1978 Islington London Borough Council election

← 1974

4 May 1978 (1978-05-04)

1982 →

All 52 council seats up for election
27 seats needed for a majority

Registered

117,884

Turnout

38.7%

	First party	Second party	Third party

Party	Lab	Con	Labour Co-op
Last election	60 seats,	0 seats,	0 seats,
Seats before	52	0
Seats after	48	2	2
Seat change	12	2	2
Popular vote	54,262	42,014	1,804
Percentage	49.62%	38.42%	1.65%

	Fourth party

Party	National Front
Last election	0 seats
Seats before	0
Seats after	0
Popular vote	6,149
Percentage	5.62%

Council control before election

Labour

Council control after election

Labour

The 1978 Islington Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Islington London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.

Background

Since the last election, the council had changed the boundaries of their wards as such: Changes to wards from 1974 to 1978

Ward	1974 election	1978 election
Bunhill	2 seats	3 seats
Canonbury	4 seats	Ward divided
Canonbury East	Part of Canonbury Ward	2 seats
Canonbury West	Part of Canonbury Ward	2 seats
Gillespie	Didn't exist	2 seats
Highbury	4 seats	3 seats
Highview	3 seats	2 seats
Holloway	4 seats	3 seats
Junction	4 seats	3 seats
Mildmay	4 seats	3 seats
Parkway	3 seats	Ward abolished
Pentonville	3 seats	Ward abolished
Quadrant	4 seats	2 seats
Station	2 seats	Ward Abolished
Sussex	Didn't exist	2 seats
Tollington	Didn't exist	3 seats

Overall the size of the council shrunk by 8, going from 60 councillors to 52 councillors

Election result

1978 Islington Borough Council election
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes
	Labour	48	9	17	8	92.31	49.62	54,262
	Conservative	2	2	0	2	3.84	38.42	42,014
	Labour Co-op	2	2	0	2	3.84	1.65	1,804
	National Front	0	0	0		0.00	5.62	6,149
	Liberal	0	0	0		0.00	2.22	2,426
	Independent	0	0	0		0.00	1.20	1,315
	Communist	0	0	0		0.00	0.67	731
	Socialist Unity	0	0	0		0.00	0.55	603
	Workers Revolutionary	0	0	0		0.00	0.04	46
Total		52						109,350

Ward results

(*) - Represents an incumbent candidate

(‡) - Represents an incumbent from a ward that was split into two separate wards

Barnsbury

Barnsbury (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Christopher R. Smith	1,257
	Labour	Cecilia McAskill	1,235
	Labour	Alexander J. Farrell	1,221
	Conservative	John D.E. Gallagher	923
	Conservative	Gillian A. Gallagher	915
	Conservative	George B. Skelly	882
	National Front	Lawrence O'Brien	171
	National Front	Arthur R. Jupp	164
	National Front	Frederick G. Atkin	163
	Liberal	John W. Hamilton	132
	Liberal	David J. Trillo	115
	Communist	Maria Loftus	107
Registered electors			6,355
Turnout				42.2
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Bunhill

Bunhill (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	George A.W. Ives*	1,338
	Labour	Edna K. Browning*	1,326
	Labour	Christie Payne	1,317
	Conservative	Peter H. Britten	1,110
	Conservative	Patricia M. Robertson	1,070
	Conservative	John G. Watson	1,049
	National Front	Joseph Cohen	257
	National Front	Frank A. Benson	247
	National Front	Gordon H. Shergold	237
	Workers Revolutionary	Kay G. Wrightson	46
Registered electors			7,135
Turnout				40.1
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour win (new seat)

Canonbury East

Canonbury East (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Ernest J.W. Bayliss	801
	Labour	Sybil P. James	708
	Conservative	Nicholas B. Baile	462
	Conservative	George H.C. Bennett	450
	National Front	Leslie A. Powell	109
	National Front	John R. Smith	99
	Liberal	John P. Hudson	76
	Liberal	John H. Marshall	50
Registered electors			4,249
Turnout				34.6
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Canonbury West

Canonbury West (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Audrey Bayliss	865
	Conservative	Colin S. Miller	853
	Conservative	Alan J.M. Reese	820
	Labour	Frederick W.H. Sandford	766
	Liberal	Patricia M. Duncan	146
	Liberal	Philip G. Watkins	126
	National Front	Colin Woolgrove	104
	National Front	Robert Woolgrove	87
Registered electors			4,689
Turnout				42.9
	Labour win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	David Hyams*	1,224
	Labour	Doris K.A. Rogers	1,088
	Labour	Gerald D. Southgate*	1,083
	Conservative	Donald W. Bromfield	1,082
	Conservative	Rita M. Bromfield	1,033
	Conservative	Stanley W. Morris	969
	National Front	Michael Harris	238
	National Front	Richard Chambers	235
	National Front	Edward Wilcox	191
	Liberal	Colin A. Muntzer	156
Registered electors			7,804
Turnout				35.3
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Gillespie

