1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election

Last updated

1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election
7 June 1973 (1973-06-07) 1976  

All 48 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
25 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Con
Lab
Ind
LeaderBob FlatmanJohn Goldsmith
Party Conservative Labour Independent
Seats after23177

 Fourth party
 
RA
Party Ratepayers
Seats after1

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative
No overall control

The 1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 June 1973. It was the first election to North Hertfordshire District Council, and was held at the same time as other local elections across England for the new non-metropolitan district councils that were created under the Local Government Act 1972. The elected councillors initially formed a shadow authority to oversee the transition to the new system, operating alongside the five outgoing district councils until 1 April 1974 when the new district formally came into being. [1]

Contents

The election saw the Conservatives form the largest party on the council, albeit falling a couple of seats short of having a majority, leaving the council under no overall control. The Conservatives formed a minority administration, with their group leader, Bob Flatman, becoming the first leader of the council. [2]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows: [3]

North Hertfordshire District Council Election, 1973
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 2347.942.714,958
  Labour 1735.432.811,492
  Independent 714.619.66,862
  Ratepayers 12.13.11,099
  Liberal 00.01.8616

Ward results

The new district was divided into 18 numbered wards, electing between one and four councillors each to give a total of 48 councillors: [4]

The results for each ward were as follows: [3] [5] [6] [7]

