1968 Havering London Borough Council election

The 1968 Havering Council election took place on 9 May 1968 to elect members of Havering London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained overall control of the council for the first time.

1968 Havering London Borough Council election

← 1964 9 May 1968 (1968-05-09) 1971 →
All 55 Havering London Borough Council seats 28 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   CON RES LAB Party Conservative Ind. Residents Labour Seats won 35 13 7 Seat change 19 1 20 Popular vote 98,040 34,586 40,307 Percentage 53.7% 19.0% 22.1% Swing 23.9% 0.4% 27.0%

Electoral arrangements

The election was originally scheduled for 1967, but the term of members due to go out in 1967 was extended for one year to prevent the London borough council elections taking place in the same year as the Greater London Council election.^[a] The election used the twenty wards from the previous election for a second time. Councillors were elected for three years with the next election scheduled for 1971.

Polling took place on 9 May 1968.^[1]

Results

General election of councillors

Gaining nineteen seats, the Conservative Party won overall control of the council for the first time. The Labour Party lost twenty seats and was only able to hold on to seven councillors in the Heaton, Hilldene and Gooshays wards covering the Harold Hill estate. Nineteen seats went from Labour to the Conservatives. One of the three seats in Hylands ward went from Labour to the Independent Residents. Holding on to a further twelve seats in Cranham, Hacton, Rainham and Upminster, the Independent Residents became the second largest group on the council.^[1][2][3]

Havering London Borough Council election result, 1968

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative	35	19	0	19	63.6	53.7	98,040	23.9
	Ind. Residents	13	1	0	1	16.9	19.0	23,586	0.4
	Labour	7	0	20	20	12.7	22.1	40,307	27.0
	Liberal	0	0	0		0%	3.7	6,800	3.5
	Independent	0	0	0		0.0	0.9	1,594	New
	Communist	0	0	0		0.0	0.6	1,172	0.4

Aldermanic election

In addition to the 55 elected councillors, there were nine aldermen on the council. Five aldermen elected in 1964 continued to serve until 1971 and the other four retired before the 1968 election. Four aldermen were elected by the council in 1968 to serve until 1974. All four aldermen were for the Conservative Party.

Aldermen elected in 1968, to retire in 1974:^[4]

Party		Alderman
	Conservative	Evan Davies
	Conservative	Sydney Legg
	Conservative	Stanley Shute[b]
	Conservative	John Whale

The aldermen divided six to the Conservatives, two Independent and one to Labour after the aldermanic election.

Ward results

Bedfords

Bedfords (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Evan Davies	2,013
	Conservative	Stanley Shute	1,998
	Labour	H. Packham	333
	Labour	A. Mills	321
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Central

Central (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Ellis	1,849
	Conservative	W. Falk	1,807
	Conservative	W. Whittingham	1,754
	Labour	A. Thomas	799
	Labour	J. Stevenson	750
	Labour	K. Olsen	721
	Communist	C. Harper	214
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Collier Row

Collier Row (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Higgs	2,146
	Conservative	E. Joslin	2,083
	Conservative	D. Keery	1,977
	Labour	L. Mills	1,265
	Labour	W. Cole	1,258
	Labour	J. Selby	1,200
	Communist	H. Reeves	188
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Cranham

Cranham (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Residents	W. Topp	2,653
	Ind. Residents	J. Squire	2,628
	Ind. Residents	Louisa Sinclair	2,606
	Conservative	R. Baker	1,781
	Conservative	L. Bonner	1,749
	Conservative	D. Cranna	1,749
	Labour	S. Jack	478
	Labour	E. Goggin	474
	Labour	N. Plant	471
	Liberal	W. Wallace	216
	Liberal	P. Atkinson	215
Turnout
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing

Elm Park

Elm Park (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Bunch	1,842
	Conservative	B. Casey	1,811
	Conservative	N. Noyes	1,804
	Labour	J. Hoepelman	1,244
	Labour	Stanley Heath-Coleman	1,240
	Labour	G. Rowlands	1,189
	Liberal	I. Draper	322
	Liberal	S. Golledge	300
	Liberal	R. Barwick	290
	Communist	V. Faversham	161
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Emerson Park

Emerson Park (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Carnaby	3,446
	Conservative	E. Gallant	3,392
	Conservative	N. Kemble	3,313
	Liberal	P. Ratchford	643
	Liberal	J. Bastick	614
	Labour	B. Whitworth	465
	Labour	A. Mais	439
	Labour	R. Whitworth	435
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Gidea Park

Gidea Park (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Clark	2,108
	Conservative	J. Johnston	2,069
	Independent	F. Chatfield	213
	Independent	L. Robertson	206
	Labour	A. Houghton	174
	Labour	A. Miles	164
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Gooshays

