1978 Croydon London Borough Council election

The 1978 Croydon Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Croydon London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.^[1]

Croydon Council Election, 1978

← 1974 4 May 1978 1982 →
All 70 seats, in 27 wards in the London Borough of Croydon 36 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	41.6%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Peter Bowness Unknown N/A Party Conservative Labour Other parties Leader since 1976 N/A Leader's seat Spring Park N/A Seats before 47 20 3 Seats won 56 11 3 Seat change 9 9 0 Percentage 59.8% 29.4% 4.29% Swing 7.0% 0.8% 1.7%
Map of the results of the 1978 Croydon Council election.
Leader of the Council before election Peter Bowness Conservative Elected Leader Peter Bowness Conservative

Background

This was the first election to Croydon Council since 1974. This was the first election fought on new boundaries, and the first without Aldermen, increasing the total number of Councillors from 60 to 70.

Election result

Croydon Council election result 1978

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative	56	9	0	9	80.0	59.8		7.0
	Labour	11	0	9	9	15.71	29.4		0.8
	Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.00	6.6		7.7
	Other parties	3	0	0	0	4.29	4.1		1.7

↓

56	3	11
Con	Others	Labour

Ward results

Addiscombe

Addiscombe (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Muriel C. Elliott	2,461
	Conservative	Dennis F. Todd	2,426
	Conservative	Megan Holt-Thomas	2,393
	Labour	James L. Walker, J.P.	2,041
	Labour	Robert J. Irwin	2,038
	Labour	Michael Cohen	2,021
	Liberal	Martin D. Patrick	271
	Liberal	Peter D. Rees	270
	Liberal	Brenda A. Piesing	246
Majority			352
Turnout				48.5	2.5
Registered electors			10,744
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Ashburton

Ashburton (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William H. Simpson	2,038
	Conservative	Donald J. Sutton	1,851
	Labour	Frank D. J. Bailey	805
	Labour	Dennis W. Finch	770
	Liberal	Leslie A. Christie	230
	Liberal	Barry Foster	206
Majority			1,046
Turnout				45.1
Registered electors			6,972
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Bensham Manor

Bensham Manor (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Bourne	2,137
	Conservative	Ronald J. Bowker	2,111
	Conservative	Christopher B. Wesson	1,950
	Labour	Ralph W. Attoe	1,940
	Labour	Amrit P. Devesar	1,879
	Labour	Joseph K. Towns	1,852
	Liberal	Michael J. Walker	316
	Liberal	Peter J. McCarthy	309
	Liberal	Sarah V. Walker	281
Majority			10
Turnout				43.3	5.1
Registered electors			10,988
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Beulah

Beulah (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philomena M. Drummond-Brown	1,993
	Conservative	Klemens E. Zdanowicz	1,849
	Labour	Doris L. George	652
	Labour	William H. R. Johnson	596
	Liberal	Brigid M. Hurn	171
	Liberal	Peter W. Austin
Majority			1,197
Turnout				42.1
Registered electors			6,988
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Broad Green

Broad Green (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James A. Keeling	1,708
	Labour	Ann Watson, J.P.	1,700
	Labour	Michael Warne	1,694
	Conservative	Christopher N. P. Lewis	1,316
	Conservative	Rosemary P. Tomlin	1,304
	Conservative	Joseph P. Szadlo	1,177
	Liberal	Joan H. Leck	305
	Liberal	Roger W. Stephens	279
	Liberal	Gwendoline M. Luxford	274
Majority			378
Turnout				37.9	3.1
Registered electors			9,624
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Coulsdon East

Coulsdon East (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stanley E. Littlechild	2,613
	Conservative	Pamela A. M. Little	2,563
	Conservative	Martin A. Levie	2,451
	Liberal	Jean R. Douglas	556
	Liberal	John M. Payne	554
	Liberal	Raymond G. Abdey	503
	Labour	Jean Barlow	434
	Labour	John M. Dunning	421
	Labour	Leslie E. Deane	419
Majority			1,895
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Croham

