decrease0.3
  Independent Nationalist 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.0 273 New
  Workers Revolutionary 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.0 143 New
  Socialist Unity 0 0 0 Steady0 0.0 0.0 77 New
Total 102[lower-alpha 1]

Source:[3][4]

Electoral division results

Kilmarnock North

Kilmarnock North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Hunter 5,081 52.4 Decrease 6.8
SNP R. Brailsford 2,669 27.5 New
Conservative P. Thomson 1,946 20.1 Decrease 4.6
Majority 2,412 24.9 Decrease 9.6
Turnout 9,696 48.1 Increase 2.2
Registered electors 20,179
Labour hold Swing Decrease 1.1

Source:[3][4]

Kilmarnock South

Kilmarnock South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Carson 3,571 39.0 Decrease 8.2
Conservative A. McCluskey 2,903 31.7 Decrease 9.4
SNP G. Wilson 2,662 29.1 New
Majority 668 7.3 Increase 1.2
Turnout 9,136 46.1 Decrease 4.5
Registered electors 19,846
Labour hold Swing Increase 0.6

Source:[3][4]

Stewarton and Irvine Valley

Stewarton and Irvine Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D. Fulton 4,572 42.8 Decrease 14.3
Conservative A. MacIntosh 3,127 29.3 Increase 2.2
SNP R. Young 2,975 27.8 New
Majority 1,445 13.5 Decrease 14.5
Turnout 10,674 51.2 Decrease 2.3
Registered electors 20,870
Labour hold Swing Decrease 8.2

Source:[3][4]

Cumnock

Cumnock
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Paterson 3,910 51.9 N/A
SLP W. Dick 1,877 24.9 N/A
Conservative J. Findlay 952 12.6 N/A
SNP I. Cole 785 10.4 N/A
Majority 2,033 27.0 N/A
Turnout 7,524 46.1 N/A
Registered electors 16,351
Labour hold Swing N/A

Source:[3][4]

New Cumnock and Doon Valley

New Cumnock and Doon Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Goudie 3,906 48.3 N/A
SLP A. Neil 3,001 37.1 N/A
Conservative A. McInnes 1,164 14.4 N/A
Majority 905 11.2 N/A
Turnout 8,071 47.1 N/A
Registered electors 17,171
Labour hold Swing N/A

Source:[3][4]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Although all 103 seats were due to be contested, the election in the Crosshill and Prospecthill electoral division was postponed following the death of Labour candidate and convener of the regional council, the Rev. Geoff Shaw on 28 April 1978.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "How the regions voted". The Glasgow Herald. No. 84. 4 May 1978. p. 9.
  2. ↑ "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bochel, J. M.; Denver, D. T.; McHardy, B. J. (1978). The Scottish Regional Elections 1978: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bochel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1975). The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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