Gooshays (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Coffin	1,424
	Labour	Reta Coffin	1,367
	Labour	I. Barber	1,251
	Conservative	H. Jefferies	795
	Conservative	C. Mawson	795
	Conservative	T. Rowswell	766
	Communist	W. French	160
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Hacton

Hacton (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Residents	N. Miles	1,621
	Ind. Residents	A. Davis	1,591
	Ind. Residents	N. Richards	1,482
	Conservative	L. Klein	1,376
	Conservative	S. New	1,351
	Conservative	S. Johnson	1,332
	Labour	A. Connor	611
	Labour	C. Connor	608
	Labour	V. Belcher	554
Turnout
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing

Harold Wood

Harold Wood (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Smith	2,789
	Conservative	J. Frost	2,715
	Conservative	D. Owen	2,659
	Labour	D. Edwards	1,005
	Labour	G. Otter	939
	Labour	R. Smith	818
	Liberal	A. Stubbs	460
	Liberal	M. Chambers	416
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Heath Park

Heath Park (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Smith	3,441
	Conservative	L. Hutton	3,406
	Conservative	K. Brown	3,394
	Independent	E. Bates	557
	Labour	W. Mills	384
	Labour	J. Holt	355
	Labour	S. Horler	337
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Heaton

Heaton (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael Ward	955
	Labour	D. Burn	922
	Conservative	C. Kemp	709
	Conservative	D. Cure	683
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Hilldene

Hilldene (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arthur Latham	1,088
	Labour	Reg Whiting	1,049
	Conservative	P. Marsden	572
	Conservative	J. Barrance	519
	Communist	R. Cohen	104
Turnout
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Hylands

Hylands (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Residents	R. Reid	1,370
	Conservative	T. Kemp	1,362
	Conservative	G. Panormo	1,335
	Ind. Residents	T. Dix	1,316
	Ind. Residents	D. Worker	1,278
	Conservative	B. Dawson	1,265
	Labour	E. Watson	884
	Labour	W. Hegarty	862
	Labour	K. Ince	818
Turnout
	Ind. Residents gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Mawney

Mawney (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Lucas	2,199
	Conservative	I. Harlock	2,131
	Conservative	A. Sharp	2,119
	Labour	R. Latham	1,030
	Labour	F. Carrick	935
	Labour	R. Kilby	885
	Communist	C. Bacon	170
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Oldchurch

Oldchurch (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Swift	1,189
	Conservative	W. Todd	1,131
	Labour	R. Baker	558
	Labour	T. Ward	540
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Rainham

Rainham (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Residents	H. Turner	2,683
	Ind. Residents	D. Poole	2,643
	Ind. Residents	L. Waterman	2,504
	Conservative	I. Lamont	823
	Labour	H. Bygate	591
	Labour	E. O'Donnell	578
	Labour	A. Bowers	575
	Communist	T. Stapleton	175
Turnout
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing

St Andrew's

St Andrew's (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sydney Legg	2,716
	Conservative	Edward Hoad	2,685
	Conservative	Albert James	2,609
	Liberal	B. Grant	544
	Liberal	M. Reeve	542
	Liberal	T. Rimmer	531
	Labour	G. Dodge	481
	Labour	G. Saunders	477
	Labour	D. Ramstead	462
Turnout
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

South Hornchurch

South Hornchurch (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Collins	1,095
	Conservative	J. Smith	1,092
	Conservative	C. Sherman	1,090
	Labour	P. Ridley	993
	Labour	May Rudlin	964
	Ind. Residents	G. Reynolds	912
	Labour	A. Lesslie	895
	Ind. Residents	F. Banning	738
	Ind. Residents	R. Vickers	735
	Independent	L. Lowe	323
	Independent	L. Long	295
	Liberal	L. Blows	207
	Liberal	F. Tyson	182
	Liberal	J. South	175
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Upminster

Upminster (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Residents	F. Everett	2,631
	Ind. Residents	R. Manning	2,603
	Ind. Residents	F. Morley	2,592
	Conservative	O. Collins	1,755
	Conservative	P. Ellis	1,728
	Conservative	R. Guest	1,723
	Labour	W. Mansfield	264
	Labour	H. Sparks	216
	Labour	A. Booton	212
	Liberal	A. Rabone	167
	Liberal	B. Thame	162
	Liberal	G. Burnett	153
Turnout
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing
	Ind. Residents gain from Independent		Swing

By-elections

The following by-elections took place between the 1968 and 1971 elections:

• 1968 Bedfords by-election
• 1968 Gidea Park by-election
• 1968 St Andrew's (Havering) by-election
• 1969 Collier Row by-election (Labour gain from Conservative)
• 1969 Hilldene by-election
• 1970 Heath Park by-election

Notes

1. Borough councillor and alderman terms due to end in 1967 were extended by the London Government Act 1967.
2. Replaced by Arthur Latham following the death of Stanley Shute in 1970.