1977 West Glamorgan County Council election

1977 Welsh local government election

The second election to West Glamorgan County Council was held in May 1977.[1] It was preceded by the 1973 election and followed by the 1981 election.

## Candidates

[edit]

The Labour Party fielded candidates in every ward. A significant proportion of seats were contested by the Conservative Party and Plaid Cymru with fewer candidates fielded by the Liberal Party.

A feature of the election was the number of Ratepayer candidates.

## Outcome

[edit]

Labour retained their majority but lost a number of seats, mainly to the Ratepayers but also to Plaid Cymru and Independents.

In the Neath area, three retiring Labour councillors were defeated.[2]

## Results

[edit]

* indicates sitting councillor

## Ward Results

[edit]

### Aberavon East and West (three seats)

[edit]

Aberavon East and West 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Colin Crowley*  | 2,769  |  |
| Labour | Cyril Lewis*  | 2,600  |  |
| Labour | P. Jones  | 2,397  |  |
| Ratepayers | A. Stanton  | 2,365  |  |
| Ratepayers | R. Thomas  | 2,209  |  |
| Ratepayers | V. Jones  | 2,126  |  |
Turnout |  | 43.1  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Aberavon North (one seat)

[edit]

Aberavon North 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | R. Hubbard  | 1,981  |  |
| Labour | Douglas Heatley*  | 1,571  |  |
| Independent | P. Walford  | 396  |  |
Turnout |  | 60.3  |
| Ratepayers gain from Labour | Swing |  |

### Aberavon South (one seat)

[edit]

Aberavon South 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | L. Carey  | 1,001  |  |
| Labour | Idwal Hopkin*  | 951  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | S. Bowen  | 232  |  |
Turnout |  | 50.5  |
| Ratepayers gain from Labour | Swing |  |

### Brynmelyn (two seats)

[edit]

Brynmelyn 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | R. Dowdle*  | 1,407  |  |
| Labour | J. Adams*  | 1,334  |  |
| Conservative | P. Morgan  | 382  |  |
| Ratepayers | M. John  | 348  |  |
Turnout |  | 43.8  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Castle (two seats)

[edit]

Castle 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | D. Jones  | 945  |  |
| Labour | B. Ludlam*  | 893  |  |
| Ratepayers | I. Williams  | 558  |  |
| Ratepayers | B. Matthews  | 508  |  |
| Conservative | S. Patriarcia  | 358  |  |
Turnout |  | 46.0  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Cwmafan (one seat)

[edit]

John was elected as a Progressive candidate in 1973.

Cwmafan 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Mel John*  | 1,522  |  |
| Ratepayers | Leslie Richards  | 716  |  |
Turnout |  | 67.9  |
| Labour gain from Progressive | Swing |  |

### Fforest Fach (two seats)

[edit]

Fforest Fach 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | D. Bevan*  | 1,292  |  |
| Labour | Victor Cyril Alexander*  | 1,193  |  |
| Ratepayers | D. Jones  | 1,115  |  |
| Ratepayers | L. Evans  | 1,091  |  |
| Conservative | C. Andrews  | 767  |  |
| Conservative | E. Charles  | 750  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | A. Williams  | 319  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | D. Morton  | 305  |  |
| Communist | B. Lewis  | 92  |  |
Turnout |  | 37.4  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Ffynone (two seats)

[edit]

Ffynone 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Valerio*  | 1,840  |  |
| Ratepayers | J. Thomas  | 1,383  |  |
| Conservative | G. Ashmole  | 1,296  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | J. Thomas  | 456  |  |
| Liberal | S. Evans  | 441  |  |
Turnout |  | 63.6  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
| Ratepayers gain from Conservative | Swing |  |

### Glyncorrwg (two seats)

[edit]

Glyncorrwg 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | G. Davies*  | 1,916  |  |
| Labour | D. Daniels*  | 1,733  |  |
| Ratepayers | G. James  | 1,411  |  |
Turnout |  | 58.8  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Gower No.1 (one seat)

[edit]

Gower No.1 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | J. Bartlett | Unopposed
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing |  |

### Gower No.2 (one seat)

[edit]

Gower No.2 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | C. Sanders  | 1,660  |  |
| Labour | F. Lord*  | 1,407  |  |
Turnout |  | 64.5  |
| Ratepayers gain from Labour | Swing |  |

### Gower No.3 (one seat)

[edit]

