Edmonton

[finsobruce]

Edmonton Borough 1963

Angel Road ward
Rowson, A H (Labour)2236*
Harvey, K J (Labour)2228*
Love, J G (Liberal)419
Ottery, E (Liberal)395
Saul, E E (Conservative)272
Shea, E (Conservative)246
Hillier, R E (Communist)99

Bury St ward
Balding, K V (Labour)3324*
Vaughan, K V (Labour)3295*
Tillin, M E (Conservative)1048
Williams, K G E (Conservative)1042
Cochrane, L H (Liberal)728
Cole, A H (Liberal)646
Leeson, R A (Communist)93

Church St ward
Dixon, G L (Conservative)3068*
Dixon, K (Conservative)3013*
McNern,E G (Conservative)2825*
Glover, A M (Labour)1570
Dubow, R L (Labour)1555
Chapman, S J (Labour)1530
Cunningham, A I (Liberal)1483
Marsh, A T (Liberal)1431
Skinner, F H (Liberal)1402
McLean, R R (Independent)971
Doyle, W P (Independent)887
Ellis, H L (Independent)867


Silver St ward
Bristow, W A (Labour)3681*
Lightfoot, J E (Labour)3653*
Beecroft, A L (Conservative)2133
Green, M (Conservative)2089

A flurry of excitement in the borough's final year before becoming part of the London Borough of Enfield. A slate of Independents stand in Church St ward, which is getting rather crowded by Edmonton standards. Their creditable vote puts a halt to the Liberal surge and boosts Labour back into second. When I was at the archive, there were some leaflets for this group in the folder. They were all former Conservative councillors and stated that they were taking their inspiration from the neighboring borough of Southgate where there had been a ruling Independent administration for some time, with, as they were keen to point out - lower rates. 

[ColinJ]

Aug 6, 2014 20:34:16 GMT finsobruce said:

Edmonton Borough 1963

A flurry of excitement in the borough's final year before becoming part of the London Borough of Enfield. A slate of Independents stand in Church St ward, which is getting rather crowded by Edmonton standards. Their creditable vote puts a halt to the Liberal surge and boosts Labour back into second. When I was at the archive, there were some leaflets for this group in the folder. They were all former Conservative councillors and stated that they were taking their inspiration from the neighboring borough of Southgate where there had been a ruling Independent administration for some time, with, as they were keen to point out - lower rates. 

The rise and fall of Liberal municipal success in the early 1960s has been well-documented; the intervention of the Independents in Church Street would not be the only reason for their declining vote in 1963. I have commented on my web site on this:

Throughout Britain, the 1961 municipal elections had seen important gains for the Liberals, and they increased the number of their Councillors and Aldermen from 641 to 1,065, a figure that included a number of important gains in the County Councils.

In March 1962 a Parliamentary by-election in Orpington saw Eric Lubbock gaining the seat for the Liberal Party by a margin of 7,855 votes. At the time it was seen as a sensational result, for the previous Tory majority had been 14,760. Two months later Harrow went to the polls for the annual Council election, and Liberal nominees won Headstone, Kenton, Roxbourne, Wealdstone South and West Harrow wards. Harrow now had a total of eight Liberal Councillors, and throughout Britain there were 1,603 Liberal Councillors and Aldermen after the 1962 municipal elections.

Ken Young describes* how publicly expressed support for the Liberal Party declined within two months of Orpington. In subsequent Parliamentary by-elections at Middlesbrough West, West Derbyshire, Chippenham and Colne Valley, victories failed to materialise in seats which they could reasonably have expected to capture. From March 1963 electoral decline set in, and the deteriorating by-election results were matched by inexorable losses in Liberal support as indicated by the opinion polls.

* K. Young , Orpington and the ‘Liberal Revival’, chapter 8 in C. Cook and J. Ramsden (eds.), By-elections in British Politics, Macmillan, London, 1973.

[finsobruce]

And so in the words of Peter Sellers (ok, the words of Frank Muir and Denis Norden) "We say farewell to this historic borough with many pleasant memories..". Not sure if Edmonton qualifies as the gateway to the North, but you get the general drift. Next stops (probably) the very different borough of Southgate and the more mixed Enfield. But probably not for a bit..

[Davıd Boothroyd]

For the record, the 1964 results in Edmonton wards are below. The four wards were converted into ten. My guess is that they were divided as follows:

Angel Road: Angel Road, Craig Park
Bury Street: Jubilee, St. Alphege, St. Peter's
Church Street: Bush Hill South, Church Street
Silver Street: New Park, Pymmes, Silver Street

ANGEL ROAD
Miss K. Harvey (Labour) 1,298
C.G. Lacey (Labour) 1,277
A.E. Hanson (Conservative) 352
Mrs. G.B. Hughes (Conservative) 344
J. Boutell (Liberal) 81
E. Ottery (Liberal) 75
R.A. Leeson (Communist) 41

BUSH HILL SOUTH
J. Boast (Conservative) 1,370
E.C. Francis (Conservative) 1,354
S. Chapman (Labour) 683
A.E. Kerr (Labour) 655
A. Fraser (Liberal) 449
F. Skinner (Liberal) 444

CHURCH STREET
E.G. McNern (Conservative) 1,761
E.S. Taylor (Conservative) 1,740
J.E. Lightfoot (Labour) 1,174
M. Simpson (Labour) 1,139
R. Hull (Liberal) 171
H. Holsgrove (Liberal) 170

CRAIG PARK
A.J. Tanner (Labour) 1,736
R. Daultry (Labour) 1,725
Mrs. M. Gill (Conservative) 234
F. Hoy (Conservative) 234

