Background
The 1999 Epping Forest District Council election would prove to be a turning point in Epping Forest’s political history. Labour, which had steadily grown its strength during the 1990s, remained the largest party on the council in 1999 — the last time it would ever do so. The party’s national popularity under Tony Blair had filtered down into district politics, giving Labour unprecedented prominence in a council traditionally dominated by Conservatives and local resident groups. However, warning signs for Labour’s long-term position were already present. The party lost all three Waltham Abbey seats it had been defending, foreshadowing its future decline in the district. By 2011, Labour would hold no seats on the council, ending a once significant local presence.
For the Conservatives, the 1999 results offered modest reassurance after a difficult decade. Though still some way from their former dominance, they made inroads in traditional strongholds, particularly in Waltham Abbey, where Labour’s losses provided an opening. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats maintained a steady base, continuing to perform well in areas such as Buckhurst Hill and parts of Loughton, while the various residents’ associations retained their footholds, reflecting the district’s distinctive pattern of localist politics.
The 1999 election, therefore, stands as both a high-water mark and the beginning of a long decline for Labour in Epping Forest, as the council chamber would gradually revert to competition between Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and local independents in the decades that followed.
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