1949 – 9th May – KUDC Triennial Election

Abbey (3 seats)

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

Borrowell (3 seats)

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

Castle (3 seats)

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

Park Hill (3 seats)

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

*denotes retiring councillor

INDEPENDENTS RULE – LABOUR HAVE BAD DAY

It was an easy victory for the ‘Independents’ with all their eleven candidates being returned. The Labour party, however, had 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. 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 be 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, as he was easily returned in Park Hill. But he was the only official tory on the KUDC.

KUDC Councillors

11 Independents (Griffiths, Whitehouse, Jeacock, Bostock, Smith, Huckvale, Smalley, Weetman, Watling, Jackson, Smallwood)

1 Conservative (Howe)

Chairman

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