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Elections to Hamilton District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The election used the 20 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.

Labour took control of the council after winning a majority of the seats – 13 – and taking nearly half the popular vote. The Scottish National Party (SNP) took more than a quarter of the popular vote but only returned two seats. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals also returned two seats with less than half the vote share of the SNP. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate.

Background

Prior to 1974, Hamilton was one of nine burghs within the County of Lanark. As a large burgh, powers over planning, local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage as well as further powers over the police, public health, social services, registration of births, marriages and deaths and electoral registration rested with the burgh council. The rest of the local government responsibility fell to the county council which had full control over the areas which were not within a burgh.

Following the recommendations in the Wheatly Report, the old system of counties and burghs – which had resulted in a mishmash of local government areas in which some small burghs had larger populations but far fewer responsibilities than some large burghs and even counties – was to be replaced by a new system of regional and district councils. Hamilton Burgh and the surrounding areas including Blantyre, Bothwell, Uddingston, Larkhall and Stonehouse was to be placed in Hamilton District within the Strathclyde region.

Results

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Ward results

Hillhouse

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Udston

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Wellhall North

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Central

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Burnbank

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Bent

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Fairhill

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Wellhall South

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Low Waters

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Cadzow

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Dalserf

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Machan

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Avonholm

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Strutherhill

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Stonehouse

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Bothwell and Uddingston North

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Bothwell and Uddingston South

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High Blantyre

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Blantyre

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Stonefield

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References

1. "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
2. ^ "Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
3. Turnock, David (1970). "The Wheatley Report: Local Government in Scotland". Area. 2 (2). Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers: 10–12. JSTOR 20000437.
4. ^ Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1975). The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. Retrieved 6 January 2024.

v t e (1973 ←) 1974 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1975)
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See also: UK General election (Feb) UK General election (Oct)

• 1974 Scottish local elections
• Hamilton District Council elections