1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election
  1987 5 May 1988 (1988-05-05) 1990  

18 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Con
Lab
SDP
LeaderBob FlatmanJudi BillingTony Quinn
Party Conservative Labour SDP
Seats before26134
Seats after27134
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Steady2.svgSteady2.svg

 Fourth partyFifth party
 
SLD
RA
Party SLD Ratepayers
Seats before43
Seats after33
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Steady2.svg

Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

The 1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 5 May 1988, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. There were 18 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council plus a by-election in Codicote ward. [1]

Contents

The Conservatives made a net gain of one seat to increase their majority on the council. The former SDP–Liberal Alliance group of eight councillors had fragmented ahead of the election; four joined the new merged party of the Social and Liberal Democrats (renamed the Liberal Democrats the following year), but the other four (including former Alliance group leader, Tony Quinn) joined the breakaway continuing Social Democratic Party opposed to the merger. [2]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows: [3]

1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election
PartyThis electionFull councilThis election
SeatsNetSeats %OtherTotalTotal %VotesVotes %+/−
  Conservative 12Increase2.svg166.7152754.014,56941.1+1.6
  Labour 5Steady2.svg27.881326.011,41232.2+7.8
  SLD 0Decrease2.svg10.0336.06,09417.2-14.5
  SDP 0Steady2.svg0.0448.01,3633.8new
  Ratepayers 1Steady2.svg5.6236.01,8695.3+1.2
  Green 0Steady2.svg0.0000.01380.40.0

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election. [3]

Ashbrook ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Tatham* 667 64.6 +9.2
Labour Keith Brydon25324.5-2.7
SLD Jonathan Heath11310.9-6.5
Turnout 50.0
Registered electors 2,046
Conservative hold Swing +6.0
Baldock ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Bernard Crow 1,595 50.7 +4.0
Labour Alan Moir*1,32742.2+15.1
SLD Sara Tustin2217.0-19.1
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 6,703
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -5.6
Cadwell ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Lee 538 55.1 +17.4
Labour Charles MacNally
(Charlie MacNally)
32733.5+6.5
SLD Richard Canning889.0-26.3
SDP Bernadette Hatch
(Bernie Hatch)
242.5+2.5
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 1,801
Conservative hold Swing +5.5
Codicote ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Ian Smith 769 75.9 +32.4
Labour Peter Read24424.1-0.1
Conservative hold Swing +16.3

The by-election in Codicote ward was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Denis Winch.

Hitchin Bearton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Judi Billing* 1,174 54.1 +14.1
Conservative Norman Frost62428.7-8.4
SLD Penelope Cunningham
(Penny Cunningham)
1717.9-15.0
Ratepayers John Edwards1356.2+6.2
Green Christopher Studman683.1+3.1
Turnout 48.0
Registered electors 4,500
Labour hold Swing +11.3
Hitchin Highbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Phillip MacCormack* 1,092 46.2 -3.1
SLD Rosemary Read47119.9-21.2
Labour David Tizzard35915.2+5.5
SDP Carolyn Randall29412.4+12.4
Ratepayers Jacqueline Tait1506.3+6.3
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 5,154
Conservative hold Swing +9.1
Hitchin Oughton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joan Kirby 1,022 70.5 +19.5
SLD Michael John Edwards42729.5+5.7
Turnout 35.0
Registered electors 4,225
Labour hold Swing +6.9
Hitchin Priory ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Francis Howett*
(Frank Howett)
832 65.8 +8.7
SLD Jennifer Sefton
(Jenny Sefton)
26521.0-6.8
Labour Roger Wood16713.2-2.0
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 2,737
Conservative hold Swing +7.8
Hitchin Walsworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Ratepayers Christopher Parker* 1,584 62.0 +13.8
Labour Roger Newby68826.9+6.0
SLD Paul Clark2138.3-5.0
Green Elizabeth Ann Roberts702.7+1.1
Turnout 42.0
Registered electors 6,096
Ratepayers hold Swing +3.9
Knebworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Margaret Hilton* 917 62.4 +4.8
SLD Michael Stiff
(Mike Stiff)
28619.5-6.4
Labour Jack Nelson26618.1+1.6
Turnout 43.0
Registered electors 3,416
Conservative hold Swing +5.6
Letchworth East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Lorna Kercher 1,077 53.2 +11.7
Conservative David Langridge60730.0+4.1
SLD Keith Marr34016.8-15.7
Turnout 48.0
Registered electors 4,199
Labour hold Swing +3.8
Letchworth Grange ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Kearns* 1,302 42.6 +8.6
Conservative Michael Muir86128.2+1.1
SLD Alison Kingman72923.9-12.6
SDP Sue Sinclair1645.4+5.4
Turnout 58.0
Registered electors 5,215
Labour hold Swing +3.8
Letchworth South East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Pauline Wood 1,158 39.1 +5.8
Labour David Evans81227.4+8.2
SDP James Bray70723.9+23.9
SLD Harry Shipley2879.7-37.9
Turnout 49.0
Registered electors 6,004
Conservative hold Swing -1.2
Letchworth South West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Geoffrey Woods*
(Geoff Woods)
1,203 48.3 -3.7
SLD Ian Simpson69728.0-10.0
Labour Tony McWalter 41816.8+6.7
SDP Robert Ashton1747.0+7.0
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 4,642
Conservative hold Swing +3.2
Letchworth Wilbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Peter Mardell 1,010 46.1 +8.1
Conservative Ray Bloxham*94142.9-0.2
SLD Derek Hunter24211.0-7.9
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 4,036
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +4.2
Royston East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Francis John Smith* 1,146 58.3 +6.1
SLD Jennifer Comley49325.1-9.3
Labour Christopher Hills32816.7+3.2
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 4,170
Conservative hold Swing +7.7
Royston West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Mark Hughes 1,216 46.8 -1.7
SLD Gwyn Hardwicke85532.9-2.2
Labour Robin King52520.2+3.9
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 5,652
Conservative gain from SLD Swing +0.3
Weston ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Evans* 403 56.6 -4.3
SLD Stephen Jarvis19627.5+4.6
Labour Rodney Leete11315.9-0.3
Turnout 57.0
Registered electors 1,248
Conservative hold Swing -4.5

Changes 1988–1990

Royston West ward by-election, 27 October 1988
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Timothy Doyle
(Tim Doyle)
801 46.6 -0.2
SLD Jenny Comley45526.5-6.5
Labour Robin King36321.1+0.9
SDP Michael Harrison1005.8+5.8
Turnout 1000.0
Registered electors
Conservative gain from SLD Swing +3.2

The Royston West by-election was triggered by the resignation of Social and Liberal Democrat councillor Fran Bate. Tim Doyle won the seat for the Conservatives. [4]

Hitchin Priory ward by-election, 22 February 1990
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Thake
Liberal Democrats Stephen Harbron
Labour David Billing
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing

The Hitchin Priory by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Frank Howett. The seat was retained for the Conservatives by Richard Thake. The number of votes was not reported, but it was said that the Conservative vote was down 20% from the last time the seat was contested and the Liberal Democrat share of the vote was 33%. [5] [6]

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The 1986 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 8 May 1986, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. There were 16 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.

The 1987 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 1987, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. There were 17 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.

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The 1992 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 1992, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. There were 17 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.

References

  1. The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. "Increased majority for happy Tories". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen. 11 May 1988. p. 11.
  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. "Tories make it a double". Cambridge Daily News. 31 October 1988. p. 7. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  5. "Councillor Richard Thake". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  6. "Worst Tory result". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. 2 March 1990. p. 5.