1949 Aberdeen Corporation election

1949 Aberdeen Corporation election

May 3, 1949 (1949-05-03)
12 out of 37 seats of City of Aberdeen Council 19 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	46%
First party Second party Third party   Party Labour Progressives Communist Seats won 7 5 0 Seats after 19[a] 18 0 Seat change 0 1 0 Popular vote 25,846 29,235 1,862 Percentage 44.8% 50.7% 3.2%   Fourth party   Party Independent Seats won 0 Seats after 0 Seat change 1 Popular vote 691 Percentage 1.2%
Composition of Corporation after the election

An election to the Aberdeen Corporation was held on 3 May 1949, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. 12 of the corporation's 37 seats were up for election.

The election saw Labour retain their control over the corporation, although tenuously. Leading up to the election, Labour councillor Robert S. Lennox had the whip withdrawn, and was sitting as an independent. Despite this, Lennox still voted with Labour, allowing the party to keep control. The overall turnout for the election was 46%.^[1][2][3]

Ward Results

Ferryhill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	Ian G. McPherson (incumbent)	2,682	71.7
	Labour	Francis Brand	1,059	28.3
Majority			1,623
	Progressives hold

Gilcomston

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Dr May Baird (incumbent)	2,311	52.7
	Progressives	J. Patrick Jeffery	2,071	47.3
Majority			240
	Labour hold

Greyfriars

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Collin MacIver	2,850	72.9
	Independent	Alexander Riddell (incumbent)[b]	691	17.7
	Communist	Robert H. Cooney	370	9.5
Majority			2,159
	Labour gain from Independent

Holburn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	John Collins	2,012	59.8
	Labour	Rev. Leonard Baker Short (incumbent)	1,355	40.2
Majority			657
	Progressives gain from Labour

Rosemount

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	George A. Anderson (incumbent)	3,408	71.4
	Labour	John J. Adams	1,366	28.6
Majority			2,042
	Progressives hold

Rubislaw

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	James A. Mackie (incumbent)	4,447	84.5
	Labour	George M. Thow	817	15.5
Majority			3,630
	Progressives hold

Ruthrieston

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	Andrew R. Abercrombie	5,132	77.1
	Labour	Douglas Cummings	1,520	22.9
Majority			3,612
	Progressives hold

St. Clements

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	George W. Davis (incumbent)	2,724	88.4
	Communist	Robert F. Murray	316	11.6
Majority			2,408
	Labour hold

St. Machar

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Yuill	3,442	51.9
	Progressives	Gilbert F. Hamilton	2,757	41.6
	Communist	Norman S. Simpson	435	6.6
Majority			685
	Labour hold

St. Nicholas

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	John Robertson (incumbent)	1,612	56.1
	Progressives	Robert Lobban	1,260	43.9
Majority			352
	Labour hold

Torry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Collins (incumbent)	2,851	58.8
	Progressives	Sidney H. Robinson	1,700	35.0
	Communist	Arthur Cryle	301	6.2
Majority			1,151
	Labour hold

Woodside

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Alexander Armet	3,939	48.4
	Progressives	Patrick Mitchell	3,766	46.2
	Communist	Mrs. Alice Milne	440	5.4
Majority			173
	Labour hold

^[1][2][3]

Notes

1. Including one Labour councilor with the whip removed but voting with the party.
2. Ran as an Independent but Labour-aligned candidate.

References

1. "Labour Retain Their Odd Vote Lead in Aberdeen". The Herald (Glasgow). 4 May 1949. p. 6. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
2. Ware, L.; Rallings, C.; Thrasher, M. (2006). "British Local Election Database, 1889-2003". beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk. doi:10.5255/ukda-sn-5319-1. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
3. "How They Voted at Aberdeen". The Press and Journal. 4 May 1949. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2023.