1979 Luton Borough Council election

1979 Luton Borough Council election
3 May 1979
All 48 seats to Luton Borough Council; 25 seats needed for a majority
Control before election; ; Conservative	Control after election ; ; Conservative

The 1979 Luton Borough Council election took place on 3 May 1979 to elect members of Luton Borough Council in Bedfordshire, England.^[1] This was on the same day as the 1979 general election and other local elections.

Summary

Election result

1979 Luton Borough Council election^[2]
Party		Candidates	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative	48	32	0	5	5	66.7	44.2	108,693	–2.3
	Labour	48	16	6	0	6	33.3	39.1	96,170	+5.3
	Liberal	48	0	0	1	1	0.0	16.3	40,200	–2.3
	National Front	6	0	0	0		0.0	0.3	816	+0.1
	Independent	1	0	0	0		0.0	<0.1	105	–0.7

Ward results

Incumbent councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Changes in seats do not take into account by-elections or defections.

Biscot

Biscot (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Sedgemore	2,377	45.7	+19.0
	Labour	S. Gonshor	2,347	45.2	+19.4
	Labour	W. McKenzie	2,215	42.6	+19.8
	Conservative	G. Hickinbottom*	1,950	37.5	–16.8
	Conservative	K. Woodbridge*	1,850	35.6	–15.3
	Conservative	M. Langlois*	1,793	34.5	–14.1
	Liberal	L. Gresham	632	12.2	+1.5
	Liberal	A. Johnson	568	10.9	+0.3
	Liberal	B. Roe	426	8.2	–1.6
	Independent	J. Bardwaj	105	2.0	–2.6
Turnout			~5,198	73.8	+35.4
Registered electors			7,043
	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative

Bramingham

Bramingham (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Glenister*	1,618	46.9	–4.9
	Conservative	F. Lester*	1,529	44.3	–6.4
	Conservative	L. Pane*	1,499	43.4	–5.6
	Labour	M. Carr	1,337	38.7	+17.5
	Labour	H. Brown	1,307	37.9	+18.1
	Labour	C. Neufville	1,209	35.0	+15.3
	Liberal	H. Balfour	431	12.5	–8.1
	Liberal	E. Jenner	377	10.9	–7.2
	Liberal	A. Doris	375	10.9	–6.5
Turnout			~3,452	75.8	+25.3
Registered electors			4,554
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Challney

Challney (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Boote*	3,130	50.2	–2.0
	Conservative	B. Dodd*	3,029	48.6	–3.4
	Conservative	M. McCarroll*	2,977	47.8	–2.1
	Labour	G. Carr	2,177	34.9	+9.1
	Labour	V. Kennedy	2,163	34.7	+10.1
	Labour	W. Lawrence	2,052	32.9	+9.1
	Liberal	E. Cooke	760	12.2	+0.3
	Liberal	S. Smith	659	10.6	+1.1
	Liberal	B. Thanki	529	8.5	–0.8
Turnout			~6,230	77.6	+38.2
Registered electors			8,028
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Crawley

Crawley (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	K. Connolly*	2,366	41.2	–0.5
	Conservative	J. Lucas*	2,329	40.5	–0.2
	Conservative	R. Dean*	2,258	39.3	–1.2
	Labour	C. Jephson	2,176	37.9	+6.7
	Labour	J. Adams	2,171	37.8	+7.1
	Labour	E. Hunt	1,982	34.5	+4.3
	Liberal	R. Brown	949	16.5	–3.1
	Liberal	W. Cross	891	15.5	–1.3
	Liberal	P. Rose	829	14.4	–2.4
Turnout			~5,744	78.6	+32.3
Registered electors			7,308
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Dallow

Dallow (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Scanlan*	2,796	52.0	+10.5
	Labour	D. Fuller*	2,744	51.1	+10.6
	Labour	W. Pratt	2,619	48.7	+10.1
	Conservative	R. Dudley*	1,665	31.0	–8.8
	Conservative	P. Burrett	1,641	30.5	–4.4
	Conservative	R. Samuels	1,523	28.3	–5.2
	Liberal	J. Stephens	542	10.1	–1.4
	Liberal	S. Stephens	515	9.6	–0.6
	Liberal	C. Stott	440	8.2	–1.3
	National Front	D. Ellames	194	3.6	N/A
	National Front	D. Williams	114	2.1	N/A
	National Front	G. Williams	94	1.7	N/A
Turnout			~5,374	73.6	+36.8
Registered electors			7,301
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour gain from Conservative

