1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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 party Second party
 
Lab
Con
Leader David Kearns F. John Smith
Party Labour Conservative
Seats before 21 22
Seats after 26 16
Seat change Increase5 Decrease5
  Third party Fourth party
 
LD
Ind
Leader Ian Simpson
Party Liberal Democrats Independent
Seats before 6 1
Seats after 7 1
Seat change Increase1 Steady
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]

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

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The overall results were as follows:[4]

1996 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 11 Increase5 61.1 15 26 52.0 13,488 44.9 -0.7
  Conservative 5 Decrease6 27.8 11 16 32.0 9,995 33.3 +6.3
  Liberal Democrats 2 Increase1 11.1 5 7 14.0 6,556 21.8 0.0

Ward results

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

Ashbrook ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David John Barnard 646 57.1 −13.3
Labour Edward Wallace 307 27.1 +7.9
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Lilian Upchurch 178 15.7 +5.4
Turnout 46.9
Registered electors 2,431
Conservative hold Swing -10.6
Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Miller McFall 1,085 43.5 −9.7
Conservative Bernard Crow* 832 33.3 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Graham Philip Tapp 578 23.2 +8.2
Turnout 34.1
Registered electors 7,342
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -5.6
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anne Sobek 466 53.6 +21.5
Conservative Robert Michael Hughes 403 46.4 −21.5
Turnout 48.5
Registered electors 1,807
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +21.5
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Judi Billing* 1,078 69.8 −2.0
Conservative Barry West 286 18.5 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Victor Newham 180 11.7 0.0
Turnout 33.5
Registered electors 4,623
Labour hold Swing -2.0
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Oliver Canning 910 41.3 −2.9
Conservative Sylvia Frances Chapman 853 38.7 +7.1
Labour Lesley Ann Hankin 440 20.0 −4.2
Turnout 43.5
Registered electors 5,074
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing -5.0
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joan Irene Kirby* 984 67.5 −9.0
Labour Martin John Stears 893
Liberal Democrats Victoria Warwick 251 17.2 +5.9
Conservative Nigel Kenneth Brook 222 15.2 +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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Arthur Charles Thake* 620 55.2 +14.1
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Palmer 274 24.4 +4.3
Labour Christopher Peter Charles White 230 20.5 +4.4
Turnout 39.3
Registered electors 2,869
Conservative hold Swing +4.9
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Philip Anthony Banks* 1,480 67.6 +21.7
Conservative Bernard Frank James Lovewell 447 20.4 +12.8
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Paul Heath 261 11.9 +7.3
Turnout 36.4
Registered electors 6,020
Labour hold Swing +4.5
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Amy Hilton* 756 50.1 −1.4
Labour Timothy Liddy 754 49.9 +28.6
Turnout 44.4
Registered electors 3,410
Conservative hold Swing -15.0
Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Lorna Rose Kercher* 1,181 64.0 −1.4
Conservative Paul Antony Stockford 378 20.5 +2.1
Liberal Democrats Martin Gammell 285 15.5 +1.0
Turnout 37.7
Registered electors 4,891
Labour hold Swing -1.8
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Peter Kearns* 1,371 67.2 −4.5
Conservative Stephen Edward Shaddick 415 20.3 +3.6
Liberal Democrats Robin Julian Hall 255 12.5 +0.9
Turnout 40.1
Registered electors 5,085
Labour hold Swing -4.1
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jean Andrews 1,193 46.3 −4.8
Conservative Pauline Marguerite Wood* 789 30.6 +7.8
Liberal Democrats Jean Phyllis Leonard 597 23.1 −3.0
Turnout 41.6
Registered electors 6,220
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -6.3
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lynda Ann Needham 1,021 42.5 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Sally Margaret Jarvis
(Sal Jarvis) 		1,018 42.4 −2.2
Labour Marion Elizabeth Watson-Blake 362 15.1 −1.0
Turnout 52.6
Registered electors 4,565
Conservative hold Swing +2.7
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gary Thomas Grindal 928 58.7 +2.4
Conservative Raymond Lawrence Shakespeare-Smith*
(Ray Shakespeare-Smith) 		421 26.6 +2.2
Liberal Democrats Paul Francis Booton 231 14.6 −4.6
Turnout 36.7
Registered electors 4,305
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +0.1
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis John Smith*
(John Smith) 		854 48.1 +4.5
Labour Ken Prince 586 33.0 +8.4
Liberal Democrats Caroline Elizabeth Coates 334 18.8 −12.9
Turnout 40.8
Registered electors 4,347
Conservative hold Swing -2.0
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leslie Baker
(Les Baker) 		992 39.6 +5.9
Conservative Jane Margaret Dwerryhouse-Spears 860 34.4 +2.8
Liberal Democrats Frank Christopher East
(Chris East) 		651 26.0 −8.7
Turnout 39.3
Registered electors 6,392
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +1.6
Weston ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Kenneth Jarvis*
(Steve Jarvis) 		553 69.5 +17.8
Conservative Jessica Christian Dorothy Thomson 192 24.1 −20.1
Labour John Mann 51 6.4 +2.4
Turnout 64.4
Registered electors 1,241
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +19.0

Changes 1996–1998

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Letchworth Wilbury ward by election, 1 May 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andrew Milne 1,635 50.8 −8.0
Conservative Jessica Thomson 1,025 31.8 +5.2
Liberal Democrats Murray Turner 560 17.4 +2.8
Labour hold Swing -6.6

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

References

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  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. ^ a b 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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