An Election to the Edinburgh Corporation was held on 2 May 1972, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. Of the councils 69 seats, 23 were up for election.[ 1]
Following the election, with two by-elections pending, Edinburgh Corporation was composed of 33 Labour councillors, 21 Progressives, 9 Conservatives, and 5 Liberals. Labour did particularly well in the 1972 municipal elections across Scotland, and this was also the case in Edinburgh, where the party came close to gaining control of the council for the first time, controlling 33 of the councils 68 seats. The Liberals, with 5 seats, held the balance of power in the new council.[ 1] Following the election Edinburgh corporation would elect its first Labour Lord Provost ; Jack Kane.[ 2]
The election also witnessed the continuation of the decline of the Progressives, who lost 5 seats.[ 1]
Turnout was 42.1%.
Aggregate results Edinburgh Corporation election, 1972[ 1] Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/− Labour 11 5 0 5 43.5 42.0 59,456 Progressives 5 0 5 5 30.4 22.2 31,479 Conservative 4 2 2 13.0 18.2 25,808 Liberal 2 1 0 1 8.7 10.3 14,554 Independent 1 0 1 1 4.3 3.0 4,286 SNP 0 0 0 0.0 2.9 4,142 Communist 0 0 0 0.0 1.0 1,382
Ward Results Location of Broughton ward Broughton[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives G. Fraser 2,446 Labour R. Cairns 1,784 SNP J. Maxwell 431 Majority 662 Turnout 38.62% Progressives hold
Location of Calton ward Calton[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Labour M. Moules 2,087 Progressives Josephine Dickson 1,921 Majority 166 Turnout 40.00% Labour gain from Progressives
Location of Central Leith ward Location of Colinton ward Location of Corstorphine ward Corstorphine[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Liberal Joyce Sheln 3,465 Progressives Mrs Robertson Murray 2,405 Conservative W. Percy 1,847 Labour B. R. MacKenzie 1,226 SNP A. S. Weir 246 Majority 1,060 Turnout 51.88% Liberal gain from Progressives
Location of Craigentinny ward Location of Craigmillar ward Location of George Square ward George Square[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives C. Murphy 1,525 Labour J. F. Stephen 1,515 Liberal M. G. Falchikov 402 Independent Nationalist R. M. S. Tuck 150 Majority 10 Turnout 36.17% Progressives hold
Location of Gorgie-Dalry ward Location of Holyrood ward Location of Liberton ward Location of Merchiston ward Merchiston[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Liberal J. G. Gray 3,444 Progressives J. Dalgleish 1,573 Labour R. N. F. Halliday 756 Majority 1871 Turnout 49.23% Liberal hold
Location of Morningside ward Morningside[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives J. Bateman 3,252 Liberal N. L. Gordon 2,718 SNP R. J. Shirley 427 Majority 534 Turnout 46.76% Progressives hold
Location of Murrayfield-Cramond ward Location of Newington ward Newington[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Independent J. D. Kidd 4,286 Labour B. Rutherford 1,798 Liberal J. Grahamslaw 1,298 SNP Christina MacWhirter 413 Communist Michele Gunn 78 Majority 2488 Turnout 46.39% Independent hold
Location of Pilton ward Location of Portobello ward Portobello[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives K. W. Borthwick 3,860 Labour Mary Hutchison 2,215 Majority 1645 Turnout 42.14% Progressives hold
Location of St Andrews ward Location of St Bernards ward Location of St Giles ward Location of Sighthill ward Location of South Leith South Leith[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Labour I. R. Hoy 2,614 Progressives C. Waugh 2,362 SNP J. Sinclair 326 Protestant Action J. Maclean 151 Majority 252 Turnout 46.16% Labour gain from Progressives
Location of West Leith ward West Leith[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives W. S. Lyle 3,397 Labour N. Lindsay 1,843 Majority 1554 Turnout 46.18% Progressives hold
References ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Results in the Municipal Elections". The Glasgow Herald . 3 May 1972. p. 2. ^ p.6