Farley

Farley (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Jenkins*	2,754	52.1	–3.2
	Labour	T. Kenneally*	2,722	51.5	–2.2
	Labour	R. Jeffries	2,640	50.0	–0.9
	Conservative	S. Hills	1,537	29.1	+2.1
	Conservative	A. Flint	1,509	28.6	+4.3
	Conservative	L. Scott	1,441	27.3	+3.9
	Liberal	S. Boutwood	634	12.0	+3.2
	Liberal	V. Perryman	590	11.2	+3.7
	Liberal	J. Weber	534	10.1	+3.2
	National Front	J. Hennem	145	2.7	–4.8
	National Front	D. Brennan	136	2.6	N/A
	National Front	D. Hennem	133	2.5	N/A
Turnout			~5,285	73.4	+35.3
Registered electors			7,200
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

High Town

High Town (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Flint*	2,185	44.0	+0.8
	Conservative	C. Everard*	2,161	43.5	+0.5
	Conservative	M. Hunter*	2,073	41.7	+1.3
	Labour	H. Heather	1,762	35.5	+4.8
	Labour	I. Jamieson	1,580	31.8	+2.0
	Labour	S. Debgupta	1,431	28.8	+3.1
	Liberal	J. Fensome	971	19.5	–5.1
	Liberal	C. Fensome	859	17.3	–1.6
	Liberal	F. Shillingford	609	12.3	–5.4
Turnout			~4,969	73.3	+33.1
Registered electors			6,779
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Icknield

Icknield (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Cartwright*	3,947	67.0	–5.6
	Conservative	B. Dunington*	3,923	66.6	–4.1
	Conservative	D. Johnston*	3,785	64.2	–4.2
	Labour	W. Nixon	1,172	19.9	+2.4
	Labour	J. Thorpe	1,164	19.8	+2.3
	Labour	D. Wood	1,103	18.7	+3.3
	Liberal	B. Mitchell	618	10.5	+1.2
	Liberal	J. Mitchell	565	9.6	+1.9
	Liberal	J. Roe	526	8.9	+3.5
Turnout			~5,892	83.0	+34.8
Registered electors			7,099
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Leagrave

Leagrave (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Garrett*	2,608	44.6	+4.6
	Conservative	J. Goldsmith*	2,413	41.3	+3.5
	Labour	J. Hamill	2,376	40.6	+8.3
	Conservative	P. Locke*	2,337	40.0	+3.3
	Labour	M. Payne	2,317	39.6	+9.5
	Labour	M. Stewart	2,261	38.7	+10.4
	Liberal	C. Mead	751	12.8	–13.7
	Liberal	M. Paul	691	11.8	–11.0
	Liberal	G. Thanki	480	8.2	–14.0
Turnout			~5,858	75.9	+31.1
Registered electors			7,705
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Labour gain from Conservative

Lewsey

Lewsey (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Kennedy*	2,845	50.4	–0.1
	Labour	R. Lucas	2,579	45.7	–1.6
	Labour	E. Lurkings	2,437	43.2	–2.3
	Conservative	M. Boutwood	1,940	34.4	+5.1
	Conservative	P. Edwards	1,913	33.9	+4.7
	Conservative	C. Priede	1,787	31.7	+2.6
	Liberal	D. Degrout	623	11.0	–2.8
	Liberal	D. Larkman	620	11.0	–2.7
	Liberal	P. Larkman	604	10.7	–1.1
Turnout			~5,644	74.2	+42.1
Registered electors			7,606
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Limbury

Limbury (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Quinn	2,658	45.8	–0.9
	Conservative	G. Payne*	2,620	45.1	+0.5
	Conservative	M. Taylor	2,559	44.1	–0.1
	Labour	J. Bailey	2,228	38.4	–1.2
	Labour	R. Sills	2,078	35.8	–3.2
	Labour	B. Woolner	2,036	35.1	–0.9
	Liberal	M. Dolling	889	15.3	+6.2
	Liberal	A. Farrow	700	12.1	+3.5
	Liberal	J. Blindell	672	11.6	+3.0
Turnout			~5,805	79.9	+35.4
Registered electors			7,265
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Putteridge