Gower No.3 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | P. Bevan  | 1,565  |  |
| Ratepayers | G. Beynon  | 1,166  |  |
| Labour | M. Thomas  | 273  |  |
Turnout |  | 47.4  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing |  |

### Landore (two seats)

[edit]

Landore 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | D. Cox*  | 1,286  |  |
| Labour | S. John*  | 1,237  |  |
| Ratepayers | J. Lewis  | 921  |  |
| Ratepayers | C. Phillips  | 917  |  |
| Communist | R. Thomas  | 97  |  |
Turnout |  | 43.4  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Llansamlet (two seats)

[edit]

Llansamlet 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | L. Penhaligan*  | 2,471  |  |
| Labour | W. Davies  | 1,931  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | C. Phillips  | 1,181  |  |
| Ratepayers | E. James  | 845  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | W. Smith  | 779  |  |
| Ratepayers | C. Stevens  | 773  |  |
| Conservative | J. Edgecombe  | 661  |  |
| Conservative | J. Holmes  | 560  |  |
Turnout |  | 42.6  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Llwchwr No.1 (one seat)

[edit]

Llwchwr No.1 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | G. Williams  | 1,410  |  |
| Independent | D. Thomas  | 829  |  |
| Conservative | R. Day  | 576  |  |
Turnout |  | 62.9  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Llwchwr No.2 (two seats)

[edit]

Llwchwr No.2 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | D. Davies*  | 2,518  |  |
| Labour | J. Jones*  | 1,962  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | E. Thomas  | 1,780  |  |
Turnout |  | 48.6  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Llwchwr No.3 (two seats)

[edit]

Llwchwr No.3 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | J. Thomas*  | 1,835  |  |
| Labour | D. Turner*  | 1,697  |  |
| Conservative | W. Davies  | 1,301  |  |
| Independent | Cled Morgan  | 1,176  |  |
| Conservative | M. Bevan  | 1,167  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | H. Price  | 862  |  |
Turnout |  | 64.6  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Margam Central (one seat)

[edit]

Margam Central 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | R. James  | 1,146  |  |
| Ratepayers | W. Jones  | 1,006  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | D. Thomas  | 218  |  |
Turnout | 60.8  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Margam North (one seat)

[edit]

Margam North 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | S. Williams  | 842  |  |
| Independent | T. Morgans  | 789  |  |
| Labour | K. Johnston  | 204  |  |
Turnout |  | 75.1  |
| Ratepayers gain from Labour | Swing |  |

### Margam West (one seat)

[edit]

Margam West 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | Edward Miles*  | 1,659  |  |
| Labour | L. Johnson  | 462  |  |
| Independent | P. Greaves  | 204  |  |
Turnout |  | 57.6  |
| Ratepayers hold | Swing |  |

### Morriston (two seats)

[edit]

Morriston 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | P. Evans  | 1,996  |  |
| Labour | S. Havard  | 1,977  |  |
| Ratepayers | C. Hadley  | 1,810  |  |
| Ratepayers | J. Howes  | 1,295  |  |
Turnout |  | 35.8  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### Mumbles (two seats)

[edit]

Mumbles 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | A. Chilcot  | 3,180  |  |
| Conservative | M. Jones  | 3,072  |  |
| Labour | L. Neale  | 1,757  |  |
Turnout |  | 38.2  |
| Conservative win (new seat)
| Conservative win (new seat)

### Neath No.1, South and Briton Ferry (four seats)

[edit]

Neath No.1, South and Briton Ferry 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Fred Kingdom*  | 3,003  |  |
| Labour | Bill Phillips*  | 2,996  |  |
| Labour | Dillwyn David*  | 2,604  |  |
| Labour | David Roberts  | 2,546  |  |
| Ratepayers | Samuel Leonard Evans  | 2,143  |  |
| Ratepayers | William Williams  | 1,954  |  |
| Ratepayers | Denis Rees  | 1,905  |  |
| Liberal | Caroline Chapman  | 1,184  |  |
| Communist | Gordon Jenkins  | 942  |  |
| Communist | Bill Pritchard  | 561  |  |
Turnout |  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Neath No.2, North, Pontrhydyfen and Tonmawr (two seats)

[edit]

Neath No.2, North, Pontrhydyfen and Tonmawr 1977  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Frank Cecil Evans*  | 2,285  |  |
| Ratepayers | Ronald Jones  | 1,541  |  |
| Labour | Lillian Jones*  | 1,700  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | Iris Curtis  | 1,375  |  |
Turnout |  | 53.7  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
| Ratepayers gain from Labour | Swing |  |

