1974 Moray District Council election

Moray District Council election April 2025 April 2025 1974 05 07 yes 1977 Moray District Council election 1977 parliamentary File:Coat of arms of Moray Area Council.svg 10 All 18 seats to Moray District Council Independent Scottish National Party 17 1 86.7% 14,292 8.3% 1,360 File:MorayCouncilMay1974.svg Elections to Moray 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 18 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 9 April 2025 Moray was a non-partisan district. Only a few political party members contested the election and all but one of the 17 seats were won by independents. The remaining seat was won by the Scottish National Party (SNP). Background Prior to 1974, the area that was to become Moray, was split between two counties – the County of Banff and the County of Moray. Within that were seven of the 11 burghs of the County of Banff (Aberlour, Buckie, Cullen, Dufftown, Findochty, Keith and Portknockie) and five of the six burghs of the County of Moray (Burghead, Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth and Branderburgh and Rothes). These were all small burghs so the burgh council had limited powers which included some control over planning as well as local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage with the rest of the local government responsibility falling to the county council. Although the County of Moray and the County of Nairn remained as separate entities, they had been combined for most but not all purposes as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 and the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947.https://boundaries.scot/sites/default/files/Local_government_Scotland_before_1975.pdf Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975 Boundaries Scotland 1 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 western and southern parts of the County of Banff which included the seven burghs was combined with the northern part of the County of Moray which contained the five burghs and was placed into the Moray district within the Highland 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 Moray District Council election result Independent (politician) 17 N/A 94.4 86.7 14,292 N/A Scottish National Party 1 N/A 5.6 8.3 1,360 N/A Labour Party (UK) 0 N/A 0.0 5.0 832 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 9 April 2025 Ward results Bishopmill Scottish National Party A Anderson 703 61.3 Scottish Labour W MacKenzie 443 38.7 260 22.61,146 36.3Scottish National Party Cathedral Independent politician J Russell 612 53.5 Scottish National Party E Hendry 531 46.5 81 7.01,143 36.8Independent politician New Elgin Independent politician R Hossack 385 50.4 Independent politician W Adam 199 26.0Scottish National Party A Stuart 126 16.5Scottish Labour R McLeod 54 7.1 186 24.4764 40.3Independent politician Central West Independent politician T McMillanIndependent politician Forres Independent politician A ForbesIndependent politician Findhorn Valley Independent politician J Carr 689 55.4 Independent politician J Bichan 554 44.6 135 10.81,243 39.4Independent politician Laich Independent politician D Thompson 536 49.3 Independent politician R Keith 287 26.4Independent politician N McGillivray 264 24.3 249 22.91,087 39.9Independent politician Lossiemouth Independent politician J Taylor 1,535 71.4 Independent politician D Herd 614 28.6 921 42.82,149 55.6Independent politician Heldon Independent politician J AndersonIndependent politician Innes Independent politician G BaxterIndependent politician Buckie West Independent politician E Brown 818 69.4 Independent politician P Jappy 360 30.6 458 38.81,178 38.8Independent politician Buckie East Independent politician E Douglas 612 49.4 Scottish Labour J Reid 335 27.0Independent politician A Gowrie 292 23.6 277 22.41,239 43.3Independent politician Rathford Independent politician W Mair 650 51.3 Independent politician P Flett 371 29.3Independent politician J Mair 247 19.5 279 32.01,268 33.8Independent politician Lennox Independent politician A Shirran 589 63.5 Independent politician G Cowie 338 36.5 251 27.0927 39.8Independent politician Keith Independent politician L Mann 936 56.6 Independent politician E Ettles 718 43.4 218 13.21,654 54.1Independent politician Strathisla Independent politician G Hendry 644 66.7 Independent politician W Stephen 321 33.3 323 33.4965 43.6Independent politician Speyside Independent politician E Aldridge 758 44.0 Independent politician D Mackay 456 26.5Independent politician D MacPherson 262 15.2Independent politician J Garden 212 12.3Independent J Allan 33 1.9 302 17.51,721 56.3Independent politician Glenlivet Independent politician W McKenzieIndependent politician Aftermath Moray, like the other three of the other four districts in Grampian, was non-partisan and controlled by independent candidates who won all but one of the 18 seats. The remaining seat was won by the Scottish National Party (SNP). The Conservatives 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 1974 Moray District Council election Category:20th century in Moray Category:Grampian