1949 – 9th May – Kenilworth Urban District Council – Elections

Abbey (3 seats)

*William Griffiths	Independent	582
*Frederick Whitehouse	Independent	475
*Alexander Jeacock	Independent	461
Harry Andrew	Labour Party	222
Leonard McDonald	Labour Party	185

Borrowell (3 seats)

*William Bostock	Independent	954
*Eric Bernard Smith	Independent	857
*Alan Huckvale	Independent	810
Alice Andrew	Labour Party	242

Castle (3 seats)

*Leonard Smalley	Independent	829
*Frank Weetman	Independent	779
*Henry Watling	Independent	690
Thomas Ingram	Labour Party	236

Park Hill (3 seats)

Thomas Jackson	Independent	929
*Miles Smallwood	Independent	747
*Hubert Howe	Conservative Party	702
Harold Gloster	Labour Party	394
Carl Ashford	Labour Party	263

*denotes retiring member

INDEPENDENTS RULE – LABOUR HAVE BAD DAY

It was an easy victory for the ‘Independents’ with all their eleven candidates being returned. But for the Labour party it was a bad day, all six of their candidates failed get anywhere near being elected.

Before the poll, Hubert Howe, who was elected as an Independent in 1946, said in his election address that he was going to stand as a Conservative this time around. He added that as he was the Chairman of the Kenilworth Conservative Men’s Association, and if I stood as anything but a Conservative I would be letting down not only my friends in the local association but the Conservative cause as a whole. The question of politics even at a local level, cannot be ruled out entirely. The present government are gradually removing many powers of local authorities. This can see seen in the nationalisation of electricity, gas, transport, hospitals and probably water as well. Mr Howe’s statement did not effect his re-election in any way, he was easily returned in the Park Hill Ward. But he was the only official tory on the KUDC.

KUDC Councillors

11 Independents (W. Griffiths, F. Whitehouse, A. Jeacock, W. Bostock, E. Smith, A. Huckvale, L. Smalley, F. Weetman, H. Watling, T. Jackson, M. Smallwood)

1 Conservative (H. Howe)

Chairman 1949-52

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