Merseymike
Independent
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Post by Merseymike on Aug 21, 2014 13:59:28 GMT
Crosby Council has 34 Conservative and 8 Labour councillors. And a few residents - wonder which ward they sat for?
Every one of those seats now returns a Labour councillor, in terms of the equivalent areas, although there might be some smaller sub-sections of the present wards which may just about stretch to a Conservative. Only one or two, though.
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Merseymike
Independent
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Post by Merseymike on Aug 21, 2014 14:02:52 GMT
Some council compositions from this part of the world: Cities and BoroughsBebington: C 30, Lab 9, Ind 1 Birkenhead: Lab 42, C 21 Bootle: Lab 35, C 20 Chester: C 30, Lab 21, L 3, Ind Lab 1 Crosby: C 36, Lab 7, Others 5 Ellesmere Port: Lab 15, C 13, Ind 4 Leigh: Lab 23, L 5, C 4 - not a place I would think of having a Liberal tradition! Liverpool: Lab 74, C 65, Others (presumably Protestant Party) 3, 18 Vacancies (!) - this was the 'Braddock era' when Jack Braddock, husband of Bessie, was Leader of the Council St Helens: no figures, but can't imagine it was anything other than Labour Southport: C 49, L 7, Lab 3 Wallasey: C 37, Lab 19, L 6, Ind 2 Warrington: Lab 27, C 9 Widnes: Lab 17, C 12, Ind 3 Wigan: Lab 48, C 8 Obviously ward sizes have something to do with it, but it's interesting that in contrast to the rest of the region, Labour were actually stronger in Southport in 1956 than now. It is ward boundaries - if the current wards were divided into three Labour would definitely win at least three of them, if not more. But the Tories are the ones who really have collapsed there! |
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
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Post by The Bishop on Aug 21, 2014 17:57:12 GMT
It's interesting to note a solid group of 18 Liberal councillors in Blackpool - serving as the official opposition - in a place where they have been weak for a long time. A harbinger of the Blackpool North by-election in 1962, which the Liberals nearly won. (as a certain LibDem regular here will remember  ) |
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Sibboleth
Labour
'Sit on my finger, sing in my ear, O littleblood.'
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Post by Sibboleth on Aug 21, 2014 18:13:11 GMT
The general pattern of Labour underperformance in that era is interesting, even if it wasn't true everywhere (and with some of the exceptions being rather large. Like London).
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Aug 21, 2014 18:26:56 GMT
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Post by lbarnes on Aug 21, 2014 19:16:20 GMT
It's interesting to note a solid group of 18 Liberal councillors in Blackpool - serving as the official opposition - in a place where they have been weak for a long time. This was mostly due to a spate of corruption in the town that the Liberals managed to pin on the Conservatives. Rightly or wrongly, I'm not sure. There was another spate and another Liberal resurgence in the early/mid 1960s. |
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Aug 30, 2014 5:41:58 GMT
Anyone know where Lakes UDC was? Somewhere in Westmorland?
I'm struck by the sheer size of some of these councils, Plympton St Mary RDC is a real standout for me, as is Ampthill having a UDC.
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Post by lbarnes on Aug 30, 2014 6:57:13 GMT
Lakes UDC was basically the creation of a new 'Super council' just before World War II and was the conurbation of, well, Ambleside and the twin city of Grasmere.
If you know the area, it stretched from Troutbeck in the south to Helvellyn in the north, Coniston in the west to Patterdale in the east.
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Aug 30, 2014 9:28:44 GMT
Anyone know where Lakes UDC was? Somewhere in Westmorland? I'm struck by the sheer size of some of these councils, Plympton St Mary RDC is a real standout for me, as is Ampthill having a UDC. Some of the Municipal boroughs are even smaller, usually for historical reasons (eg Cinque ports like Sandwich and Rye) but places like Eye and Fowey. Meanwhile Crawley doesn't appear as even an Urban district until 1957 I hope David hasn't forgotten this thread btw... |
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Aug 30, 2014 9:46:07 GMT
I was thinking more of the number of members, but you're right that some are tiny, really diddy.
There is a parish in Devon- Dartmoor Forest- that's really big. The main village is Princetown. It was split from Lydford in the late 80s, and so far as I can recall the parish boundaries otherwise are the same as the 1894 ones (I may be wrong). It abuts Okehampton Hamlets but because it also touches some of the South Hams parishes around Plymouth (certainly Shaugh Prior and Ugborough, maybe Sparkwell, all of which were Plympton St Mary) I imagine it (Lydford at the time) came under Tavistock RDC. As a result, Tavistock must have covered a physically huge area. I can't check unfortunately as all my maps got destroyed in a house move.
