1995 Epping Forest District Council election

1995 Epping Forest District Council election

←  1994 4 May 1995 (1995-05-04) 1996  →
20 out of 59 seats to Epping Forest District Council 30 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Last election 15 seats, 33.2% 23 seats, 33.8% 6 seats, 17.0% Seats before 15 23 7 Seats after 18 18 10 Seat change 3 5 4 Popular vote 9,585 7,447 5,185 Percentage 37.0% 28.2% 20.0% Swing 3.8% 5.6% 3.0%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party Loughton Residents Epping Residents Independent Last election 7 seats, 9.0% 3 seats, 4.5% 2 seats, N/A Seats before 7 3 3 Seats after 7 3 3 Seat change 1 Popular vote 974 1,195 644 Percentage 3.7% 4.6% 2.4% Swing 5.3% 0.1% N/A   Seventh party Eighth party   Party Ind. Conservative SDP Last election 1 seat, 1.8% 2 seats, 0.3% Seats before 0 0 [a] Seats after 0 0 Seat change 1 2 Popular vote 410 N/A Percentage 1.5% N/A Swing 0.3% N/A
Winner of each seat at the 1995 Epping Forest District Council election
Leader before election Conservative minority administration Leader after election No overall control

The 1995 Epping Forest District Council election took place on 4 May 1995 to elect members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex, England. 20 members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex were elected. The council fell into no overall control with no party having control, though with Labour emerging with the most votes for the first ever time.

Background

The 1995 Epping Forest District Council election saw significant political shifts across the district. Labour achieved its highest share of the vote ever in Epping Forest and equalled the Conservatives in seats, who suffered their lowest ever share of the vote and number of seats, securing just 18 councillors and 28.2% of the vote overall. This marked a historic decline for the Conservatives in the district.

The Liberal Democrats made notable gains, winning four seats and overtaking the Loughton Residents Association (LRA), which maintained its presence with seven seats, as the third party. The SDP ceased to exist on the council following this election, with Cllr Dunseath of Buckhurst Hill East having defected to the Liberal Democrats prior to the vote and not standing again, while Cllr Croke defected to Labour earlier. This marked the final appearance of the SDP in the Council Chamber.

Independent representation also shifted, with Cllr Richard Morgan relinquishing his identity as an Independent Conservative to become an Independent, joining Cllr Easton of Roydon and newly elected Cllr Carr of Nazeing as a group of three independents, consolidating non-aligned representation on the council.

The British National Party (BNP) contested Epping Forest for the first time, gaining a minor share of the vote (approximately 0.5%) in Debden Green. While their early results were minimal, the BNP would later increase their presence significantly, winning six councillors and 9.0% of the vote across the district by the mid- to late-2010s.

Nationally, the election took place against a backdrop of economic and social developments. Early in the year, Daewoo announced plans to build a new car factory in the UK, while the Rover Group and MGF sports car launch dominated the automotive sector. High-profile events such as Eric Cantona’s suspension and the MORI polling data, showing the Conservatives trailing Labour, sometimes by over 43%, reflected broader political shifts that were echoed locally in Epping Forest’s dramatic council election results.

Summary

^[1]

1995 Epping Forest District Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Labour	7	3	35.0	11	18	30.5	9,585	37.0	3.8
	Conservative	3	5	15.0	15	18	30.5	7,447	28.2	5.6
	Liberal Democrats	6	4	30.0	4	10	16.9	5,185	20.0	3.0
	Loughton Residents	1		5.0	6	7	11.8	974	3.7	5.3
	Epping Residents	1		5.0	2	3	5.0	1,195	4.6	0.1
	Independent	2	1	10.0	1	3	5.0	644	2.4	N/A
	Ind. Conservative	0	1	0.0	0	0	0.0	410	1.5	0.3
	BNP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	142	0.5	N/A
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	12	0.1	N/A
	SDP	0	2	0.0	0	0	0.0	N/A	N/A	N/A

Results ^[2]

Buckhurst Hill East

Buckhurst Hill East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	M. Heavens	836	64.6	5.6
	Labour	L. Baddock	231	17.9	7.1
	Conservative	R. Braybrook	227	17.5	2.4
Majority			605	46.8	8.3
Turnout			1,294	38.2	10.9
Registered electors			3,391
	Liberal Democrats gain from SDP		Swing

Buckhurst Hill West

Buckhurst Hill West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	M. Harding	1,023	57.5	3.7
	Conservative	A. Torgut	607	34.1	0.7
	Labour	D. Wing	150	8.4	4.5
Majority			416	23.4	N/A
Turnout			1,780	35.1	12.8
Registered electors			5,069
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Chipping Ongar

Chipping Ongar

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	K. Wright*	310	42.8	10.1
	Conservative	N. Deller	215	29.7	6.5
	Labour	P. Haseldine	187	25.8	14.9
	Green	L. Simon	12	1.7	N/A
Majority			95	13.1	3.6
Turnout			724	53.9	4.2
Registered electors			1,344
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Debden Green

Debden Green

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Huckle	1,013	72.4	1.8
	Conservative	L. Daniel	245	17.5	8.3
	BNP	I. Hernon	142	10.1	N/A
Majority			768	54.9	6.5
Turnout			1,400	35.9	3.6
Registered electors			3,900
	Labour hold		Swing

