Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Thursday, 11 May 1961. One third of the councillors seats were up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a three-year term of office. The Labour Party retained overall control of the council.Tories are pleased... Liberals scare them, Manchester Evening News, May 12, 1961, p.4THREE LABOUR LOSSES IN MANCHESTER, The Guardian, May 12, 1961, p.8
Election result
PartyVotesSeatsFull CouncilLabour Party69,696 (44.0%) 4.922 (57.9%) 3 79 (52.0%)Conservative Party65,425 (41.3%) 2.615 (39.5%) 269 (45.4%)Liberal Party21,575 (13.6%) 2.1 1 (2.6%) 1 4 (2.6%)Ratepayers3,892 (2.5%) 2.4 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)Communist743 (0.5%)0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)Union Movement178 (0.1%)0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Full council
+ ↓ 79 4 69
Aldermen
+ ↓ 20 2 16
Councillors
+ ↓ 59 2 53
Ward results
Alexandra Park
All Saints'
Ardwick
Baguley
Barlow Moor
Benchill
Beswick
Blackley
Bradford
Burnage
Cheetham
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Collegiate Church
Crumpsall
Didsbury
Gorton North
Gorton South
Harpurhey
Hugh Oldham
Levenshulme
Lightbowne
Longsight
Miles Platting
Moss Side East
Moss Side West
Moston
New Cross
Newton Heath
Northenden
Old Moat
Openshaw
Rusholme
St. George's
St. Luke's
St. Mark's
St. Peter's
Withington
Woodhouse Park
Aldermanic elections
Aldermanic election, 29 May 1961
At the meeting of the council on 29 May 1961, the terms of office of nineteen aldermen expired.NEW ALDERMAN, The Guardian, May 30, 1961, p.24
The following nineteen were elected as aldermen by the council on 29 May 1961 for a term of six years.
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Conservative Albert Barratt* Withington 1967 Labour Emily Beavan* Woodhouse Park 1967 Conservative Lionel Biggs* Northenden 1967 Conservative S. P. Dawson* Newton Heath 1967 Labour Arthur Donovan* Cheetham 1967 Conservative Eveline Hill M.P.* Openshaw 1967 Labour H. P. J. Hinderer* Beswick 1967 Conservative William Phillip Jackson* St. Peter's 1967 Conservative Mary Latchford Kingsmill Jones* Benchill 1967 Labour Mary Knight* New Cross 1967 Conservative Herbert Lomax* St. George's 1967 Labour Forrester Lord* Crumpsall 1967 Labour William Oldfield* All Saints' 1967 Conservative Wilfred Pegge* Blackley 1967 Labour C. E. P. Stott* Oxford 1967 Labour John Sutton* Rusholme 1967 Conservative Prof. Frank Edward Tylecote* Didsbury 1967 Conservative Wallace White Lightbowne 1967 Labour William Winstanley* Bradford 1967
Aldermanic election, 6 December 1961
Caused by the death on 16 November 1961 of Alderman William Oldfield (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 9 November 1945).ALDERMAN WILLIAM H. OLDFIELD, The Guardian, November 17, 1961, p.20MAKING RECONSTRUCTION A REALITY, Manchester Guardian, 10 November 1945, p.3
In his place, Councillor Thomas Farrell (Labour, Beswick, elected 1 November 1945) was elected as an alderman by the council on 6 December 1961.PROMISES BY LABOUR "DISHONEST", The Guardian, December 7, 1961, p.20
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Labour Thomas Farrell All Saints' 1967
By-elections between 1961 and 1962
Didsbury, 13 July 1961
Caused by the election as an alderman of Councillor Wallace White (Conservative, Didsbury, elected 21 October 1937)MANCHESTER MUNICIPAL BY-ELECTION RESULTS, Manchester Guardian, October 22, 1937, p.13 on 29 May 1961,NEW ALDERMAN, Manchester Guardian, May 30, 1961, p.24 following the death on 14 May 1961 of Alderman Thomas Walker (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 5 February 1941).City mourns Alderman, 85, Manchester Evening News, May 15, 1961, p.7Ex-railwayman "on Scrap Heap" is New Alderman, Manchester Evening News, February 5, 1941, p.3
Conservative success at Didsbury, The Guardian, July 14, 1961, p.18
Beswick, 8 February 1962
Caused by the election as an alderman of Councillor Thomas Farrell (Labour, Beswick, elected 1 November 1945) on 6 December 1961,PROMISES BY LABOUR "DISHONEST", The Guardian, December 7, 1961, p.20 following the death on 16 November 1961 of Alderman William Oldfield (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 9 November 1945).ALDERMAN WILLIAM H. OLDFIELD, The Guardian, November 17, 1961, p.20MAKING RECONSTRUCTION A REALITY, Manchester Guardian, 10 November 1945, p.3
Labour again, Manchester Evening News, February 9, 1962, p.21
References