1990 Epping Forest District Council election

Last updated
1990 Epping Forest District Council election
Flag of Essex.svg
 19883 May 1990 (1990-05-03) 1991  

19 out of 59 seats to Epping Forest District Council
30 seats needed for a majority
Turnout50.2%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  No image wide.svg No image wide.svg No image wide.svg
Party Conservative Labour Loughton Residents
Last election38 seats8 seats7 seats
Seats before3887
Seats after37107
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Increase2.svg2Steady2.svg
Popular vote14,41011,4192,427
Percentage39.4%31.3%6.6%

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  No image wide.svg No image wide.svg No image wide.svg
Party Liberal Democrats Ratepayers SDP
Last election2 seats1 seat1 seat
Seats before211
Seats after111
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote4,3252,1911,296
Percentage11.8%6.0%3.5%

1990 Epping Forest District Council local election results map (revised).png
Winner of each seat at the 1990 Epping Forest District Council election

Leader before election


Conservative

Leader after election


Conservative

The 1990 Epping Forest District Council election took place on 3 May 1990 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.

Contents

Background

As with other English local elections held that spring, the contest occurred against the backdrop of significant national political upheaval and controversy surrounding the introduction of the Community Charge, better known as the "poll tax". A number of council seats were up for re-election across the district, and while the Conservative Party retained overall control, Labour and the local Residents Association candidates made notable advances in several wards.

The election followed district boundary changes introduced by the Essex (District Boundaries) Order 1989, which transferred small parts of Epping Forest district—specifically sections of the parishes of Matching and North Weald Bassett—into neighbouring Harlow District. The overall number of council seats remained the same, but the changes altered the electoral map to tiny extents ahead of polling day.

Results were mixed at ward level. Labour recorded strong performances in areas in Loughton such as Broadway, Debden Green, and Waltham Abbey Paternoster, and Waltham Abbey West, often securing clear majorities. The Conservatives held firm in many rural and suburban wards such as Chigwell Row, Chigwell Village, Theydon Bois, and Nazeing. The Liberal Democrats (contesting as Social and Liberal Democrats, SLD) and remnants of the Social Democratic Party also polled respectably in some wards, though rarely enough to overtake the two main parties. Local Residents groups and independents also retained influence in Loughton wards.

Nationally, the elections were shaped by widespread discontent with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Government. The introduction of the poll tax in England and Wales on 1 April 1990 had triggered mass protests, including a violent demonstration in London on 31 March, and millions of people refused payment. Labour, under Neil Kinnock, was ahead in opinion polls, buoyed by Conservative divisions over Europe and by resentment at high interest rates, which reached 15% by early 1990. The period also saw by-election swings against the Conservatives, most notably the Mid Staffordshire by-election in March, which Labour won on a large swing.

By November 1990 Thatcher would be forced to resign, toppled by her own MPs after Michael Heseltine challenged her leadership. The 1990 local elections, including those in Epping Forest, reflected the shifting political mood of the time, with the Conservatives retaining control locally but on increasingly fragile foundations.

Summary

[1]

1990 Epping Forest District Council election
PartyThis electionFull councilThis election
SeatsNetSeats %OtherTotalTotal %VotesVotes %+/−
  Conservative 10Decrease2.svg152.63864.414,41039.5
  Labour 5Increase2.svg226.31016.911,41931.3
  Liberal Democrats 0Decrease2.svg10.011.64,32511.8
  Loughton Residents 2Steady2.svg10.5711.82,4276.6
  Ratepayers 1Steady2.svg5.211.62,1916.0
  SDP 1Steady2.svg5.211.61,2963.5
  BNP 0Steady2.svg0.000.03260.8
  Ind. Conservative N/AN/AN/A11.6N/AN/A

Results

Changes reflect the difference in the share of the vote or turnout from the last time this exact seat was up for election four years previously. This is owing to some seats having multiple representatives and the cyclical nature of the Epping Forest District Council elections.

