1967 Scottish local elections

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Scottish local elections were held in 1967 to elect members to the various Corporations, Burghs, and County Boards of Scotland.

SNP Gains

The election was contested by a large number of SNP candidates, following on from their good showing in the 1967 Glasgow Pollok by-election. The SNP ultimately won 16% of the vote in the municipal elections, and won 23 seats.[1] The election also saw the SNP gain their first Councillor on Clydebank Burgh Council.[2]

Conservative entry into Local Government

The elections also saw the first time that Conservatives contested local elections on a Conservative ticket. Previously the Conservative party had not contested local elections, with their place being instead fulfilled by local anti-socialist groups known as the

Progressives. Despite these organisational differences however, the Progressives were seen be the electorate as Tories, and the two shared the same ideology.[3]

The Conservative party's decision to partake in local elections was largely driven out of a desire to increase party efficiency. In contrast to the Conservatives, Labour had been competing in Scottish local elections for many years. This was seen as providing Labour party activists a great deal of valuable campaigning experience, whilst the Conservative party electoral machine had only been deployed in the intermittent general elections and by-elections. The lack of involvement in local elections also meant that the Conservatives were unable to assess party support as well as Labour. Even in 1974, when the Conservatives had been fighting local elections for several years, the party was still taken by surprise with the surge in SNP support in what were seen as traditional Scottish Tory heartlands.[3]

Results

Municipal Results

Municipal Aggregate

Scottish Municipal Elections, 1967[4]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
 
Labour
3 42
 
Progressives
10 0
  SNP 14 0 ~200,000
 
Conservative
8 0
  Moderates 3 1
  Liberal 4 1
  Communist 1 0
 
Other parties
14 9

Municipal Breakdown

Council Labour Progressives Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Turnout Total Seats Contested Control
Details
Aberdeen 6 6 (Increase2) 12
Labour
Details
Dundee 6 (Decrease1) 6 (Increase1) 0 0 0 0 0 12 No overall control Details
Edinburgh
9 (Decrease3) 14 (Increase1) 2 (Increase2) 0 0 0 0 25
Progressives
Details
Glasgow 20 (Decrease3) 17 (Increase2) 1 (Increase1) 38
Labour
Details
Council Labour Progressives Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Turnout Total Seats Contested Control
Details
Burntisland 1 (Decrease3) 3 (Increase3) 4
Progressives
Details
Dumbarton 2 (Decrease1) 3 (Increase1) (Mods) 5 Moderates Details
Hamilton 3 (Decrease1) 3 (Increase1) (Unionists) 6
Labour
Details
Paisley 5 (Decrease2) 4 (Increase2) 1 40.4 (Increase4.2) 10
Labour
Details
Penicuik 0 (Decrease2) 3 (Increase2) 3
Independent
Details

Source:[4]

County Results

County Breakdown

Council Labour Progressives Conservative SNP Liberal Independent Other Turnout Total Seats Contested Control
Details
Aberdeenshire
Independent
Details
Angus
Independent
Details
Ayrshire Details
Banffshire
Independent
Details
Berwickshire
Independent
Details
Bute
Independent
Details
Caithness
Independent
Details
Dumfriesshire
Independent
Details
Fife Details
Lanarkshire
Labour
Details
Midlothian Details
Renfrewshire
Independent
Details
Roxburghshire
Independent
Details
Selkirkshire
Independent
Details
Stirlingshire No overall control Details
Total

References