JUBILEE
K. Vaughan (Labour) 1,377
L. Warren (Labour) 1,352
H.W. Corpe (Conservative) 661
D. Smith (Conservative) 652
F. Maffia (Residents' Association) 432
E. Jones (Residents' Association) 419
A. Cole (Liberal) 112
F. Challener (Liberal) 103

NEW PARK
Miss P.L. Hawkins (Labour) 1,237
G. Taylor (Labour) 1,236
Mrs. E. Hoy (Conservative) 1,082
J.A. Wyatt (Conservative) 1,074
L. Cochrane (Liberal) 232
L. Moore (Liberal) 231

PYMMES
T. Joyce (Labour) 1,954
E.J.C. Smythe (Labour) 1,935
Mrs. M. Green (Conservative) 459
K. Williams (Conservative) 450

ST. ALPHEGE
J. Cooke (Labour) 1,433
Mrs. R.A. Smythe (Labour) 1,405
J. Jackson (Conservative) 476
E. Shea (Conservative) 469

ST. PETER’S
K.V. Balding (Labour) 1,449
C.E. Wright (Labour) 1,447
F. Hambleton (Conservative) 314
W. Green (Conservative) 307

SILVER STREET
J.A.G. Beattie (Labour) 1,343
M. Kahn (Labour) 1,337
Mrs. A. Beecroft (Conservative) 896
E. Johnson (Conservative) 878
Mrs. J. Coberman (Liberal) 140
Miss B. Nunn (Liberal) 140

[finsobruce]

Aug 6, 2014 21:32:29 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

For the record, the 1964 results in Edmonton wards are below. The four wards were converted into ten. My guess is that they were divided as follows:

Angel Road: Angel Road, Craig Park
Bury Street: Jubilee, St. Alphege, St. Peter's
Church Street: Bush Hill South, Church Street
Silver Street: New Park, Pymmes, Silver Street

ANGEL ROAD
Miss K. Harvey (Labour) 1,298
C.G. Lacey (Labour) 1,277
A.E. Hanson (Conservative) 352
Mrs. G.B. Hughes (Conservative) 344
J. Boutell (Liberal) 81
E. Ottery (Liberal) 75
R.A. Leeson (Communist) 41

BUSH HILL SOUTH
J. Boast (Conservative) 1,370
E.C. Francis (Conservative) 1,354
S. Chapman (Labour) 683
A.E. Kerr (Labour) 655
A. Fraser (Liberal) 449
F. Skinner (Liberal) 444

CHURCH STREET
E.G. McNern (Conservative) 1,761
E.S. Taylor (Conservative) 1,740
J.E. Lightfoot (Labour) 1,174
M. Simpson (Labour) 1,139
R. Hull (Liberal) 171
H. Holsgrove (Liberal) 170

CRAIG PARK
A.J. Tanner (Labour) 1,736
R. Daultry (Labour) 1,725
Mrs. M. Gill (Conservative) 234
F. Hoy (Conservative) 234

JUBILEE
K. Vaughan (Labour) 1,377
L. Warren (Labour) 1,352
H.W. Corpe (Conservative) 661
D. Smith (Conservative) 652
F. Maffia (Residents' Association) 432
E. Jones (Residents' Association) 419
A. Cole (Liberal) 112
F. Challener (Liberal) 103

NEW PARK
Miss P.L. Hawkins (Labour) 1,237
G. Taylor (Labour) 1,236
Mrs. E. Hoy (Conservative) 1,082
J.A. Wyatt (Conservative) 1,074
L. Cochrane (Liberal) 232
L. Moore (Liberal) 231

PYMMES
T. Joyce (Labour) 1,954
E.J.C. Smythe (Labour) 1,935
Mrs. M. Green (Conservative) 459
K. Williams (Conservative) 450

ST. ALPHEGE
J. Cooke (Labour) 1,433
Mrs. R.A. Smythe (Labour) 1,405
J. Jackson (Conservative) 476
E. Shea (Conservative) 469

ST. PETER’S
K.V. Balding (Labour) 1,449
C.E. Wright (Labour) 1,447
F. Hambleton (Conservative) 314
W. Green (Conservative) 307

SILVER STREET
J.A.G. Beattie (Labour) 1,343
M. Kahn (Labour) 1,337
Mrs. A. Beecroft (Conservative) 896
E. Johnson (Conservative) 878
Mrs. J. Coberman (Liberal) 140
Miss B. Nunn (Liberal) 140

I sensed you were there, David,ready to pounce.   I was going to check how many of the councillors carried on and stood for the new borough. I'm particularly cheered by the fact that Mr Maffia has joined the residents association. And as Colin noted, the Liberals, up like a rocket at the beginning of the decade, are now down like a stick.  Mr Leeson, lone Communist of Angel Road is back for another last place. Did he /they stand again in 1968, David? Was it 64 or 68 that saw the last communist candidates in most london boroughs? 

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Everything from 1968 is available online, so I left that as an exercise for the reader: data.london.gov.uk/elections

There was one byelection in the 1964-68 term in the Edmonton wards. This was on 11 May 1967 in Jubilee ward, after the resignation of K.V. Vaughan:

William Clifford Chapman (Labour) 1,305
Miss Patricia Joan Letherbarrow (Conservative) 1,189
Alan Henry Cole (Liberal) 273

[finsobruce]

I suspect, by the way that this was R.A Leeson the communist candidate: www.writersguild.org.uk/news-a-features/books/479-robert-leeson-obituary

Reasonably famous as it turns out, and certainly the only communist to novelise Grange Hill