Croham (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Paul W. Rickards	2,989
	Conservative	Keith A. Wells	2,922
	Conservative	William N. Peet	2,907
	Labour	Wendy M. Holt	698
	Labour	Mary Jones	673
	Labour	Raymond G. M. Jones	664
	Liberal	Judith A. Stuart	386
	Liberal	Alan J. Hussey	355
	Liberal	John Hatherley	349
Turnout				41.1
Registered electors			10,217
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Fairfield

Fairfield (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert W. Coatman, J.P.	3,445
	Conservative	John L. Aston, J.P.	3,436
	Conservative	Peter R. Gilham	3,320
	Labour	Mary E. Curson	925
	Labour	Iain K. Forbes	864
	Labour	Steven Worley	831
	Liberal	John F. Chandler	334
	Liberal	Margaret Slade	322
	Liberal	Kathleen J. Walker	288
Majority			2,395
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Fieldway

Fieldway (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	David F. White	1,279
	Labour Co-op	Mary M. Walker	1,264
	Conservative	Roy T. Miller	581
	Conservative	Richard E. Gayler	558
Majority			683
Turnout
Registered electors
	Labour Co-op win (new seat)
	Labour Co-op win (new seat)

Heathfield

Heathfield (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard F. Pannett	3,017
	Conservative	John Parfitt	2,958
	Conservative	Mary M. H. Horden	2,946
	Labour	David L. Meen	633
	Labour	Bernard E. A. Evans	618
	Labour	Andrew M. S. Ward	583
	Liberal	Robert J. Williams	262
	Liberal	John W. Hardy	244
	Liberal	David A. Leck	225
Majority			2,313
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Kenley

Kenley (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret E. Campbell	1,905
	Conservative	Brian G. Smith	1,806
	Labour	Stephen E. Smart	355
	Labour	Colin F. Whelton	314
	Liberal	Richard L. Dawson	249
	Liberal	Norman McLeod	244
	Independent	Kenneth P. Dulieu	201
Majority			1,451
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Monks Orchard

Monks Orchard (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert W. Elliott	1,951
	Conservative	Derek R. Loughborough	1,929
	Independent	Kenneth R. Brown	1,293
	Independent	Hugh W. Allardyce	1,269
	Labour	John C. Barlow	406
	Labour	Edna Briscoe	366
Majority			636
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

New Addington

New Addington (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Reginald J. Page, J.P.	1,880
	Labour	Trevor J. Laffin	1,719
	Labour	Peter J. Walker	1,686
	Conservative	Alfred J. Doherty	890
	Conservative	Norah W. Beck	841
	Conservative	Adrian A. Bray	836
	National Front	Peter T. Robinson	194
	National Front	Brian A. Eve	173
	National Front	Roland Dummer	154
	Liberal	Frances M. Williams	137
Majority			796
Turnout
Registered electors
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

Norbury

Norbury (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Colin Johnston	2,281
	Conservative	Keith M. B. Munro	2,256
	Conservative	Michael D. O'Mahony	2,223
	Labour	Christopher C. Gibbons	925
	Labour	Shantilal L. H. Shah	854
	Labour Co-op	Maureen E. Tullett	837
	Liberal	Leo C. E. Held	247
	Liberal	Michael J. Walker	223
	Liberal	Josephine M. Croton	222
Majority			1,298
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Purley

Purley (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter J. F. Macdonald	3,207
	Conservative	Jacqueline M. C. Baker	3,181
	Conservative	George A. Smith	3,154
	Labour	Kevin W. Allen	614
	Labour	Timothy E. Lamport	603
	Labour	Ursula Alexis	585
Majority			2,540
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new boundaries)
	Conservative win (new boundaries)
	Conservative win (new boundaries)

Rylands

Rylands (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John C. Mann	1,343
	Conservative	Richard M. Wevill	1,222
	Labour	Stephen J. Bill	1,140
	Labour	Patricia F. L. Knight	1,092
	Liberal	Michael Bethell	133
	Liberal	Maurice E. Pache	118
Majority			82
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Sanderstead

Sanderstead (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David N. Bowen	2,823
	Conservative	Ronald W. Haskins	2,819
	Liberal	Trevor J. Barker	352
	Liberal	June C. Duffelen	352
	Labour	Edward L. Hall	300
	Labour	Eileen E. Daisley, J.P.	298
Majority			2,467
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Selsdon

