2004 Welwyn Hatfield District Council election

Last updated

The 2004 Welwyn Hatfield District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Welwyn Hatfield District Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Election result

The results saw the Conservative increase their majority on the council after both they and the Liberal Democrats gained seats from Labour. [3] The Conservatives made 4 gains from Labour in Hatfield North, Hatfield West, Howlands and Sherrards wards, with one Conservative councillor describing the results as "so good absolutely marvellous". [4] Labour put their defeats down to mid-term unpopularity of the national Labour government. [4]

However the Conservatives did lose one seat to the Liberal Democrats in Handside, and this, along with a Liberal Democrat gain from Labour in Hatfield Central, meant that the Liberal Democrats won their first seats on the council for 14 years. [4] The Liberal Democrats said they had been successful after campaigning on local issues such as maintaining Welwyn Garden City and on Stanborough Park. [4]

Meanwhile, the one candidate from the United Kingdom Independence Party came second in Northaw ward ahead of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. [4] Overall turnout in the election was 40.61%, [5] a significant rise on the 2003 election. [4] The Green Party stood their first ever candidate for a Welwyn Hatfield council seat in Hatfield East ward. However, the result was disappointing for the party, finishing in a distant last place with only 7.% of the local vote.

Welwyn Hatfield Local Election Result 2004 [2] [5]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 1141+364.747.413,492+2.3%
  Labour 405-523.526.57,546-5.8%
  Liberal Democrats 220+211.824.06,828+1.4%
  UKIP 000001.5437+1.5%
  Green 000000.5137+0.5%

Ward results

Brookmans Park & Little Heath [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Irene Dean1,54973.9−3.3
Liberal Democrats Nigel Bain36117.2+3.7
Labour William Couzens1878.9−0.4
Majority1,18856.7−7.0
Turnout 2,09747.5
Conservative hold Swing
Haldens [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Rory Hallahan60038.4−13.1
Conservative Edward Hall54534.8+7.5
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Arch41926.8+5.6
Majority553.6−20.6
Turnout 1,56436.6
Labour hold Swing
Handside [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Daniel Cooke1,23045.5+2.0
Conservative Lance Stanbury1,18043.6−0.8
Labour Lynn Chesterman29610.9−1.2
Majority501.9
Turnout 2,70655.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Hatfield Central [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Hazel Laming51437.3+2.2
Labour Margaret White47634.5−9.8
Conservative Andrew Peffer38828.2+7.6
Majority382.8
Turnout 1,37832.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Hatfield East [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Bernard Sarson88351.2−4.0
Labour Sheila Wilder37621.8−3.1
Liberal Democrats Lis Meyland-Smith33019.1−0.8
Green Graham Laverick1377.9+7.9
Majority50729.4−0.9
Turnout 1,72640.4
Conservative hold Swing
Hatfield North [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Mark Gilding78343.7
Labour Bridgit Croft66937.3
Liberal Democrats Janet Gammage34119.0
Majority1146.4
Turnout 1,79336.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Hatfield South [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Linda Mendez39550.1
Conservative Douglas Berry24230.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Griffiths15219.3
Majority15319.4
Turnout 78929.7
Labour hold Swing
Hatfield West [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ronald Wheeler73145.2−1.8
Labour Tony Wilder51932.1−5.1
Liberal Democrats Simon Archer36922.8+7.0
Majority21213.1+3.3
Turnout 1,61939.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Hollybush [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Susan Jones66946.3−9.5
Conservative Marian Pile49134.0+8.9
Liberal Democrats Eirwen Smith28619.8+0.7
Majority17812.3−18.4
Turnout 1,44635.2
Labour hold Swing
Howlands [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Franey65538.8+8.7
Labour Mark Biddle64338.1−13.7
Liberal Democrats Pascal Jacquemain38823.0+4.8
Majority120.7
Turnout 1,68640.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Northaw [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Colin Couch1,11561.4−18.9
UKIP Robert Ellingham43724.1+24.1
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Blumsom1608.8−3.2
Labour Peter Heyman1045.7−2.0
Majority67837.3−31.0
Turnout 1,81643.5
Conservative hold Swing
Panshanger [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roger Trigg77946.6+4.2
Labour Anthony Crump44826.8−4.5
Liberal Democrats Ted Naseby44626.7+0.4
Majority33119.8+8.7
Turnout 1,67335.7
Conservative hold Swing
Peartree [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Christopher Cory60745.3−2.4
Liberal Democrats Wanda Armstrong-Bridges40530.2−4.9
Conservative Julie Peffer32824.5+7.3
Majority20215.1+2.5
Turnout 1,34030.4
Labour hold Swing
Sherrards [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Mabbott97044.3−1.3
Labour Margaret Hurst81437.1−2.8
Liberal Democrats Frank Marsh40818.6+4.2
Majority1567.2+1.5
Turnout 2,19251.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Welham Green [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Keith Pieri74566.6+3.3
Labour Sheila Jones19517.4−5.5
Liberal Democrats Sheila Archer17916.0+2.2
Majority55049.2+8.8
Turnout 1,11941.1
Conservative hold Swing
Welwyn North [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Steven Markiewicz94864.7+2.5
Liberal Democrats Helen Bassett31821.7+0.1
Labour David Wilson19913.6−2.6
Majority63043.0+2.4
Turnout 1,46543.2
Conservative hold Swing
Welwyn South [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stuart Pile1,16057.1−2.9
Liberal Democrats Ian Skidmore52225.7+5.9
Labour Julia Henderson34917.2−3.0
Majority63831.4−8.4
Turnout 2,03147.4
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. "Welwyn Hatfield council". BBC News. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 "How the southeast voted in the district council polls". Evening Standard. London. 11 June 2004. p. 8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Local Elections: Welwyn Hatfield". BBC Online . Retrieved 8 March 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tories tighten hold on Welwyn Hatfield". St Albans & Harpenden Review. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Election Results - 10 June 2004". Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Retrieved 7 March 2010.