Epping Hemnall

Epping Hemnall

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Collins*	608	31.2	2.1
	Liberal Democrats	J. Whitehouse	586	30.1	1.9
	Epping Residents	L. Barry	432	22.2	1.0
	Labour	B. Johns	321	16.5	0.7
Majority			22	1.1	1.8
Turnout			1,947	42.3	2.7
Registered electors			4,601
	Conservative hold		Swing

Epping Lindsey

Epping Lindsey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Epping Residents	A. O'Brien*	763	39.9	4.9
	Labour	T. Norris	495	25.9	6.8
	Conservative	J. Ashbridge	486	25.4	2.4
	Liberal Democrats	A. Moss	167	8.7	4.4
Majority			268	14.0	7.9
Turnout			1,911	39.9	5.0
Registered electors			4,793
	Epping Residents Association hold		Swing

Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	P. Spencer	826	51.1	11.0
	Conservative	E. Buttling	596	36.8	9.6
	Labour	S. Miller	196	12.1	1.4
Majority			230	14.3	N/A
Turnout			1,618	35.7
Registered electors			4,530
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Greensted & Marden Ash

Greensted & Marden Ash

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	D. Jacobs*	516	62.6	1.1
	Labour	R. Gross	155	18.8	11.8
	Conservative	C. Pithers	153	18.6	10.7
Majority			361	43.8	9.4
Turnout			824	44.5	7.5
Registered electors			1,852
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

High Beech

High Beech

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	N. Green	531	57.0	11.1
	Labour	P. Burling	230	24.7	7.2
	Liberal Democrats	C. Munday-Chanin	171	18.3	N/A
Majority			301	32.3	4.0
Turnout			932	43.5	0.8
Registered electors			2,158
	Conservative hold		Swing

Lambourne

Lambourne

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	K. Easlea	515	61.5	23.4
	Conservative	D. Pettitt	217	25.9	15.3
	Labour	D. Martin	105	12.5	8.3
Majority			298	35.6	N/A
Turnout			837	59.0	4.7
Registered electors			1,418
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Loughton Broadway

Loughton Broadway

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Davis*	1,380	86.7	4.6
	Conservative	I. Locks	212	13.3	4.6
Majority			1,168	73.4	9.2
Turnout			1,592	39.6	8.1
Registered electors			4,022
	Labour hold		Swing

Loughton Roding

Loughton Roding

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Humphreys*	1,047	62.2	12.2
	Loughton Residents	M. Rogers	328	19.5	3.5
	Conservative	J. Holland	209	12.4	3.0
	Liberal Democrats	L. Wells	98	5.8	5.7
Majority			719	42.7	15.7
Turnout			1,682	58.3	5.9
Registered electors			2,885
	Labour hold		Swing

Loughton St. Johns

Loughton St. Johns

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	B. Moore	646	47.1	4.3
	Conservative	S. Metcalfe	417	30.4	5.6
	Labour	R. Larner	309	22.5	2.8
Majority			229	16.7	5.4
Turnout			1,372	32.3	7.7
Registered electors			4,245
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Moreton & Matching

Moreton & Matching

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	R. Morgan*	N/A	N/A	N/A
Majority			N/A	N/A	N/A
Turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			1,595
	Independent gain from Ind. Conservative		Swing

Nazeing

Nazeing

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	J. Carr	441	30.4	N/A
	Ind. Conservative	D. Borton	410	28.3	7.6
	Conservative	E. Rowland	347	23.9	18.7
	Labour	D. Miller	253	17.4	4.1
Majority			31	2.1	N/A
Turnout			1,451	45.0	2.0
Registered electors			3,223
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

North Weald Bassett

North Weald Bassett

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	I. Abbey	600	38.2	20.3
	Labour	D. Tetlow	520	33.1	8.4
	North Weald Residents	R. Wyness	249	15.8	N/A
	Independent	M. May	203	12.9	N/A
Majority			80	5.1	32.2
Turnout			1,572	35.6	1.7
Registered electors			4,416
	Conservative hold		Swing

Shelley

Shelley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Barnes*	539	87.8	24.7
	Conservative	J. Dean	75	12.2	0.7
Majority			464	75.6	38.0
Turnout			614	44.4	4.4
Registered electors			1,384
	Labour hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey East

Waltham Abbey East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Welton	930	51.8	5.7
	Conservative	D. Spinks*	728	40.6	1.9
	Liberal Democrats	C. Spence	137	7.6	N/A
Majority			202	11.2	N/A
Turnout			1,795	32.4	7.8
Registered electors			5,539
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Harewood	700	58.6	5.8
	Conservative	L. Rowley	495	41.4	5.8
Majority			205	17.2	11.6
Turnout			1,195	33.6	5.5
Registered electors			3,554
	Labour hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey West

Waltham Abbey West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Denham	824	63.2	1.2
	Conservative	C. Pitman	479	36.8	1.2
Majority			345	26.5	2.4
Turnout			1,303	32.7	6.4
Registered electors			3,990
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

References

1. https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Epping-Forest-1973-2012.pdf
2. https://rds.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/Data/Council/19950516/Minutes/Minutes.htm#:~:text=It%20was%20reported,Mrs%20L%20Denham

Notes

1. Buckhurst Hill East councillors, G. Dunseath defected from the SDP to the Liberal Democrats, while Cllr Croke defected to Labour.