1967 – 11th May – KUDC Triennial Election

Abbey (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*E. Thomas Evans	Conservative	632
*Ronald Stansfield	Conservative	594
*Joan Salkeld	Conservative	485
Edgar Emerson	Labour	231
Aubrey Walters	Labour	212
Mrs M. McClellan	Labour	210
T. Thompson	Liberal	179
Mrs R. Hertz	Liberal	165
K. Hatwood	Liberal	139

Borrowell (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative	595
Victor Chance	Conservative	590
Edward Player	Conservative	571
Helen Dore	Liberal	496
Dennis Archer	Liberal	334
Peter Thompson	Liberal	309
Derek Sharrock	Labour	159

Park Hill (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Harry Potts	Conservative	615
Bernice Gardner	Conservative	584
Spencer Harrison	Conservative	543
L. Nixon	Liberal	299
Jan Mokrzycki	Liberal	288
Mrs V. Billet	Liberal	267
Anthony Diggins	Labour	231
Mrs E. Tidy	Labour	223
Mrs S. Harris	Labour	222

Castle (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Leonard Smalley	Conservative	810
Anthony Whittaker	Conservative	770
*Bill Whiteman	Conservative	747
Peter Smith	Liberal	329
Dora Greenway	Liberal	319
Edward Flint	Liberal	209

Windy Arbour (3 seats)

+new ward+

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Florence Adcock	Conservative	926
Derek Moore	Conservative	840
Richard Watson	Conservative	840
Robert Butler	Liberal	529
Haydn Thomas	Liberal	510
Mrs N. Tyrell	Liberal	486

St John’s (3 seats)

+new ward+

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Jack Cox	Conservative	597
Eric Bernard Smith	Conservative	476
*Christopher Webster	Labour	458
Michael Coker	Conservative	420
Dennis Jakeman	Liberal	364
Thomas Caswell	Labour	332
Bill Wozencroft	Labour	307
Mrs H. Eggins	Liberal	205
James Cook	Liberal	192

*denotes retiring member

NEW WARDS – BUT ‘PARTY’ ROW BEFORE ELECTION

Just before the election there was a bit of a rumpus between the Liberals and Tories. Liberal agent, Peter Thompson, who was standing in Borrowell ward, was threatening legal action against the tories regarding a ‘Ale and Cheese’ party that the Kenilworth Conservative Association were hosting. Mr Thompson claimed that the party, for which electors could attend and meet their candidates, is an offence under the Representation of the People Act. Apparently, penalties for contravening this act could be a £200 fine, six months imprisonment, a five year ban from voting or in the case of a candidate, disqualification from contesting an election for ten years. He added; “With this event the Conservatives are sailing very close to the wind”. But Mrs Dixon, treasurer of the Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth Conservative Association, replied; “We are not contravening the act because people who are coming will be paying 5 shillings a ticket and they will have to buy their own drinks”.

Due to the increase in the town’s population this was the first KUDC election which would return 18 members instead of the long established number of 12. At the time of the election the council was down to only 10 members due to recent resignations.

To accommodate the six extra councillors, two new wards were introduced, Windy Arbour and St John’s. This meant the redrawing the boundaries of all the old wards. As in previous elections three members would be elected from each ward.

With these extra wards, 46 candidates contested the election, 19 Liberals, 18 Conservatives and 9 Labour.

Labour’s Chris Webster who switched from Borrowell to the new St John’s ward, prevented the Conservatives from ‘sweeping the board’.

Now with 18 seats and based on the the old wards the Conservatives gained two seats in Borrowell and two from the Indepenents in Castle.

Conservative candidate, Leonard Smalley, topped the poll in Castle Ward. He had previously sat as an Independent (or unattached) for more than 30 years. But possibly fearing that the ‘Independent movement’ had now run its course, decided to stand on a tory ticket.

Florence Adcock headed the poll in Windy Arbour with 926 votes, the most by any candidate in the election.

Space at the council house in Southbank road was now considered too small to accomodate the extra councillors, officials and members of the public at monthly meetings. So it was decided to hold summer meetings in the guardroom at the castle gatehouse but it was too cold to use in wintertime. This arrangement continued until 2005 when English Heritage decided to convert the room into a museum, so it was back to Southbank Road for council meetings.

KUDC Councillors

17 Conservatives (E. Evans, R. Stansfield, Joan Salkeld, Florence Adcock, Bernice Gardener,K. Rawnsley, V. Chance, E. Player, H. Potts, S. Harrison, L. Smalley, A. Whittaker, B. Whiteman, D. Moore, R. Watson, J. Cox, E. Smith)

1 Labour (C. Webster)

Chairman

Chairmans Chain of Office – Courtesy of Warwickshire County Records Office. (ref. PH (N) 600/147/3)