Putteridge (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Chantler	2,378	36.6	–2.3
	Conservative	S. Webster*	2,332	35.9	–1.7
	Conservative	D. Curd*	2,247	34.6	–2.9
	Liberal	R. Davies	2,233	34.4	+8.2
	Liberal	D. Clooney	1,996	30.7	+5.9
	Liberal	D. Woodroffe	1,935	29.8	+5.2
	Labour	J. Jenkins	1,791	27.6	–2.0
	Labour	K. Bruckdorfer	1,730	26.6	–2.7
	Labour	J. Thakoordin	1,521	23.4	–3.9
Turnout			~6,493	83.4	+33.1
Registered electors			7,785
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Saints

Saints (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Copeland*	2,908	50.5	+1.2
	Conservative	T. Cunningham	2,797	48.5	+1.1
	Conservative	P. Wolsey*	2,726	47.3	+2.4
	Labour	K. Hopkins	1,945	33.7	+12.2
	Labour	P. Broadhead	1,924	33.4	+12.1
	Labour	R. Shannon	1,906	33.1	+12.4
	Liberal	M. Robinson	706	12.2	–9.4
	Liberal	L. Cooke	700	12.1	–8.1
	Liberal	D. Stott	581	10.1	–8.0
Turnout			~5,764	77.9	+30.5
Registered electors			7,399
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

South

South (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Benson*	2,431	47.3	–1.1
	Conservative	A. Bush	2,375	46.3	+0.7
	Conservative	D. Boustred	2,361	46.0	+0.9
	Labour	K. Cowan	1,794	34.9	+2.3
	Labour	R. Macey	1,764	34.4	+3.0
	Labour	M. Taylor	1,735	33.8	+8.9
	Liberal	P. Chapman	735	14.3	+1.7
	Liberal	H. Johnson	631	12.3	–0.2
	Liberal	B. Legg	618	12.0	+0.9
Turnout			~5,134	68.9	+32.9
Registered electors			7,452
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Stopsley

Stopsley (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Dillingham*	2,353	42.0	–3.5
	Conservative	G. Davies*	2,308	41.2	–2.0
	Conservative	A. Lucas*	2,195	39.1	–3.1
	Labour	D. Grayson	1,578	28.1	+3.1
	Labour	J. Courty	1,508	26.9	+2.0
	Labour	D. Mulligan	1,436	25.6	+0.8
	Liberal	E. Davies	1,419	25.3	–0.7
	Liberal	M. McNally	1,231	22.0	±0.0
	Liberal	H. Roe	1,198	21.4	–0.5
Turnout			~5,607	79.9	+30.8
Registered electors			7,018
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Sundon Park

Sundon Park (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Cooney	2,205	37.1	–1.8
	Labour	E. Haldane*	2,139	36.0	+0.6
	Labour	R. Robertson	2,037	34.3	+3.7
	Liberal	C. Hinkley*	1,969	33.2	–3.8
	Liberal	D. Hinkley	1,940	32.7	–2.1
	Conservative	A. Banville	1,680	28.3	+3.9
	Conservative	E. Leather	1,601	27.0	+4.5
	Liberal	J. James	1,593	26.8	–6.5
	Conservative	S. Tucker	1,448	24.4	+4.5
Turnout			~5,936	77.4	+32.5
Registered electors			7,669
	Labour hold
	Labour hold
	Labour gain from Liberal

References

^ "Luton Borough Council Election Results 1973-1995" (PDF). Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
^ "Composition calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 2 January 2026.

[1] "Luton Borough Council Election Results 1973-1995" (PDF). Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 2 January 2026.

[2] "Composition calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 2 January 2026.

[1]

[2]

Council elections in Bedfordshire
Bedford Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2009 2011 2015 2019 2023
Central Bedfordshire Council	2009 2011 2015 2019 2023
Luton Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1996 1998 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Bedfordshire County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 Abolished
Mid Bedfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 Abolished
South Bedfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