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Post by lbarnes on Aug 30, 2014 9:54:03 GMT
I've seen several authorities laying claim to having been the smallest UDC in the country - but not quite as many as there are smallest pubs.
From memory Amblecote in Worcestershire but an enclave of Staffordshire went from being an entire UDC to become less than half a ward of the 72-strong Dudley MBC in 1974. I think Lynton in Devon also claimed the title, as did Glemsford in Suffolk. I suppose than at different times in recent history they could all have been the smallest at some point.
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neilm
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Post by neilm on Aug 30, 2014 10:03:40 GMT
Depends on what they mean by smallest, physical size or population. There's a 1931 map on Wikipedia that suggests Lynton is about half the physical size of the then Exeter but it could have had a very small population.
That map also suggests that Lydford parish came under Tavistock RDC which is nowhere near as big as I imagined.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Aug 30, 2014 20:43:40 GMT
I hope David hasn't forgotten this thread btw... Certainly not. Here is 1959. The Municipal Yearbook was clearly getting a bit tired of it by this stage, as they drop the county councils and the Rural Districts from the listings. The 1960 book dropped the feature entirely, but clearly there was a storm of protest by angry psephologists marching on the Municipal Yearbook offices in Clements Inn as it was restored in 1961. Here's what was printed in 1961, with acknowledgments to outsiders who have helped provide figures. |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Aug 30, 2014 20:51:54 GMT
The Municipal Yearbook was clearly getting a bit tired of it by this stage, as they drop the county councils and the Rural Districts from the listings.  |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Aug 30, 2014 20:58:32 GMT
It's interesting to note a solid group of 18 Liberal councillors in Blackpool - serving as the official opposition - in a place where they have been weak for a long time. A harbinger of the Blackpool North by-election in 1962, which the Liberals nearly won. (as a certain LibDem regular here will remember ) Liberals won a majority in 1959 |
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Post by finsobruce on Aug 30, 2014 21:50:07 GMT
I hope David hasn't forgotten this thread btw... Certainly not. Here is 1959. The Municipal Yearbook was clearly getting a bit tired of it by this stage, as they drop the county councils and the Rural Districts from the listings. The 1960 book dropped the feature entirely, but clearly there was a storm of protest by angry psephologists marching on the Municipal Yearbook offices in Clements Inn as it was restored in 1961. Here's what was printed in 1961, with acknowledgments to outsiders who have helped provide figures. Only four Nationalist councillors identified in Scotland; one in Motherwell, one in Rothesay and two in Stirling. |
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Aug 30, 2014 21:56:52 GMT
There's an ILPer in Barrhead in 1959 - not listed in any other year.
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Post by finsobruce on Aug 30, 2014 23:19:12 GMT
There's an ILPer in Barrhead in 1959 - not listed in any other year. Which was where James Maxton first joined the ILP in 1904..... |
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Post by hullenedge on Sept 3, 2014 17:47:41 GMT
I hope that 1962/3 will be posted (in due course)...to view the extent of the 'Orpington blip'.
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Post by andrewteale on Sept 3, 2014 21:59:57 GMT
I've seen several authorities laying claim to having been the smallest UDC in the country - but not quite as many as there are smallest pubs. From memory Amblecote in Worcestershire but an enclave of Staffordshire went from being an entire UDC to become less than half a ward of the 72-strong Dudley MBC in 1974. I think Lynton in Devon also claimed the title, as did Glemsford in Suffolk. I suppose than at different times in recent history they could all have been the smallest at some point. I knew that 1971 census report would come in handy at some point. Smallest ten boroughs and urban districts in 1971, by population: Eye (MB), 1659 Saxmundham, 1700 Trawden, 1854 Kington, 1916 Woodstock (MB), 1940 Appleby (MB), 1946 Lynton, 1981 Southwold (MB), 1992 Woodhall Spa, 2232 Alford (Lincs), 2278 The population of my own urban district (Little Lever) nearly doubled between 1961 and 1971. And, for a laugh, the smallest ten Welsh boroughs and urban districts in 1971, by population: Llanwrtyd Wells, 488 Newcastle Emlyn, 654 Betws-y-Coed, 726 New Quay, 747 Narberth, 936 Montgomery, 968 Llanfyllin, 1117 Presteigne, 1214 Cowbridge, 1221 Hay, 1230 |
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