Gillespie (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Patricia A. Bradbury	864
	Labour	Carol O'Brien	814
	Conservative	Nigel J. Bradley	616
	Conservative	Marie B.T. Philipsz	499
	Liberal	Margot J. Dunn	127
	Liberal	Niranjian S. Mukherjee	111
	National Front	Stephen Boon	63
	National Front	Henry Green	51
	Communist	Sarah J. Benton	44
Registered electors			4,562
Turnout				38.8
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Highbury

Highbury (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Patricia Brown*	1,537
	Labour	Jennifer Morris	1,414
	Labour	Catherine S. Powloski	1,371
	Conservative	Simon R. Matthews	1,179
	Conservative	Christina F. Rooke	1,104
	Conservative	Alan N. Spinney	1,082
	National Front	Anthony W. Perry	129
	National Front	Anthony R. Wood	127
	National Front	Rory A. Bevan	126
	Liberal	Muriel Pidcock	122
	Liberal	Michael R. Shipman	116
	Liberal	Arthur W.R. Capel	112
Registered electors			7,268
Turnout				43.0
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Highview

Highview (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	James C. Evans*	746
	Labour	Patrick Sheeran	643
	Conservative	Sheilagh M. Barrett	572
	Conservative	Douglas Gerrard-Reynolds	544
	Socialist Unity	Michael A. Sullivan	115
	Socialist Unity	James Gosling	105
	National Front	Harry Fenton	48
	Liberal	Lorna M. James	46
	National Front	Irene McCleod	45
	Liberal	Ruth C. Smith	36
Registered electors			4,212
Turnout				37.9
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Hillmarton

Hillmarton (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Arthur L. Bell*	987
	Labour	Crispin R. St. Hill	881
	Conservative	George H. Leeson	768
	Conservative	Roy P.C. Taft	714
	National Front	Terence F. Savage	120
	National Front	George Wilson	86
	Communist	Margaret S. Beardon	65
Registered electors			5,212
Turnout				38.8
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Hillrise

Hillrise (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Mary McCann*	858
	Conservative	Neil D. Kerr	843
	Labour	John Barnes	819
	Labour	Jack Lethbridge	808
	Conservative	Roman Kowalski	792
	Conservative	Timothy S.K. Yeo	730
	Socialist Unity	Kathryn Adams	110
	Socialist Unity	Michael P. Simpson	97
	National Front	Harold A. Farey	44
	National Front	John J. Taylor	40
	National Front	William Hall	34
Registered electors			5,207
Turnout				37.4
	Labour hold
	Conservative gain from Labour
	Labour hold

Holloway

Holloway (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Patrick E. Haynes*	1,065
	Labour	William J.D. Moroney*	1,021
	Labour	Edward Holroyd-Doveton*	983
	Conservative	Anne V. Bradley	575
	Conservative	William H. Giles	573
	Conservative	Merryl S. Cave	545
	National Front	Sidney A. Chaney	146
	National Front	George W. Gilder	134
	National Front	Shaun P. Bowdidge	123
Registered electors			6,019
Turnout				33.5
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Junction

Junction (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Christopher M.B. King	1,504
	Labour	Catherine D. Kaplinsky	1,439
	Labour	Mark S.B. Van de Weyer*	1,402
	Conservative	David J. Nicholson	1,088
	Conservative	Jonathan Sayeed	986
	Conservative	Michael D.X. Portillo	980
	National Front	Clifford NF Baker	97
	National Front	Anthony J. Hedge	97
	National Front	Ian Binnie	96
Registered electors			6,428
Turnout				44.2
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Mildmay

Mildmay (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Marjorie A. Ogilvy-Webb	1,489
	Labour	Jane L. Streather	1,442
	Labour	Valerie A. Veness	1,383
	Conservative	Anne Felton-Gerber	1,037
	Conservative	Elizabeth M. Carlson	1,032
	Conservative	James A. Rooke	989
	Independent	Terence B. Hernstead	210
	National Front	Sandra McKenzie	209
	National Front	Alan B. Butler	202
	National Front	Derek J. McGranaghan	202
	Independent	Lawrence O'Shea	182
	Independent	John C. Score	165
	Liberal	Raymond C. James	150
	Liberal	Jannette Dawson	147
	Liberal	Peter Murphy	134
	Communist	William J. Norris	76
Registered electors			8,467
Turnout				46.9
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Quadrant

Quadrant (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Anthony J. Mooney	1,179
	Labour	Janet B. Gibson	1,149
	Conservative	Arthur H.S. Hull	901
	Conservative	Marion J. Pike	872
	National Front	David F. Hammond	190
	National Front	Gordon W. Strange	157
Registered electors			5,764
Turnout				43.0
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

