Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Thursday, 12 May 1949. One third of the councillors seats were up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a three-year term of office. The council remained under no overall control.STRUGGLE LIKELY OVER MANCHESTER ALDERMEN, Manchester Evening News, May 13, 1949, p.1SIX CONSERVATIVE GAINS IN MANCHESTER, Manchester Guardian, May 13, 1949, p.8
Election result
PartyVotesSeatsFull CouncilConservative Party127,390 (49.1%) 3.619 (52.8%) 672 (50.0%)Labour Party116,147 (44.8%) 2.917 (47.2%) 6 64 (44.4%)Liberal Party12,946 (5.0%) 0.5 0 (0.0%) 8 (5.6%)Communist1,910 (0.7%) 0.10 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)Independent Conservative719 (0.3%)N/A0 (0.0%)N/A0 (0.0%)Independent89 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Full council
+ ↓ 64 8 72
Aldermen
+ ↓ 16 7 13
Councillors
+ ↓ 48 1 59
Ward results All Saints'
Ardwick
Beswick
Blackley
Bradford
Cheetham
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Collegiate Church
Collyhurst
Crumpsall
Didsbury
Exchange
Gorton North
Gorton South
Harpurhey
Levenshulme
Longsight
Medlock Street
Miles Platting
Moss Side East
Moss Side West
Moston
New Cross
Newton Heath
Openshaw
Oxford
Rusholme
St. Ann's
St. Clement's
St. George's
St. John's
St. Luke's
St. Mark's
St. Michael's
Withington
Wythenshawe
Aldermanic elections
Aldermanic election, 25 May 1949
At the meeting of the council on 25 May 1949, the terms of office of eighteen aldermen expired.TORIES DEPOSE MANCHESTER ALDERMAN, Manchester Guardian, May 26, 1949, p.10
The following eighteen were elected as aldermen by the council on 25 May 1949 for a term of six years.
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Conservative James Edward Burgess Didsbury 1955 Labour Andrew Cathcart* Medlock Street 1955 Conservative S. P. Dawson* Newton Heath 1955 Liberal Mary Gibbons* St. Clement's 1955 Labour Frank Gregson* Withington 1955 Conservative George Sutton Grindley* Gorton North 1955 Labour Elijah John Hart* New Cross 1955 Labour Stanley Hitchbun* St. George's 1955 Conservative William Phillip Jackson* St. John's 1955 Labour Alfred James* Beswick 1955 Conservative Mary Latchford Kingsmill Jones* Wythenshawe 1955 Conservative Sir William Kay* Rusholme 1955 Labour William Oldfield M.P.* All Saints' 1955 Labour Wright Robinson* Blackley 1955 Labour Harry Thorneycroft M.P.* Bradford 1955 Labour Thomas Walker* Oxford 1955 Conservative C. A. Wood* Crumpsall 1955 Conservative Samuel Woollam* Chorlton-cum-Hardy 1955
Aldermanic election, 2 November 1949
Caused by the death on 6 October 1949 of Alderman Mary Gibbons (Liberal, elected as an alderman by the council on 7 March 1945).ALDERMAN MRS. GIBBONS, Manchester Guardian, October 7, 1949, p.5INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN MANCHESTER, Manchester Guardian, March 8, 1945, p.2
In his place, Councillor Prof. Frank Edward Tylecote (Conservative, St. John's, elected 19 May 1931)LIBERAL WIN IN CIVIL BY-ELECTION, Manchester Guardian, May 20, 1931, p.13 was elected as an alderman by the council on 2 November 1949."BLUDGEONING" BY CORPORATION, Manchester Guardian, November 3, 1949, p.3
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Conservative Prof. Frank Edward Tylecote St. Clement's 1955
Aldermanic elections, 7 December 1949
Caused by the death on 3 November 1949 of Alderman Robert Griffith Edwards (Liberal, elected as an alderman by the council on 4 December 1940).OBITUARY, Manchester Guardian, November 4, 1949, p.4CONSERVATIVE "DOMINATION" OF COUNCIL, Manchester Guardian, December 5, 1940, p.2
In his place, Councillor Hugh Lee (Liberal, Blackley, elected 2 November 1931; previously 1919-21)LABOUR'S AUTOMATIC DEFEAT, Manchester Evening News, November 3, 1931, p.5 was elected as an alderman by the council on 7 December 1949.COUNCILLORS' "FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT" TO INFORMATION, Manchester Guardian, December 8, 1949, p.2
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Liberal Hugh Lee St. Luke's 1952
Caused by the death on 21 November 1949 of Alderman Andrew Cathcart (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 5 June 1946).ALDERMAN A. CATHCART, Manchester Guardian, November 22, 1949, p.4£20,000 RESTORATION SCHEME FOR WYTHENSHAWE HALL APPROVED, Manchester Guardian, 6 June 1946, p.3
In his place, Councillor Douglas Gosling (Conservative, Moss Side West, elected 19 January 1932)MOSS SIDE WEST WARD BY-ELECTION, Manchester Guardian, January 20, 1932, p.11 was elected as an alderman by the council on 7 December 1949.COUNCILLORS' "FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT" TO INFORMATION, Manchester Guardian, December 8, 1949, p.2
PartyAldermanWardTerm expires Conservative Douglas Gosling Medlock Street 1955
By-elections between 1949 and 1950
St. John's, 28 June 1949
Caused by the election as an alderman of Councillor James Edward Burgess (Conservative, St. John's, elected 30 May 1930)CONSERVATIVES WIN IN ST. JOHN'S WARD, Manchester Guardian, May 31, 1930, p.21 on 25 May 1949,TORIES DEPOSE MANCHESTER ALDERMAN, Manchester Guardian, May 26, 1949, p.10 following the defeat on 25 May 1949 of Alderman Leslie Lever (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 2 March 1949).TORIES DEPOSE MANCHESTER ALDERMAN, Manchester Guardian, May 26, 1949, p.10CIVIC AID TO THE HALLE ORCHESTRA CRITICISED, Manchester Guardian, March 3, 1949, p.8
COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS, Manchester Guardian, June 29, 1949, p.8
Exchange, 7 September 1949
Caused by the death of Councillor Thomas Higson (Conservative, Exchange, elected 28 February 1933)EXCHANGE WARD BY-ELECTION, Manchester Guardian, March 1, 1933, p.11 on 3 August 1949.CRICKET LOSES A LEADER, Manchester Evening News, August 3, 1949, p.3
Tory unopposed, Manchester Evening News, September 6, 1949, p.3
Chorlton-cum-Hardy, 24 November 1949
Caused by the resignation of Councillor Richard Turley (Conservative, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, elected 9 November 1939)NEW LORD MAYOR, Manchester Guardian, November 10, 1939, p.8 on 2 November 1949. , Manchester Evening News, November 3, 1949, p.10
MUNICIPAL BY-ELECTIONS, Manchester Guardian, November 25, 1949, p.10
Miles Platting, 15 December 1949
Caused by the death of Councillor E. J. Howarth (Labour, Miles Platting, elected 1 November 1935)LABOUR HOLDS ITS OWN IN MANCHESTER, Manchester Guardian, November 2, 1935, p.15 on 19 October 1949. , Manchester Guardian, October 20, 1949, p.2
Labour victory at Miles Platting, Manchester Evening News, December 16, 1949, p.8
References