The first elections to the newly created Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 10 May 1973, with the entirety of the 51 seat council — three seats for each of the 17 wards — up for election. The Local Government Act 1972 stipulated that the elected members were to shadow and eventually take over from the predecessor corporation on 1 April 1974. The order in which the councillors were elected dictated how long each served for, with third-place candidates serving two years and up for re-election in 1975, second-placed three years expiring in 1976, and first-placed serving five years until 1978.
As well as replacing the County Borough of Halifax, the new council included:
Municipal Borough of Brighouse Municipal Borough of Todmorden Elland Urban District Hebden Royd Urban District Queensbury and Shelf Urban District (part) Ripponden Urban District Sowerby Bridge Urban District Hepton Rural District
The election resulted in Labour gaining control.
In May 1974 a by-election for the Brighouse ward occurred to replace the Conservative councillor G. Wood. The by-election was won by the Labour candidate M. Cunningham.
Council results
Council Composition After the election the composition of the council was: + ↓ 28 18 5 Labour Conservative Liberal
PartyNew council 28 18 5 Total 51
Ward results Brighouse ward
Elland ward
Greetland and Stainland ward
Hebden Bridge ward
Illingworth ward
Lightcliffe ward
Mixenden ward
Northowram and Shelf ward
Ovenden ward
Rastrick ward
Ryburn ward
Skircoat ward
Sowerby North ward
St. John's ward
Todmorden ward
Town ward
Warley ward
By-elections between 1973 and 1975 Brighouse ward, 1974
References