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1974 Renfrew District Council election
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Renfrew District Council election
April 2025
April 2025
1974 05 07 yes 1977 Renfrew District Council election 1977 parliamentary 21 All 40 seats to Renfrew District Council Labour Party (UK) 25 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 10 32.2% 21,894 49.3% 33,540 Independent (politician) 3 9.8% 6,678 Scottish National Party 1 3,407 5.0% Community association 1 1,336 2.0% d3d3d3
Elections to Renfrew 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 40 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting.https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20190111180051/http://www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/reports/ea_formation_1974.asp Formation Electoral Arrangements Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland 5 April 2025
Labour took control of the council after winning a majority. The party took 25 of the 40 seats and almost half of the popular vote. The Conservatives won 10 seats and three independent candidates were elected.
Background
Prior to 1974, the area that was to become Renfrew contained four of the seven burghs of the County of Renfrew. The three small burghs (Barrhead, Johnstone and Renfrew) had limited powers which included some control over planning as well as local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage. The large burgh of Paisley had further powers over the police, public health, social services, registration of births, marriages and deaths and electoral registration. 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.https://boundaries.scot/sites/default/files/Local_government_Scotland_before_1975.pdf Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975 Boundaries Scotland 10 April 2025
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. The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 implemented most of the recommendations in the Wheatly Report. The central part of the County of Renfrew which included the four burghs was placed into the Renfrew district within the Strathclyde region.Turnock David 1970 The Wheatley Report: Local Government in Scotland Area 2 2 10–12 Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers 20000437
Results
1974 Renfrew District Council election result
Labour Party (UK) 25 N/A 62.5 49.3 33,540 N/A
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 10 N/A 25.0 32.2 21,894 N/A
Independent (politician) 3 N/A 7.5 9.8 6,678 N/A
Scottish National Party 1 N/A 2.5 5.0 3,407 N/A
Community association 1 N/A 2.5 2.0 1,336 N/A lightgrey
Tenants Association 0 N/A 0.0 0.9 584 N/A lightgrey
Scottish Liberal Party 0 N/A 0.0 0.5 334 N/A
Communist Party of Great Britain 0 N/A 0.4 0.0 277 N/A
Source:https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-Regional-and-District-Elections-1974.pdf The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics Edinburgh Scottish Academic Press J. M. Botchel D. T. Denver 1975 5 April 2025
Aftermath
Renfrew was one of 11 districts in the newly created Strathclyde region that was won by Labour after the party took 25 of the 40 seats. The Conservatives were the second-largest party after they took 10 seats. and the Liberals both won one seat and one Independent candidate was elected. Labour also won control of the regional council which held its first election on the same day. Across Scotland, Labour won the most votes, the most seats and the most councils of any party.
References
Category:Renfrew District Council elections
Renfrew District Council election