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Local election in Cardiff, Wales
The 1967 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 11 May 1967 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as several other county borough elections in Wales and England.
The previous elections to this one were in May 1966 and the next elections would be in May 1968.
The election saw the Conservatives taking a significant number of seats back from the Labour Party, as well as winning every new seat.
Background
Cardiff County Borough Council had been created in 1889. Cardiff became a city in 1905. Elections to the local authority were held annually, though not all council seats were included in each contest, because each of the three councillors in each ward stood down for election in rotation.
The council also comprised aldermen who were elected for a six-year period by the councillors.
The local government elections took place in the context of Harold Wilson's Labour UK government struggling with cabinet splits over their plans to join the European Common Market.
Three councillors were elected for each of these wards at this election, increasing the numbers on Cardiff City Council by six. Because each of the three councillors in every ward stood down for re-election in rotation, the winners of the Rhiwbina/Whitchurch polls would sit for three years before standing down, the second placed candidates would sit for two years and the third-placed candidates would need to stand for re-election in 12 months time.
Overview of the result
Twenty-three seats in 19 electoral wards were up for election in May 1967. In a "landslide election" the Conservative Party gained their biggest ever majority on the council, taking 4 seats off the Labour Party, one of the Liberals and winning all six new seats in Rhiwbina and Whitchurch. Gains included the traditionally Labour seat in the South ward, taken by 36 votes. Labour group leader, Alderman Lyons, blamed Independent candidates splitting the Labour vote. The council gained its first ever black councillor, Manuel Delgado, in the Splott ward. It also gained a brother and sister combination, with Trevor Tyrell joining his sister, Bella Brown, in the Canton Ward.
Plaid Cymru were fielding a large number of candidates for the first time in Cardiff and polled well in Plasmawr and the two new Rhiwbina/Whitchurch wards.
Council composition
Immediately following the election the Conservatives had a majority of 18 on the council, though after aldermanic elections the balance on the city council was expected to be 50 Conservatives and 26 Labour representatives. 11 Conservative aldermen were elected on 22 May, with the two Labour aldermen standing for re-election losing their places. Conservative alderman Layton Lougher was also replaced.
Ward results
Contests took place in every ward at this election. In most wards one council seat was up for election, but in Rhiwbina and Whitchurch three seats were available.
* = 'retiring' ward councillor for re-election
= vote figure missing from results
References
Gordon Jackson (12 May 1967). "Cabinet shake-up on the way". South Wales Echo. p. 1.
"All eyes on Whitchurch and Rhiwbina - newcomers hold the key to power". South Wales Echo. 9 May 1967. p. 6. For to bring the election procedure into line with that in the city's other wards, whoever tops the poll in the two new wards goes to City Hall for a full three-year term. The runners-up will serve for two years, while those in third place ...must face the electorate again in 12 months time... In this way the added areas will in future elect one member every year from 1968.
^ "18-seat lead in Cardiff for Tories". South Wales Echo. 12 May 1967. p. 1.
"Alderman ousted from city council". South Wales Echo. 22 May 1967. p. 1.
"We will win them back, say Labour - The county boroughs - Cardiff results". South Wales Echo. 12 May 1967. p. 8.
