1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election
←  1995 2 May 1996 (1996-05-02) 1998  →
18 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
 
Lab
Con
LeaderDavid KearnsF. John Smith
Party Labour Conservative
Seats before2122
Seats after2616
Seat changeIncrease2.svg5Decrease2.svg5
 Third partyFourth party
 
LD
Ind
LeaderIan Simpson
Party Liberal Democrats Independent
Seats before61
Seats after71
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1Steady2.svg
Policy chairman before election

David Kearns
Labour
No overall control

Leader after election

David Kearns
Labour

The 1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 2 May 1996, at the same time as other local elections across England. 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 Hitchin Oughton ward. [1] [2]

Contents

The council had previously been under no overall control, being led by a Labour minority administration with some support from the Liberal Democrats. Labour gained five extra seats at the election, giving them a majority on the council for the first time in its history. The Labour leader, David Kearns, was given the title leader of the council after the election, confirming the position he had de facto held since May 1995 by virtue of being chairman of the policy and resources committee. [3]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows: [4]

1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election
PartyThis electionFull councilThis election
SeatsNetSeats %OtherTotalTotal %VotesVotes %+/−
  Labour 11Increase2.svg561.1152652.013,48844.9-0.7
  Conservative 5Decrease2.svg627.8111632.09,99533.3+6.3
  Liberal Democrats 2Increase2.svg111.15714.06,55621.80.0

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election. [4] [5]

Ashbrook ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David John Barnard 646 57.1 -13.3
Labour Edward Wallace30727.1+7.9
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Lilian Upchurch17815.7+5.4
Turnout 46.9
Registered electors 2,431
Conservative hold Swing -10.6
Baldock ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Roger Miller McFall 1,085 43.5 -9.7
Conservative Bernard Crow*83233.3+1.5
Liberal Democrats Graham Philip Tapp57823.2+8.2
Turnout 34.1
Registered electors 7,342
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -5.6
Cadwell ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Anne Sobek 466 53.6 +21.5
Conservative Robert Michael Hughes40346.4-21.5
Turnout 48.5
Registered electors 1,807
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +21.5
Hitchin Bearton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Judi Billing* 1,078 69.8 -2.0
Conservative Barry West28618.5+2.0
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Victor Newham18011.70.0
Turnout 33.5
Registered electors 4,623
Labour hold Swing -2.0
Hitchin Highbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Oliver Canning 910 41.3 -2.9
Conservative Sylvia Frances Chapman85338.7+7.1
Labour Lesley Ann Hankin44020.0-4.2
Turnout 43.5
Registered electors 5,074
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing -5.0
Hitchin Oughton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Joan Irene Kirby* 984 67.5 -9.0
Labour Martin John Stears 893
Liberal Democrats Victoria Warwick25117.2+5.9
Conservative Nigel Kenneth Brook22215.2+3.1
Turnout 33.3
Registered electors 4,068
Labour hold Swing -7.5
Labour hold Swing

The by-election in Hitchin Oughton ward was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor David Harbourne on 18 March 1996. [6]

Hitchin Priory ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Arthur Charles Thake* 620 55.2 +14.1
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Palmer27424.4+4.3
Labour Christopher Peter Charles White23020.5+4.4
Turnout 39.3
Registered electors 2,869
Conservative hold Swing +4.9
Hitchin Walsworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Philip Anthony Banks* 1,480 67.6 +21.7
Conservative Bernard Frank James Lovewell44720.4+12.8
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Paul Heath26111.9+7.3
Turnout 36.4
Registered electors 6,020
Labour hold Swing +4.5
Knebworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Margaret Amy Hilton* 756 50.1 -1.4
Labour Timothy Liddy75449.9+28.6
Turnout 44.4
Registered electors 3,410
Conservative hold Swing -15.0
Letchworth East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Lorna Rose Kercher* 1,181 64.0 -1.4
Conservative Paul Antony Stockford37820.5+2.1
Liberal Democrats Martin Gammell28515.5+1.0
Turnout 37.7
Registered electors 4,891
Labour hold Swing -1.8
Letchworth Grange ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Peter Kearns* 1,371 67.2 -4.5
Conservative Stephen Edward Shaddick41520.3+3.6
Liberal Democrats Robin Julian Hall25512.5+0.9
Turnout 40.1
Registered electors 5,085
Labour hold Swing -4.1
Letchworth South East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jean Andrews 1,193 46.3 -4.8
Conservative Pauline Marguerite Wood*78930.6+7.8
Liberal Democrats Jean Phyllis Leonard59723.1-3.0
Turnout 41.6
Registered electors 6,220
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -6.3
Letchworth South West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lynda Ann Needham 1,021 42.5 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Sally Margaret Jarvis
(Sal Jarvis)		1,01842.4-2.2
Labour Marion Elizabeth Watson-Blake36215.1-1.0
Turnout 52.6
Registered electors 4,565
Conservative hold Swing +2.7
Letchworth Wilbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gary Thomas Grindal 928 58.7 +2.4
Conservative Raymond Lawrence Shakespeare-Smith*
(Ray Shakespeare-Smith)		42126.6+2.2
Liberal Democrats Paul Francis Booton23114.6-4.6
Turnout 36.7
Registered electors 4,305
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +0.1
Royston East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Francis John Smith*
(John Smith)		854 48.1 +4.5
Labour Ken Prince58633.0+8.4
Liberal Democrats Caroline Elizabeth Coates33418.8-12.9
Turnout 40.8
Registered electors 4,347
Conservative hold Swing -2.0
Royston West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Leslie Baker
(Les Baker)		992 39.6 +5.9
Conservative Jane Margaret Dwerryhouse-Spears86034.4+2.8
Liberal Democrats Frank Christopher East
(Chris East)		65126.0-8.7
Turnout 39.3
Registered electors 6,392
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +1.6
Weston ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Kenneth Jarvis*
(Steve Jarvis)		553 69.5 +17.8
Conservative Jessica Christian Dorothy Thomson19224.1-20.1
Labour John Mann516.4+2.4
Turnout 64.4
Registered electors 1,241
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +19.0

Changes 1996–1998

Letchworth Wilbury ward by election, 1 May 1997
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Andrew Milne 1,635 50.8 -8.0
Conservative Jessica Thomson1,02531.8+5.2
Liberal Democrats Murray Turner56017.4+2.8
Labour hold Swing -6.6

The Letchworth Wilbury ward by-election was triggered by the death of Labour councillor David Evans. [7]

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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.

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References

  1. ↑ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ↑ "Labour predicts gaining a seat". Cambridge Daily News. 10 April 1996. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Labour sweep to control for first time in North Herts". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 10 May 1996. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "North Hertfordshire Local Election Results 1996". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 19 January 1997. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Parliamentary hopeful quits his council seat". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 22 March 1996. p. 25. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Adams, John (8 May 1997). "County Tories get some consolation". Hitchin Comet. p. 6.
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