Ward 1: Baldock
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Nora M. Burgess 1,212 40.4
Labour George A. York 813 27.1
Conservative John Barton 769 25.6
Labour Stanley Watson687
Labour Roger McFall639
Conservative Richard E. Harrison605
Liberal John C. Whelan2076.9
Turnout 62.7
Registered electors 4,785
Independent win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 2: Hitchin Oughton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Audrey Carss 683 52.8
Labour James Reilly
(Jim Reilly)
666
Labour Charles Rowe
(Jim Rowe)
624
Conservative John Parfitt33826.1
Independent Tony Elliott27221.0
Turnout 27.1
Registered electors 4,094
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 3: Hitchin Bearton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Ballantyne 949 57.0
Conservative Dorothy Jenkinson 917
Labour Andrew McQuillan71643.0
Labour John Seabrook705
Turnout 46.2
Registered electors 3,682
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 4: Hitchin Priory
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Stanley Flatman
(Bob Flatman)
1,013 59.6
Conservative Keith Crook 989
Conservative Derek Doel 960
Liberal Bill Williams40924.0
Labour Derek Massey27916.4
Labour Jean Gentle267
Labour Athelstan Herbert253
Turnout 33.7
Registered electors 4,469
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 5: Hitchin Walsworth
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Goldsmith 880 36.7
Labour Peter Clarke 833
Ratepayers Ken Logan 769 32.1
Conservative David Ingram75031.3
Ratepayers Ted Morton720
Labour Crystal Toleman708
Turnout 46.3
Registered electors 4,023
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ratepayers win (new seat)
Ward 6: Hitchin Highbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Beryl Wearmouth 1,152 53.3
Conservative Les Ford 988
Conservative Michael Hillman 891
Independent Don Bache74834.6
Independent Ron Hartless447
Independent George Jackson387
Labour Walter Patrick Guymer26112.1
Labour David Wilson230
Labour Doris Reilly223
Independent Peter Hull159
Turnout 45.7
Registered electors 4,211
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 7: Letchworth Norton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Miller
(Bill Miller)
1,513 62.9
Labour Christopher D. Stockwell
(Chris Stockwell)
1,396
Labour Gerard Devlin
(Gerry Devlin)
1,384
Labour Edith Badstevener 1,309
Conservative James McGinlay89437.1
Conservative Brian J. Down866
Turnout 37.0
Registered electors 6,285
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 8: Letchworth Pixmore
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David A. Griffiths 1,178 75.3
Labour Reginald S. Hall
(Reg Hall)
1,163
Labour Ernest M. Brown
(Ernie Brown)
1,149
Conservative William Charles Bifield
(Charles Bifield)
38724.7
Turnout 32.9
Registered electors 5,057
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 9: Letchworth Wilbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Gallard 1,144 59.5
Labour Mary B. Briercliffe
(Mamie Briercliffe)
1,107
Labour Ian Mantle 1,102
Conservative John Cole77940.5
Conservative Barry C. Jackson755
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 4,243
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 10: Letchworth Westbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Clifford J. Marshall
(Cliff Marshall)
832 54.5
Conservative John G. McKenna 782
Labour Donald Kitchiner
(Don Kitchiner)
69645.5
Labour Edna Patricia Watson-Blake
(Pat Watson-Blake)
679
Turnout 62.2
Registered electors 2,519
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 11: Letchworth Central and Willian
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Saunders
(Bob Saunders)
962 59.9
Conservative Margaret Gavin Jones 941
Independent Douglas C. Squirrell41726.0
Labour Florence Wiggs22614.1
Labour Leslie Pulham
(Les Pulham)
165
Turnout 40.7
Registered electors 3,574
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 12: Royston
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent George William Stevens 1,559 42.7
Independent Patricia Alison Rule 1,544
Conservative Francis John Smith
(John Smith)
1,336 36.6
Independent Philip Leslie Gray 1,298
Conservative Christopher McMichael852
Labour Robert Douglas Beckwith76020.8
Labour Brian William Cavanagh673
Labour Alan Evans666
Labour Anthony Clive Pettit600
Turnout 58.2
Registered electors 6,279
Independent win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)
Ward 13: Ashwell, Bygrave, Caldecote, Clothall, Graveley, Hinxworth, Newnham, Radwell and Weston
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Eric James Gurney 971 51.5
Conservative Peter Robert Evans 649 34.4
Conservative Nellie Laura Thompson642
Labour William Watson26614.1
Labour Willie Page243
Turnout 67.4
Registered electors 2,800
Independent win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 14: Barkway, Barley, Kelshall, Nuthampstead, Reed, Rushden, Sandon, Therfield and Wallington
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Esther Mary Brookes 710 55.5
Conservative Ian Smith Rose 558
Independent John Joseph Crumpholt41432.4
Labour Pamela Marjorie Toorchen15512.1
Labour Brian Douglas Miller118
Turnout 55.5
Registered electors 2,304
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 15: Ippollitts, Kimpton, Langley, Preston, St Paul's Walden and Wymondley
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ivan Wren 1,457 77.5
Conservative Margaret Jane McMurtrie
(Jane McMurtrie)
1,383
Conservative John Raffell 1,312
Labour David Kendall42222.5
Labour Christina Evans405
Labour Philip Leslie Dicks348
Turnout 42.6
Registered electors 4,547
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 16: Codicote
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Denis Winch 614 71.8
Labour Anthony Gentle24128.2
Turnout 43.2
Registered electors 1,986
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 17: Knebworth
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gordon Dumelow 659 40.1
Conservative Alfred Grosse 555
Labour Martin Lisles35521.6
Ratepayers Dennis Bols33020.1
Independent Ernest Grosse29818.1
Turnout 46.5
Registered electors 2,675
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 18: Hexton, Holwell, Ickleford, King's Walden, Lilley, Offley and Pirton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Ron Lodge 971 37.6
Labour Gilbert Kendall 904 35.0
Independent David Stedman 894
Independent James Holden847
Labour Ronald Hawkes
(Ron Hawkes)
770
Labour Raymond Cousins
(Ray Cousins)
742
Conservative Howard Swann70827.4
Conservative Arthur Baines679
Conservative Ian Little638
Turnout 52.7
Registered electors 4,736
Independent win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)

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References

  1. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 19 March 2023
  2. "Tories take North Herts". The Comet. Hitchin. 14 June 1973. p. 2.
  3. 1 2 Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. The County of Hertfordshire (District Wards) Order 1973
  5. "The district council polling figures in detail". Cambridge Daily News. 9 June 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  6. "How they voted in the rest of the region". Cambridge Daily News. 8 June 1973. p. 23. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  7. "Election round-up". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 14 June 1973. pp. 8–9.