An Election to the Edinburgh Corporation was held on 7 May 1968, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. Of the councils 69 seats, 22 were up for election. Despite receiving the most votes of any single party, the SNP won only 7 seats. Unlike in Glasgow, the Progressives and Conservatives did not run on a joint ticket.[1] Despite that however the parties only ran competing candidates in the Gorgie-Dalry ward.
Following the election Edinburgh Corporation was composed of 34 Progressives (including the Lord Provost), 21 Labour councillors, 8 SNP councillors, 3 Conservatives, 1 Liberal, and 1 independent. Following the election the Progressive/Conservative coalition controlled the council with a majority of 6.
No election was held in the Holyrood ward, where the sitting Labour councillor died the week before the election.
Turnout was 140,987.
Aggregate results Edinburgh Corporation election, 1968[2] Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/− Progressives 10 0 0 45.45 26.87 37,885 SNP 7 6 0 6 31.82 34.83 49,111 Labour 3 0 2 2 13.64 19.15 26,997 Conservative 1 1 0 1 4.55 9.72 13,715 Liberal 1 0 0 4.55 6.46 9,105 Communist 0 0 0 0 1.74 2,462 Ind. Conservative 0 0 0 0 1.21 1,712
Ward Results Location of Broughton ward Broughton Party Candidate Votes % Progressives A. Theurer 2,239 SNP C. MacDougall 2,042 Liberal E. W. Hall 819 Labour I. R. Hoy 744 Majority 197 Turnout 48.31 Progressives hold
Location of Calton ward Calton Party Candidate Votes % SNP W. Thomson 1,671 Progressives A. D. Wilson 1,637 Labour S. Cook 1,196 Majority 34 Turnout 43.22 SNP gain from Labour
Location of Central Leith ward Central Leith Party Candidate Votes % SNP F. T. Chalmers 1,898 Labour T. H. Greig 1,393 Progressives D. Valentine 706 Communist T. C. Taylor 86 Majority 505 Turnout 36.51 SNP gain from Labour
Location of Colinton ward Colinton Party Candidate Votes % Progressives D. M. Cameron 4,671 SNP A. Westwood 3,389 Labour R. D. M. Brown 1,450 Majority 1282 Turnout 48.71 Progressives hold
Location of Corstorphine ward Corstorphine Party Candidate Votes % Progressives F. Ford 3,689 SNP A. McCallum 2,982 Liberal Vera P. Heggie 1,795 Majority 707 Turnout 51.29 Progressives hold
Location of Craigentinny ward Location of Craigmillar ward Location of George Square ward George Square[2] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives W. Simpson-Bell 1,601 SNP T. C. Bogle 1,331 Liberal P.L. Newman 630 Majority 270 Turnout 36.59 Progressives hold
Location of Gorgie-Dalry ward Gorgie-Dalry Party Candidate Votes % SNP T. McCarron 2,088 Labour J. E. Boyack 1,591 Conservative M. Pirie 1,481 Progressives Miss Mar A. M. Hislop 511 Liberal R. T. Parker 140 Communist M. R. Currie 78 Majority 497 Turnout 44.02 SNP hold
Location of Liberton ward Location of Merchiston ward Location of Morningside ward Location of Murrayfield-Cramond ward Murrayfield-Cramond[2] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives J. W. McKay 5,400 SNP R. A. Macdonald 3,181 Labour C. T. Harvie 1,281 Majority 2,219 Turnout 9,862 50.55 Progressives hold
Location of Newington ward Newington[2] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives E. M. Kean 3,761 SNP G. W. Telford 2,745 Labour J. C. Campbell 985 Liberal J. Grahamslaw 909 Majority 1016 Turnout 53.37 Progressives hold
Location of Pilton ward Location of Portobello ward Portobello[2] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives A. W. Hunt 2,873 SNP R. G. Kelly 2,687 Labour D. H. Brown 869 Liberal G. H. T. Harvie 593 Majority 186 Turnout 51.74 Progressives hold
Location of Sighthill ward Location of South Leith South Leith[2] Party Candidate Votes % SNP Mary G. Thompson 2,320 Progressives L. Scott 1,922 Labour W. S. Dalgleish 1,708 Majority 398 Turnout 47.01 Progressives gain from Labour
Location of St Andrews ward Location of St Bernards ward St. Bernard's[2] Party Candidate Votes % Progressives Winifred E. Donaldson 3,436 SNP W. K. Archibald 2,321 Liberal Joyce Shein 883 Ind. Conservative Elva G. Speyer 567 Majority 1,115 Turnout 42.78 Progressives hold
Location of St Giles ward Location of West Leith ward West Leith Party Candidate Votes % Progressives J. Scott 2,925 71.87 Ind. Conservative A. H. Lester 1,145 28.13 Majority 1780 43.74 Turnout 4070 36.90 Progressives hold
References ^ "We're all nationalists now" . The Spectator Archive . 17 May 1968. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Results in the Municipal Elections". The Glasgow Herald . 8 May 1968. p. 12.