1986 Epping Forest District Council election

1986 Epping Forest District Council election

←  1984 8 May 1986 (1986-05-08) 1987  →
19 seats to Epping Forest District Council 30 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Conservative Labour Loughton Residents Last election 36 seats, 40.2% 12 seats, 27.6% 6 seats, 12.1% Seats before 36 12 6 Seats after 34 12 6 Seat change 2 Popular vote 11,228 7,963 2,906 Percentage 40.6% 28.8% 10.5% Swing 0.4% 1.2% 1.6%   Fourth party Fifth party   Party Alliance Independent Last election 2 seats, 14.7% 2 seats, 4.9% Seats before 2 2 Seats after 4 2 Seat change 2 Popular vote 5,340 109 Percentage 19.3% 0.3% Swing 4.6% 4.6%
Winner of each seat at the 1986 Epping Forest District Council election
Leader before election Conservative Leader after election Conservative

The 1986 Epping Forest District Council election took place on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex, England. 19 members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex were elected. The council remained under Conservative majority control.

Background

The 1984 Epping Forest District Council election was held on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex, England. The vote saw the Conservative Party retain overall control of the council, despite losing two seats to the SDP-Liberal Alliance, which doubled its representation and became an increasingly influential presence. The Loughton Residents Association continued its strong performance, holding key wards and maintaining its local influence. The election reflected a period of heightened political engagement locally, mirroring broader national trends, as voters reacted to both economic pressures and government controversies. Nationally, Britain was experiencing significant events, including the resignation of Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittan over the Westland affair, a postwar high in unemployment, and the first local elections following the abolition of the Greater London Council and metropolitan county councils. Industrial unrest was also prominent, exemplified by the ongoing Wapping dispute. Despite these challenges, the Conservatives managed to maintain control in Epping Forest, with the Liberals making incremental gains, highlighting the growing appeal of third-party alternatives during a turbulent political and economic period.

Summary

Source: ^[1]

1986 Epping Forest District Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Conservative	11	2	57.8	23	34	57.6	11,228	40.6	0.4
	Labour	3		15.7	9	12	20.3	7,963	28.8	1.2
	Loughton Residents	3		15.7	3	6	10.1	2,906	10.5	1.6
	Liberal	2	2	3.3	2	4	6.6	5,340	19.3	4.6
	Independent	0		0.0	2	2	3.3	109	0.3	4.6
	Ind. Conservative	0		0.0	1	1	1.6	N/A	N/A	N/A
	National Front	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	71	0.2	N/A

Results

Buckhurst Hill East

Buckhurst Hill East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance	M. Pettman	818	43.4	1.6
	Conservative	G. Smith*	730	38.7	1.3
	Labour	S. Goodwin	337	17.9	0.3
Majority			88	4.7	N/A
Turnout			1,885	49.4	11.5
Registered electors			3,815
	Alliance gain from Conservative		Swing

Buckhurst Hill West

Buckhurst Hill West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Braybrook	934	50.7	15.2
	Alliance	R. Eveling	715	38.8	15.6
	Labour	L. Timson	192	10.4
Majority			219	11.9	31.3
Turnout			1,841	38.9	6.7
Registered electors			4,733
	Conservative hold		Swing

Chigwell Row

Chigwell Row

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. McRoberts	381	49.4	13.0
	Alliance	G. West	295	38.2	8.0
	Labour	E. Robertson	96	12.4	5.0
Majority			86	11.1	21.0
Turnout			772	44.0	2.7
Registered electors			1,754
	Conservative hold		Swing

Chigwell Village

Chigwell Village

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	B. Gunby*	696	58.6	10.6
	Alliance	M. Austin	294	24.8	0.4
	Independent	A. Marshall	109	9.2	N/A
	Labour	P. Cook	88	7.4	1.0
Majority			402	33.9	10.9
Turnout			1,187	35.6	7.8
Registered electors			3,335
	Conservative hold		Swing

Debden Green

Debden Green

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Steele	1,106	65.9	2.3
	Conservative	M. O'Gorman	338	20.1	4.4
	Alliance	S. King	234	13.9	N/A
Majority			768	45.8	6.3
Turnout			1,678	41.5	4.6
Registered electors			4,043
	Labour hold		Swing

