Glasgow Corporation election, 1896

Elections to the Corporation of the City of Glasgow were held on Tuesday 3 November 1896, alongside municipal elections across Scotland, and the wider British local elections.^[1]

The usual process was for one third of the councillors to be re-elected annually, however Glasgow had seen boundary extensions and had transformed from a Town Council to a City Corporation, and as such the election saw all councillors from all 25 wards seeking re-election simultaneously. This was the first time since 3 November 1846 that all of Glasgow's councillors had been up for re-election simultaneously. The 1846 re-election had occurred as a result of the towns of Calton, Anderston, and the Gorbals being subsumed into Glasgow.^[1]

Contests took place in 24 of the cities 23 wards, with only the wards of Kingston and Sandyford going uncontested.^[1]

The election saw a group of social and civic reformers known as the Progressive Union emerge as the largest group on the council. The Progressive's had been inspired by the London-based Progressive Party, although Glasgow's Progressive platform had a more evangelical religious focus, combined with a belief in temperance, and good municipal governance.^[2][3]

Aggregate results

Wards

Samuel Chisholm, later Lord Provost, was re-elected for Woodside.

References