St George's

St George's (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	David J. Davies*	1,199
	Labour	Gerrard F. Flynn	1,182
	Labour	Philomena Kershaw	1,169
	Conservative	Kenneth E.J. Graham	1,104
	Conservative	Albert V. Hiam	1,030
	Conservative	Edmund N.T. Tickell	1,005
	Communist	Angela Mason	212
	National Front	Andrew Desmond	135
	National Front	Terry List	112
	National Front	Thomas Pollard	99
Registered electors			7,291
Turnout				37.5
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

St Mary

St Mary (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Alan Pedrick	1,027
	Labour	Donald B. Hoodless*	990
	Labour	Ian S. Wilson	981
	Conservative	Alistair R. Goobey	823
	Conservative	Christopher C. McCann	772
	Conservative	Michael A. Kuhn	744
	Communist	Marie Betteridge	196
	National Front	Richard B. Hughes	161
	National Front	Richard J. Tiley	123
	National Front	Alfred J. Aldris	119
	Liberal	Alison J. Norman	119
	Liberal	Ronald E. Sanderson	87
Registered electors			6,017
Turnout				37.7
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

St Peter

St Peter (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Anne L. Page*	1,188
	Labour	Christopher J. Pryce	1,063
	Labour	Martin P. Reynolds*	1,014
	Conservative	Francis M. Haddon-Cave	958
	Conservative	Rupert M. Stephenson	955
	Conservative	Marten G. Tasker	947
	Liberal	William A.A. Bearnish	160
	Liberal	Norma Heigham	158
	National Front	David Faulkner	153
	National Front	Leonard Dark	147
	National Front	David Tedder	141
	Communist	Edward C. Archer	107
Registered electors			7,228
Turnout				36.7
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Sussex

Sussex (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Ellen M. Brosnan	887
	Labour Co-op	Henry J. Reid	781
	Conservative	Anthony B. Anderson	381
	Conservative	Nigel M. Cumber	354
	National Front	Ian J. Macarthur	70
	National Front	Graham P. Southern	51
Registered electors			3,757
Turnout				38.4
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour Co-op win (new seat)

Thornhill

Thornhill (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Margaret Pitt	777
	Labour	Margaret Watson	736
	Conservative	Terence P. Kelly	521
	Conservative	Marina Y. Oliver	500
	Independent	Frederick Johns	388
	Independent	Timothy F. Finch	334
	Independent	Richard D. Gilbey	36
Registered electors			4,289
Turnout				42.2
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour loss (seat eliminated)

Tollington

Tollington (3)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Arthur G. Smith	1,027
	Labour Co-op	Andrew Carty	1,023
	Labour	Rose L. Evans	989
	Conservative	Edward F. Bull	455
	Conservative	Martyn D.M. Berkin	434
	Conservative	Abdul A. Siddiqui	392
	National Front	Frederick Shepherd	100
	Socialist Unity	Diana Udall	97
	National Front	Keith Squire	83
	Socialist Unity	Adrian E. Yeeles	79
	National Front	Mark Squire	77
Registered electors			5,931
Turnout				31.4
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour Co-op win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

References

^ "London Borough Council Elections - 4 May 1987" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. pp. 51–53, 126–127. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^ "London Borough of Islington Election Results 1964-2010" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. Plymouth University. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 24 November 2023.

v t e Elections and referendums in London
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Borough councils	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Referendums	1998
See also Elections in London Boroughs Middlesex County Council elections

v t e Council elections in Greater London
Barking and Dagenham	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Barnet	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Bexley	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Brent	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Bromley	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Camden	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
City of London	2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2022 2025
Croydon	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Ealing	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Enfield	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Greenwich	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Hackney	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Hammersmith and Fulham	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Haringey	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Harrow	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Havering	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Hillingdon	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Hounslow	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Islington	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Kensington and Chelsea	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Kingston upon Thames	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Lambeth	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Lewisham	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Merton	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Newham	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Redbridge	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Richmond upon Thames	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Southwark	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Sutton	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Tower Hamlets	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Waltham Forest	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Wandsworth	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Westminster	1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Greater London	1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981
See also: London-wide elections Wards Boundary changes

v t e (1977 ←) 1978 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1979)
London boroughs	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster
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District councils (England)	Basingstoke and Deane Bath Brentwood Broxbourne Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Chorley Colchester Congleton Eastbourne Eastleigh Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Fareham Halton Harlow Hart Hartlepool Havant Hertsmere Huntingdon Milton Keynes Mole Valley Pendle Peterborough Preston Rochford Rossendale Runnymede Shrewsbury and Atcham South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire Southend-on-Sea Tamworth Tandridge Thamesdown Three Rivers Tunbridge Wells Watford Welwyn Hatfield West Lancashire Winchester Woking
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