1958 London County Council election
{{Short description|1958 local election in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox election
|election_name=1958 London County Council election
|country=United Kingdom
|flag_image=LCC arms 1914.png
|type=parliamentary
|ongoing=no
|party_colour=yes
|previous_election=1955 London County Council election
|previous_year=1955
|next_election=1961 London County Council election
|next_year=1961
|seats_for_election=
|election_date=16 April 1958
|1blank=Councillors
|image1=
|colour1=
|leader1=Isaac Hayward
|leader_since1=1947
|leaders_seat1=Alderman
|party1=Labour Party (UK)
|last_election1=
|seats1=101
|seat_change1= {{increase}}27
|popular_vote1=
|percentage1=
|swing1=
|1data1=
|2data1=
|3data1=
|image2=
|colour2=
|leader2=Norris Kenyon
|leader_since2=1952
|leaders_seat2=Paddington South
|party2=Conservative Party (UK)
|last_election2=
|seats2=25
|seat_change2={{decrease}}27
|popular_vote2=
|percentage2=
|swing2=
|1data2=
|2data2=
|3data2=
}}
An election to the County Council of London took place on 16 April 1958. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having three votes in the three-member seats. The Labour Party, who had already run the council for 24 years, won their largest ever majority.
Campaign
The Labour Party were optimistic about making gains, and targeted seats in Battersea South, Clapham, Lewisham West, Wandsworth Central and Woolwich West. The Conservatives targeted the marginal Labour-held constituencies of Barons Court, Kensington North and Paddington North.{{cite news |title=Conservatives on defensive in LCC elections |work=The Times |date=15 April 1958}} Their manifesto argued that the Labour Party were wasting money; they proposed reducing rates, and encouraged Londoners to move to new towns.{{cite news |title='Arrogant' majority on LCC |work=The Times |date=3 April 1958}}
The Liberal Party stood 31 candidates, but reports suggested that they were hampered by poor organisation, and were not optimistic of taking a seat. The Communist Party of Great Britain and the Independent Labour Party each stood four candidates, while the Socialist Party of Great Britain stood three, and there were seven independents.
Results
The Labour Party gained 27 seats from the Conservatives,{{cite news |title=Complete results of London County Council elections |work=The Times |date=18 April 1958}} giving them a record majority on the council.{{cite news |title=Final net gain of 249 seats by Labour in elections |work=Manchester Guardian |date=18 April 1958}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;" style="font-size:95%" | ||
| style="vertical-align:center;" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Party | style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Votes{{cite book |last1=Woollard |first1=John |last2=Willis |first2=Alan |title=Twentieth Century Local Election Results |volume=3 |date=2000 |publisher=Elections Centre}} | style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"|Seats |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align: right"
! align=center|Number !! align=center|% !! align=center|Stood !! align=center|Seats !! align=center|% | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} | align="right" | 422,875 | align="right" | 58.4 | align="right" | 126 | align="right" | 101 | align="right" | 80.2 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}} | align="right" | 271,609 | align="right" | 37.5 | align="right" | 126 | align="right" | 25 | align="right" | 19.8 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Party (UK)}} | align="right" | 21,672 | align="right" | 3.0 | align="right" | 31 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0.0 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Communist Party of Great Britain}} | align="right" | 4,772 | align="right" | 0.7 | align="right" | 4 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0.0 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Labour Party}} | align="right" | 1,382 | align="right" | 0.2 | align="right" | 4 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0.0 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} | align="right" | 1,334 | align="right" | 0.2 | align="right" | 5 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0.0 | ||
| style="text-align: right"
| {{Party name with colour|Socialist Party of Great Britain}} | align="right" | 995 | align="right" | 0.1 | align="right" | 3 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0.0 |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{London County Council}}
{{London elections}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 1958}}
London County Council election
London County Council election