Selsdon (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald J. Johnson	2,269
	Conservative	Ian L. Aarons	2,243
	Liberal	Christina M. Forrest	562
	Liberal	Michael J. Thomas	550
	Labour	David G. Taylor	295
	Labour	John A. E. Beamish-Crooke	286
Majority			1,681
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

South Norwood

South Norwood (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Beryl Saunders	1,899
	Conservative	Paul A. Saunders	1,889
	Conservative	Eileen J. Longhorn	1,838
	Labour	Patrick Byrne	1,038
	Labour	Valerie L. Simanowitz	998
	Labour	Alun W. Jones	978
	Liberal	John R. Holoway	242
	Liberal	Yvonne L. Cattermole	205
	Liberal	Alan Taylor	193
Majority			800
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Spring Park

Spring Park (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter S. Bowness	3,189
	Conservative	Denis E. Perry	3,167
	Labour	Alan C. Lord	661
	Labour	Frederick W. Bean	644
	Liberal	Roy A. Lightwing	354
	Liberal	Patricia M. Boreham	294
Majority			2,506
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Thornton Heath

Thornton Heath (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Residents	John G. Davies	2,283
	Residents	William Blackwood	2,265
	Residents	Gordon Poluck	2,198
	Labour	Kenneth J. Kinnard	1,296
	Labour	Susan E. Lord	1,243
	Labour	Mushtaq Ahmad	1,145
Majority			902
Turnout
Registered electors
	Residents hold		Swing
	Residents hold		Swing
	Residents hold		Swing

Upper Norwood

Upper Norwood (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret C. V. Parfitt, J.P.	1,695
	Conservative	Phyllis A. Stelling	1,617
	Labour	Keith M. Roberts	832
	Labour	Susan E. Johnson	809
	Liberal	Leo C. E. Held, J.P.	226
Majority			785
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative win (new boundaries)
	Conservative win (new boundaries)

Waddon

Waddon (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James J. Nea	2,639
	Conservative	Michael D. Wunn	2,459
	Conservative	Reginald H. Kent	2,419
	Labour	Alan Brett	1,682
	Labour	Barry V. Bulled	1,655
	Labour	Christopher Wright	1,512
	Liberal	J. Scott	242
	Workers Revolutionary	J.E. Bean	82
Majority			453
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

West Thornton

West Thornton (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Yvonne A. L. Stewart	2,017
	Conservative	Ernest G. Noad	1,923
	Conservative	Iris S. Rodda	1,878
	Labour	Stanley J. Boden	1,788
	Labour	Michael P. Rix	1,733
	Labour Co-op	Bernadette R. Supiramaniam	1,457
	Liberal	William H. Pitt	490
	Liberal	Janet R. Pitt	452
	Liberal	David R. Dayus	388
Majority			90
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Whitehorse Manor

Whitehorse Manor (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George E. Mitchell, J.P.	1,509
	Labour	Robert T. Bishop	1,508
	Labour	Stanley L. Eaton	1,436
	Conservative	Denis V. Read	1,360
	Conservative	Julia A. Wood	1,330
	Conservative	Hugh J. A. Sawyer	1,324
Majority			76
Turnout
Registered electors
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Woodcote & Coulsdon West

Woodcote & Coulsdon West (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan K. Carey	3,342
	Conservative	Richard D. May	3,332
	Conservative	Maurice A. Fowler	3,274
	Liberal	Margaret R. A. Billenness, J.P.	630
	Liberal	Trevor J. Austin	560
	Liberal	John P. Callen	553
	Labour	Roger M. Burgess	358
	Labour	Sarah A. Bolsover	357
	Labour	Sheila D. Poole	300
Majority			2,644
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Woodside

Woodside (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David L. Congdon	1,440
	Conservative	Stephen G. Ghero	1,171
	Labour	Robert B. Fenton	955
	Labour Co-op	Sinnathamby Supiramaniam	624
	Liberal	Anthony J. Cattermole	187
	Liberal	Surendrakumar I. Patel	105
Majority			216
Turnout
Registered electors
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

References

1. "London Borough Council Elections 4 May 1978" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. Retrieved 29 March 2015.