(1978 ←) 1979 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1980)
Metropolitan boroughs	Barnsley Birmingham Bradford Bolton Bury Calderdale Coventry Doncaster Dudley Gateshead Kirklees Knowsley Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newcastle North Tyneside Oldham Rochdale Rotherham Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Solihull South Tyneside St Helens Stockport Sunderland Tameside Trafford Wakefield Walsall Wigan Wirral Wolverhampton
District councils (England)	Adur Allerdale Alnwick Amber Valley Arun Ashfield Ashford Aylesbury Vale Babergh Barrow-in-Furness Basildon Basingstoke and Deane Bassetlaw Bath Beaconsfield Berwick-upon-Tweed Beverley Blaby Blackburn Blackpool Blyth Valley Bolsover Boothferry Boston Bournemouth Bracknell Braintree Breckland Brentwood Bridgnorth Brighton Bristol Broadland Bromsgrove Broxbourne Broxtowe Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Canterbury Caradon Carlisle Carrick Castle Morpeth Castle Point Charnwood Chelmsford Cheltenham Cherwell Chester Chesterfield Chester-le-Street Chichester Chiltern Chorley Christchurch Cleethorpes Colchester Congleton Copeland Corby Cotswold Craven Crawley Crewe and Nantwich Dacorum Darlington Dartford Daventry Derby Derwentside Dover Durham Easington East Cambridgeshire East Devon East Hampshire East Hertfordshire East Lindsey East Northamptonshire East Staffordshire Eastbourne Eastleigh Eden Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Epping Forest Epsom and Ewell Erewash Exeter Fareham Fenland Forest Heath Forest of Dean Fylde Gedling Gillingham Glanford Gloucester Gosport Gravesham Great Yarmouth Grimsby Guildford Halton Hambleton Harborough Harlow Harrogate Hart Hartlepool Hastings Havant Hereford Hertsmere High Peak Hinckley and Bosworth Holderness Horsham Hove Huntingdon Hyndburn Ipswich Kennet Kerrier Kettering Kingston upon Hull Kingswood Lancaster Langbaurgh Leicester Leominster Lewes Lichfield Lincoln Luton Macclesfield Maidstone Maldon Malvern Hills Mansfield Medina Medway Melton Mendip Mid Bedfordshire Mid Devon Mid Suffolk Mid Sussex Middlesbrough Milton Keynes Mole Valley New Forest Newark Newbury Newcastle-under-Lyme North Bedfordshire North Cornwall North Devon North Dorset North East Derbyshire North Hertfordshire North Kesteven North Norfolk North Shropshire North Warwickshire North West Leicestershire North Wiltshire North Wolds Northampton Northavon Norwich Nottingham Nuneaton Oadby and Wigston Oswestry Oxford Pendle Penwith Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Preston Purbeck Reading Redditch Reigate and Banstead Restormel Ribble Valley Richmondshire Rochford Rossendale Rother Rugby Runnymede Rushcliffe Rushmoor Rutland Ryedale Salisbury Scarborough Scunthorpe Sedgefield Sedgemoor Selby Sevenoaks Shepway Shrewsbury and Atcham Slough South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire South Derbyshire South Hams South Herefordshire South Holland South Kesteven South Lakeland South Norfolk South Northamptonshire South Oxfordshire South Ribble South Shropshire South Staffordshire South Wight Southampton Southend-on-Sea Spelthorne St Albans St Edmundsbury Stafford Staffordshire Moorlands Stevenage Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Stratford-on-Avon Stroud Suffolk Coastal Surrey Heath Swale Tamworth Tandridge Taunton Deane Teesdale Teignbridge Tendring Test Valley Tewkesbury Thamesdown Thanet The Wrekin Three Rivers Thurrock Tonbridge and Malling Torbay Torridge Tunbridge Wells Tynedale Uttlesford Vale of White Horse Vale Royal Wansbeck Wansdyke Warrington Warwick Watford Waveney Waverley Wealden Wear Valley Wellingborough Welwyn Hatfield West Derbyshire West Devon West Dorset West Lancashire West Lindsey West Norfolk West Oxfordshire West Somerset West Wiltshire Weymouth and Portland Wimborne Winchester Windsor and Maidenhead Woking Wokingham Woodspring Worcester Worthing Wychavon Wycombe Wyre Wyre Forest Yeovil York
District councils (Wales)	Aberconwy Afan Alyn and Deeside Anglesey - Ynys Môn Arfon Blaenau Gwent Brecknock Cardiff Carmarthen Ceredigion Colwyn Cynon Valley Delyn Dinefwr Dwyfor Glyndŵr Islwyn Llanelli Lliw Valley Meirionnydd Merthyr Tydfil Monmouth Montgomery Neath Newport Ogwr Preseli Radnor Rhondda Rhuddlan Rhymney Valley South Pembrokeshire Swansea Taff-Ely Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham Maelor
Referendums	Scottish devolution Welsh devolution
See also: UK General election European Parliament election