1952 Aberdeen Corporation election

1952 Aberdeen Corporation election

May 6, 1952 (1952-05-06)
36 out of 37 seats of City of Aberdeen Council 19 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	47.0%
First party Second party Third party   Party Labour Progressives Communist Seats won 21 15 0 Seats after 21 16 0 Seat change 4 4 0 Popular vote 77,307 51,318 836 Percentage 59.4% 39.5% 0.6%   Fourth party   Party Scottish Self-Government Seats won 0 Seats after 0 Seat change 0 Popular vote 602 Percentage 0.5%
Composition of Corporation after the election

An election to the Aberdeen Corporation was held on 6 May 1952, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. 36 of the corporation's 37 seats were up for election.

The election saw a large swing in favour of Labour, ending with a majority of 5 on the council. All seats were up for election as ward boundaries were redrawn and previously elected councilors' terms were cut short.[1] This resulted in three seats being contested in each of the 12 wards.[2] The 37th seat was that of the Dean of Guild, a member of the council appointed by the guilds of the city, who affiliated with the Progressives.[1][3]

Ward Results

Cairncry
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	R. S. Lennox (incumbent)	3,328
	Labour	J. Robertson (incumbent)	3,230
	Labour	J. Watt	3,060
	Progressives	R. Lobban	1,061
	Progressives	Mrs. Georgina Sutherland	931
Majority			1,999
Turnout
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Ferryhill
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	C. G. E. M'Iver (incumbent)	2,627
	Progressives	I. G. M'Pherson (incumbent)	2,607
	Progressives	A. M'Robb	2,419
	Labour	Rev. J. P. Crosgrove	2,397
Majority			22
Turnout
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)

Holburn
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	G. Roberts (incumbent)	Unopposed
	Progressives	W. D. Reid (incumbent)	Unopposed
	Progressives	J. Collins (incumbent)	Unopposed
Majority
Turnout
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)

Rosemount
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	J. Patrick Jeffrey (incumbent)	2,940
	Progressives	G. A. Anderson (incumbent)	2,868
	Progressives	W. D. Swinney (incumbent)	2,823
	Labour	H. Hepburn	1,384
Majority			1,439
Turnout
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)

Rubislaw
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	A. T. Morrison (incumbent)	Unopposed
	Progressives	J. F. Hall (incumbent)	Unopposed
	Progressives	J. A. Mackie (incumbent)	Unopposed
Majority
Turnout
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)

Ruthrieston
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressives	F. Magee (incumbent)	3,538
	Progressives	T. F. Aggett	3,402
	Progressives	T. Scott Sutherland	3,382
	Labour	K. Milton	2,218
Majority			1,164
Turnout
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)
	Progressives win (new boundaries)

St. Andrews
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	C. MacIver (incumbent)	3,735
	Labour	G. Stephen (incumbent)	3,682
	Labour	R. Bruce (incumbent)	3,661
	Progressives	G. H. Henderson	985
	Progressives	A. E. Buxton	869
Majority			2,676
Turnout
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

St. Clements
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Dr. May Baird (incumbent)	4,009
	Labour	A. C. Collie (incumbent)	3,941
	Labour	W. K. Park (incumbent)	3,804
	Communist	R. H. Cooney	836
	Progressives	Mrs. B. E. Jeffrey	814
Majority			2,968
Turnout
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

St. Machar
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Rev. Professor J. M. Graham (incumbent)	3,478
	Labour	R. A. Raffen (incumbent)	3,440
	Labour	J. D. Burgoyne	3,292
	Progressives	J. Kelly	1,531
	Progressives	J. T. L. Parkinson	1,451
	Progressives	D. J. P. Neave	1,426
Majority			1,761
Turnout
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

St. Nicholas
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	G. R. M'Intosh (incumbent)	3,788
	Labour	Mrs Violet L. A. Loutit	3,778
	Labour	R. M'Intyre	3,702
	Progressives	D. Henderson (incumbent)	2,609
	Progressives	J. S. G. Munro (incumbent)	2,525
	Progressives	F. M. Donald	2,337
Majority			1,093
Turnout
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

Torry
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	N. Hogg (incumbent)	3,128
	Labour	G. Fraser (incumbent)	3,066
	Labour	A. C. Ritchie (incumbent)	3,041
	Progressives	E. J. Gordon	1,032
Majority			2,009
Turnout
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

Woodside
3 Seats

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	W. Yuill (incumbent)	2,771
	Labour	C. M. Ross	2,746
	Labour	A. Morrice	2,628
	Progressives	L. T. Mutch (incumbent)	2,502
	Progressives	P. Mitchell (incumbent)	2,427
	Progressives	R. M. Eyres	2,212
	Scottish Self-Government	P. Hadden [a]	602
Majority			126
Turnout
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)
	Labour win (new boundaries)

[2][4]

Notes

1. Hadden likely did not stand for the Scottish (Self-Government) Party as it had dissolved in 1934, but sources do not provide further information to identify the party listed.

References

1. "No Change At Aberdeen - Home Rulers Fail". The Herald (Glasgow). 6 May 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
2. "Aberdeen". The Herald (Glasgow). 7 May 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
3. "Dean of Guild – Their role over the years". Aberdeen Burgesses. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
4. 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 11 June 2023.