Buckhurst Hill East

Buckhurst Hill East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SDP S. Robinson 1,012 44.2 Increase2.svg0.8
Conservative A. Torgut56124.5Decrease2.svg14.2
Liberal Democrats P. Spencer38917.0N/A
Labour B. Mooney33014.4Decrease2.svg3.5
Majority 45119.7Increase2.svg15.0
Turnout 2,29258.0Increase2.svg8.6
Registered electors 3,962
SDP hold Swing Increase2.svg7.5

Buckhurst Hill West

Buckhurst Hill West
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative R. Braybrook* 1,336 58.8 Increase2.svg8.1
Liberal Democrats Ms S. Anderson62427.5Decrease2.svg11.3
Labour R. Baddock31213.7Increase2.svg3.3
Majority 71231.3Increase2.svg19.4
Turnout 2,27247.2Increase2.svg8.3
Registered electors 4,840
Conservative hold Swing Increase2.svg9.7

Chigwell Row

Chigwell Row
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative R. Pratt 553 68.4 Increase2.svg19.0
Liberal Democrats Ms C. Bartrip25531.6Decrease2.svg6.6
Majority 29836.8Increase2.svg25.7
Turnout 80846.0Increase2.svg2.0
Registered electors 1,763
Conservative hold Swing Increase2.svg12.8

Chigwell Village

Chigwell Village
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J. Murphy 1,031 72.8 Increase2.svg14.2
Liberal Democrats Ms J. Netherclift38627.2Increase2.svg2.4
Majority 64545.5Increase2.svg11.6
Turnout 1,41744.0Increase2.svg8.4
Registered electors 3,273
Conservative hold Swing Increase2.svg5.9

Debden Green

Debden Green
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ms J. Ormston 1,325 71.2 Increase2.svg5.3
Conservative L. Daniel43923.6Increase2.svg3.5
BNP Ms I. Hernon975.2N/A
Majority 88647.6Increase2.svg1.8
Turnout 1,86146.1Increase2.svg4.6
Registered electors 3,984
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg0.9

Epping Hemnall

Epping Hemnall
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ms J. Ashbridge 933 42.6 Decrease2.svg2.5
Liberal Democrats Ms S. Mann60827.8Increase2.svg0.4
Labour D. Sturrock51223.4Decrease2.svg4.1
SDP G. Dunseath1356.2N/A
Majority 32514.8Decrease2.svg2.8
Turnout 2,18847.7Increase2.svg9.5
Registered electors 4,605
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg1.45

Epping Lindsey

Epping Lindsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative June O'Brien* 929 39.1 Decrease2.svg2.7
Labour D. Tetlow77532.6Increase2.svg5.1
Liberal Democrats Janet Whitehouse52322.0Decrease2.svg8.7
SDP Ms L. Barry1496.3N/A
Majority 1546.5Decrease2.svg4.6
Turnout 2,37648.7Increase2.svg7.4
Registered electors 4,880
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg3.9

Grange Hill

Grange Hill
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P. Gunby 1,110 48.4 Increase2.svg8.6
Liberal Democrats A. Thompson91439.8Decrease2.svg11.6
Labour Ms J. Faiz27111.8Increase2.svg3.0
Majority 1968.5
Turnout 1,69549.0Increase2.svg11.5
Registered electors 4,700
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Increase2.svg10.1

Loughton Broadway

Loughton Broadway
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Stephen Murray* 1,765 76.6 Increase2.svg5.8
Conservative I. Holman46320.1Increase2.svg6.0
BNP R. Jarvis753.3N/A
Majority 1,30256.5Decrease2.svg0.2
Turnout 2,30355.6Increase2.svg11.8
Registered electors 4,145
Labour hold Swing Decrease2.svg0.1

