Windy Arbour Ward
Candidate | Party | Votes |
James Herbert Whitby | Conservative Party | 534 |
Brenda May Payne | Labour Party | 92 |
Turnout 22.2%
TORIES RETAIN SEAT
A second by-election of the year took place due to the resignation of long standing member Florence Adcock in September. She had served on both the old KUDC and the new town council for a total of 20 years.
Mrs Adcock was first elected to the old KUDC at a by-election in the Park Hill ward in May 1962. She then switched to the new Windy Arbour ward when it was introduced in 1967 and there she has remained. She was the town Mayor in 1979/80.
The Conservative victory was a forgone conclusion, that’s probably why the turnout was pitifully low, just over a fifth of voters bothering to turn up at the polling stations. The Labour Party only stood in the election because the town council wanted to co-opt a member but the Labour group had other ideas, so an election had to take place.
James Whitby is not entirely new to council work as he first became a member of the old KUDC when he was elected at Park Hill in 1964, but remained for only one term. He is an executive with a midland company of exporters and has lived in Kenilworth for 27 years.