### Neath Rural (six seats)

[edit]

Neath Rural 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | R. Jones  | 2,905  |  |
| Independent | Martin Thomaso | 2,534  |  |
| Labour | N. Thomas  | 2,385  |  |
| Labour | T. Thomas  | 2,131  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | H. Evans  | 1,919  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | O. Roberts  | 1,629  |  |
| Labour | W. Jones  | 1,575  |  |
| Labour | C. Jones  | 1,499  |  |
| Independent | T. Rees  | 1,346  |  |
| Labour | R. Davies  | 1,300  |  |
| Independent | L. Adams  | 1,191  |  |
| Communist | Glaslyn Morgan  | 734  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | T. Evans  | 346  |  |
Turnout |  | 67.3  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Independent win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)
| Plaid Cymru win (new seat)
| Plaid Cymru win (new seat)

### Neath Rural No.5 (one seat)

[edit]

Neath Rural No.5 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | D. Hull  | 1,470  |  |
| Independent | R. Rees  | 1,277  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | G. Dawe  | 273  |  |
Turnout |  | 63.2  |
| Labour win (new seat)

### Penderry (three seats)

[edit]

Penderry 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Allison  | 3,152  |  |
| Labour | T. Jones  | 3,090  |  |
| Labour | G. Thomas  | 3,032  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | D. Reynon  | 972  |  |
| Communist | W. Jones  | 584  |  |
| Communist | B. Lewis  | 424  |  |
| Communist | H. Barrow  | 280  |  |
Turnout |  | 29.4  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### Pontardawe No.1 (one seat)

[edit]

Pontardawe No.1 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Independent | J. Williams  | 1,151  | 62.1  |
| Labour | G. Williams  | 703  | 37.9  |
Turnout |  | 56.1  |
| Independent win (new seat)

### Pontardawe No.2 (two seats)

[edit]

Pontardawe No.2 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | J. Maunder  | 2,694  |  |
| Independent | M. Rees  | 1,948  |  |
| Labour | C. Jones  | 1,836  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | M. Mulcahy  | 1,507  |  |
| Independent | R. Jones  | 1,037  |  |
Turnout |  | 78.9  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### Pontardawe No.3 (three seats)

[edit]

Pontardawe No.3 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | G. Lake  | 4,702  |  |
| Labour | W. Rees  | 4,615  |  |
| Labour | B. Richards  | 4,464  |  |
| Plaid Cymru | R. Davies  | 3,305  |  |
Turnout |  | 65.4  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### St Helens (two seats)

[edit]

St Helens 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | C. Dilley  | 1,741  |  |
| Conservative | M. Hinds  | 1,545  |  |
| Labour | D. Davies  | 1,067  |  |
Turnout |  | 49.1  |
| Conservative win (new seat)
| Conservative win (new seat)

### Sketty (three seats)

[edit]

Sketty 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | M. Vaughan  | 5,270  |  |
| Conservative | S. Perry  | 4,819  |  |
| Conservative | R. Massey-Shaw  | 4,477  |  |
| Labour | J. Dalton  | 2,372  |  |
Turnout |  | 47.2  |
| Conservative win (new seat)
| Conservative win (new seat)
| Conservative win (new seat)

### St Johns (two seats)

[edit]

St Johns 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | A, Morris | Unopposed
| Labour | H. Tabram | Unopposed
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### St Thomas (two seats)

[edit]

St Thamas 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | A. Hare | Unopposed
| Labour | I. Morgan | Unopposed
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### Townhill (two seats)

[edit]

Townhill 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | T. Wignall  | 1,848  |  |
| Labour | T. Evans  | 1,748  |  |
| Conservative | C. McPherson  | 429  |  |
Turnout |  | 34.4  |
| Labour win (new seat)
| Labour win (new seat)

### Victoria (two seats)

[edit]

Victoria 1973  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Ratepayers | D. Jenkins  | 1,390  |  |
| Ratepayers | S. Jenkins  | 1,132  |  |
| Labour | A. Taylor  | 1,051  |  |
| Labour | R. Lloyd  | 852  |  |
| Conservative | T. Morgan  | 477  |  |
| Conservative | E. Burrington  | 329  |  |
Turnout |  | 57.5  |
| Ratepayers win (new seat)
| Ratepayers win (new seat)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "West Glamorgan County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
2. ^ "1 - 2 - 3 - Now for Coleman, say Plaid". Neath Guardian. 12 May 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 6 October 2022.

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