Epping Hemnall

Epping Hemnall

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Culling	798	45.1	1.5
	Labour	I. Standfast	486	27.5	1.4
	Alliance	J. Eves	485	27.4	9.3
Majority			312	17.6	0.1
Turnout			1,769	38.2	0.6
Registered electors			4,629
	Conservative hold		Swing

Epping Lindsey

Epping Lindsey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. O'Brien*	856	41.8	1.1
	Alliance	D. Gent	629	30.7	2.1
	Labour	D. Sturrock	562	27.5	2.6
Majority			227	11.1	3.3
Turnout			2,047	41.3	1.5
Registered electors			4,961
	Conservative hold		Swing

Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance	G. Hallett	918	51.4	0.8
	Conservative	M. Farnsworth	711	39.8	0.6
	Labour	J. Faiz	158	8.8	1.4
Majority			207	11.6	0.2
Turnout			1,787	37.5	6.8
Registered electors			4,762
	Alliance gain from Conservative		Swing

Loughton Broadway

Loughton Broadway

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Murray*	1,325	70.8	0.9
	Conservative	D. Cheatle	264	14.1	1.7
	Alliance	M. Barnett	212	11.3	3.9
	National Front	B. Wilkins	71	3.8	N/A
Majority			1,061	56.7	3.5
Turnout			1,872	43.8	8.1
Registered electors			4,274
	Labour hold		Swing

Loughton Forest

Loughton Forest

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	R. Gow*	814	60.3	6.3
	Conservative	E. Markham	436	32.3	5.3
	Labour	H. McSweeney	100	7.4	2.9
Majority			378	28.0	11.6
Turnout			1,350	45.7	2.8
Registered electors			2,953
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Loughton Roding

Loughton Roding

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ms A. Miller*	952	45.6	21.0
	Labour	A. Peacham	707	33.9	8.3
	Loughton Residents	A. Larner	259	12.4	12.1
	Alliance	Ms J. Lowe	170	8.1	0.6
Majority			245	11.7	1.9
Turnout			2,088	48.9	6.0
Registered electors			4,267
	Conservative hold		Swing

Loughton St. Johns

Loughton St. Johns

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	Ms D. Rhodes*	1,058	54.5	13.2
	Conservative	J. Phillips	654	33.7	12.0
	Labour	Ms J. Ormston	231	11.9	2.9
Majority			404	20.8	10.8
Turnout			1,943	45.7	0.1
Registered electors			4,253
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Loughton St. Mary’s

Loughton St. Mary’s

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	S. Webb*	775	56.3	4.5
	Conservative	D. James	417	30.3	4.0
	Labour	Ms M. Guy	184	13.4	5.0
Majority			358	26.0	8.5
Turnout			1,376	41.6	0.8
Registered electors			3,308
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Nazeing

Nazeing

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Welch*	N/A	N/A	N/A
Majority			N/A	N/A	N/A
Turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			3,683
	Conservative hold		Swing

North Weald Bassett

North Weald Bassett

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Hudspeth	N/A	N/A	N/A
Majority			N/A	N/A	N/A
Turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			4,446
	Conservative hold		Swing

Theydon Bois

Theydon Bois

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Wainwright*	875	63.9	6.6
	Alliance	D. Weldon	350	25.6	5.1
	Labour	J. Davy	144	10.5	1.5
Majority			525	38.3	11.7
Turnout			1,369	41.3	7.3
Registered electors			3,315
	Conservative hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey East

Waltham Abbey East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. O'Reilly*	999	50.4	2.4
	Labour	I. Bell	765	38.6	8.6
	Alliance	M. Callaghan	220	11.1	N/A
Majority			234	11.8	6.2
Turnout			1,984	40.6	8.5
Registered electors			4,882
	Conservative hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Riley*	824	65.5	6.6
	Conservative	A. Brock	434	34.5	6.6
Majority			390	31.0	13.2
Turnout			1,258	35.6	1.8
Registered electors			3,537
	Labour hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey West

Waltham Abbey West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Jailler*	753	53.4	4.2
	Labour	F. Harewood	658	46.6	9.9
Majority			95	6.7	5.8
Turnout			1,411	37.9	2.5
Registered electors			3,724
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

1. Colin Rallings; Michael Thrasher (2013). "Epping Forest District Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). The elections centre. Plymouth University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-02-02.