Loughton Forest

Loughton Forest
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Loughton Residents R. Gow* 780 54.6 Decrease2.svg5.7
Conservative A. Brock48433.9Increase2.svg1.6
Labour Ms E. Stewart16511.5Increase2.svg4.1
Majority 29620.7Decrease2.svg7.3
Turnout 1,42948.6Increase2.svg2.9
Registered electors 2,939
Loughton Residents hold Swing Decrease2.svg3.65

Loughton Roding

Loughton Roding
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. Larner 934 42.1 Increase2.svg8.2
Loughton Residents Ms P. Meadows67730.5Increase2.svg18.1
Conservative A. Brock55725.1Decrease2.svg20.5
BNP S. Turnell522.3N/A
Majority 25711.6
Turnout 2,22053.5Increase2.svg4.6
Registered electors 4,157
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase2.svg14.35

Loughton St. Johns

Loughton St. Johns
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Loughton Residents Ms D. Rhodes* 970 51.2 Decrease2.svg3.3
Conservative C. Finn60532.0Decrease2.svg1.7
Labour Ms C. Wardell31816.8Increase2.svg4.9
Majority 36519.3Decrease2.svg1.5
Turnout 1,89346.7Increase2.svg1.0
Registered electors 4,059
Loughton Residents hold Swing Decrease2.svg0.8

Loughton St. Marys

Loughton St. Marys
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Ratepayers R. Heath 825 52.2 Decrease2.svg4.1
Conservative H. Taylor43627.6Decrease2.svg2.7
Labour S. Barnes31920.2Increase2.svg6.8
Majority 38924.6Decrease2.svg1.4
Turnout 1,58047.6Increase2.svg6.0
Registered electors 3,318
Ratepayers hold Swing Decrease2.svg0.7

Nazeing

Nazeing
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative M. Welch 1,150 65.4 Decrease2.svg34.6
Labour D. Mills60934.6N/A
Majority 54130.8N/A
Turnout 1,75949.0N/A
Registered electors 3,607
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg34.6

North Weald Bassett

North Weald Bassett
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E. Hudspeth* 1,037 52.3 Decrease2.svg47.7
Labour I. Standfast66133.4N/A
Liberal Democrats S. Ward28414.3N/A
Majority 37619.0N/A
Turnout 1,98245.0N/A
Registered electors 4,393
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg33.4

Theydon Bois

Theydon Bois
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J. Padfield 940 62.9 Decrease2.svg1.0
Labour Ms S. Gymer33922.7Increase2.svg12.2
Liberal Democrats D. Weldon21614.4Decrease2.svg11.2
Majority 60140.2Decrease2.svg1.1
Turnout 1,54047.5Decrease2.svg6.2
Registered electors 3,159
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg6.6

Waltham Abbey East

Waltham Abbey East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J. O'Reilly* 964 37.5 Decrease2.svg12.9
Labour F. Harewood92235.8Decrease2.svg2.8
Ratepayers Ms G. Hall56221.8N/A
Liberal Democrats I. Myers1264.9Decrease2.svg6.2
Majority 421.6Decrease2.svg10.2
Turnout 2,57453.7Increase2.svg13.1
Registered electors 4,792
Conservative hold Swing Decrease2.svg5.05

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Waltham Abbey Paternoster
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour S. Riley* 973 56.3 Decrease2.svg9.2
Conservative D. Esau38922.5Decrease2.svg12.0
Ratepayers Ms Y. Greensall34119.7N/A
BNP S. Hernon251.4N/A
Majority 58433.8Decrease2.svg2.8
Turnout 1,72848.9Decrease2.svg13.3
Registered electors 3,536
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg1.4

Waltham Abbey West

Waltham Abbey West
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour P. Pennell 889 46.3 Decrease2.svg0.3
Conservative G. Jialler*49325.7Decrease2.svg27.7
Ratepayers Ms L. Dryden46324.1N/A
BNP S. Bone774.0N/A
Majority 39620.6N/A
Turnout 1,92249.3Increase2.svg11.4
Registered electors 3,909
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase2.svg13.7

References