 Gurden served as a councillor on Birmingham City Council from 1946 to 1956, representing the ward of Selly Oak.He was Member of Parliament for Birmingham Selly Oak from May 1955 to October 1974, when he lost the seat to Labour's Thomas Litterick.Gurden was a strong proponent of the right to buy and a key figure in the campaign to compel local authorities to sell their council homes.