1978 Strathclyde Regional Council election

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.

1978 Strathclyde Regional Council election

← 1974 2 May 1978 (1978-05-02) 1982 →
All 103 seats to Strathclyde Regional Council[a] 52 seats needed for a majority
Registered	1,765,635
Turnout	46.2%
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 1 5 3 Popular vote 348,053 242,721 182,878 Percentage 43.0% 30.0% 22.6% Swing 1.0% 1.6% 7.5%
Council Leader before election Dick Stewart Labour Council Leader after election Dick Stewart Labour

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			1	69.9	43.0	348,053	1.0
	Conservative	25			5	24.3	30.0	242,721	1.6
	SNP	2			3	1.9	22.6	182,878	7.5
	Liberal	2			0	1.9	1.8	14,219	2.7
	Independent Ratepayers	1			0	1.0	0.7	5,754	New
	SLP	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.8	6,410	New
	Independent	0	0	4	4	0.0	0.7	5,531	4.2
	Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.3	2,423	0.9
	Independent Labour	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	1,573	0.3
	Ind. Nationalist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	273	New
	Workers Revolutionary	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	143	New
	Socialist Unity	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	77	New
Total		102[a]

Source:^[3][4]

Electoral division results

Kilmarnock North

Kilmarnock North

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

Source:^[3][4]

Kilmarnock South

Kilmarnock South

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

Source:^[3][4]

Stewarton and Irvine Valley

Stewarton and Irvine Valley

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