1992 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 1991 7 May 1992 (1992-05-07) 1994 →
17 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
LD
Leader Bob Flatman
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Seats before 26 18 2
Seats after 26 17 3
Seat change Steady Decrease1 Increase1
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
RA
Ind
Party Ratepayers Independent
Seats before 3 1
Seats after 3 1
Seat change Steady Steady
Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Geoff Woods
Conservative

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.[1][2][3]

The Conservatives retained their narrow majority on the council; they lost one seat to the Liberal Democrats but gained one seat from Labour. Following the election, at the annual council meeting on 19 May 1992, the Conservative leader of the council, Bob Flatman, was appointed to the more ceremonial role of vice-chairman. He had been leader since the council's creation in 1974. Geoff Woods was appointed as the new leader of the council and Conservative group leader in his place.[4]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows:[5]

1992 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 11 Steady 64.7 15 26 52.0 14,033 43.1 +7.9
  Labour 4 Decrease1 35.3 13 17 34.0 8,993 27.6 -5.8
  Liberal Democrats 1 Increase1 5.9 2 3 6.0 6,849 21.1 -1.3
  Ratepayers 1 Steady 5.9 2 3 6.0 2,585 7.9 +1.0
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 65 0.2 -0.4

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election. A double dagger (‡) indicates a sitting councillor contesting a different ward.[5]

Ashbrook ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Tatham* 789 70.4 +5.9
Labour John Saunders 215 19.2 -5.3
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Upchurch 116 10.4 -0.6
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 2,136
Conservative hold Swing +5.6
Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bernard Crow* 1,536 51.0 +4.3
Liberal Democrats Harry Penfold 846 28.1 +9.6
Labour Rodney Leete 629 20.9 -13.9
Turnout 42.4
Registered electors 7,133
Conservative hold Swing -2.7
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Lee* 620 67.8 +12.8
Labour David Lawson 294 32.2 -1.3
Turnout 50.3
Registered electors 1,832
Conservative hold Swing +7.1
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Judi Billing* 845 42.0 -9.3
Conservative Michael East 704 35.0 +1.7
Ratepayers Chris Parker ‡ 315 15.7 +15.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Canning 148 7.4 -8.1
Turnout 44.6
Registered electors 4,520
Labour hold Swing -5.5
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dee 1,067 46.1 +6.3
Ratepayers Evelyn Mary Burton
(Mary Burton) 		657 28.4 +0.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Clark 304 13.1 +0.2
Labour Paul Gater 288 12.4 -6.6
Turnout 45.7
Registered electors 5,073
Conservative hold Swing +3.1
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joan Kirby* 796 58.4 -7.3
Conservative Julia McLean 431 31.6 +10.0
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Palmer 135 9.9 -2.7
Turnout 34.6
Registered electors 3,972
Labour hold Swing -8.7
Hitchin Priory ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Thake* 822 63.4 +9.6
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Seabrook 321 24.8 -5.0
Labour David Tizzard 153 11.8 -4.5
Turnout 46.3
Registered electors 2,802
Conservative hold Swing +7.3
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ratepayers Dennis Ward 1,613 60.8 +3.4
Labour Philip Kirk 821 30.9 -1.3
Liberal Democrats Penelope Cunningham 220 8.3 -2.1
Turnout 43.5
Registered electors 6,091
Ratepayers hold Swing +2.4
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Hilton* 861 62.6 +6.3
Liberal Democrats Michael Stiff 335 24.3 +13.1
Labour Jack Ashwell 180 13.1 -10.0
Turnout 40.7
Registered electors 3,402
Conservative hold Swing -3.4
Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Lorna Kercher* 878 45.0 -5.1
Conservative Ravinder Athwal 603 30.9 +2.1
Liberal Democrats Martin Gammell 405 20.8 +4.5
Green Eric Blakeley 65 3.3 -1.5
Turnout 39.8
Registered electors 4,926
Labour hold Swing -3.6
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Kearns* 1,078 52.3 -2.0
Conservative Carole McNelliey 613 29.8 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Cathleen Worcester 369 17.9 +0.5
Turnout 40.0
Registered electors 5,169
Labour hold Swing -1.8
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Wood* 1,261 44.6 +7.6
Labour Teresa Trangmar
(Tre Trangmar) 		969 34.3 -3.1
Liberal Democrats Pauline Poole 596 21.1 -1.0
Turnout 46.4
Registered electors 6,097
Conservative hold Swing +5.4

The poll in Letchworth South East ward was delayed until 11 June following the death of one of the original candidates, former SDP and Labour councillor Tony Quinn, who was to have stood for Labour.[6][7]

Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Woods*
(Geoff Woods) 		1,206 48.3 +8.9
Liberal Democrats Alison Kingman 1,030 41.2 -5.4
Labour Linda Grimes 263 10.5 -3.5
Turnout 55.0
Registered electors 4,551
Conservative hold Swing +7.2
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Raymond Shakespeare-Smith
(Ray Shakespeare-Smith) 		773 41.7 +1.1
Labour Peter Mardell* 660 35.6 -7.9
Liberal Democrats Paul Booton 422 22.7 +6.8
Turnout 47.4
Registered electors 3,920
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.5
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis John Smith*
(John Smith) 		1,131 61.1 +12.8
Liberal Democrats Margaret Pitts 386 20.8 +7.7
Labour Jessie Etheridge 335 18.1 -12.4
Turnout 43.5
Registered electors 4,254
Conservative hold Swing +2.6
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Hughes* 1,288 48.1 +10.7
Liberal Democrats Pat Kennington 833 31.1 -11.4
Labour Les Baker 559 20.9 +0.7
Turnout 43.5
Registered electors 6,189
Conservative hold Swing +11.1
Weston ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Jarvis
(Steve Jarvis) 		383 51.7 +24.2
Conservative Robert Evans* 328 44.3 -12.3
Labour Teresa Trangmar
(Tre Trangmar) 		30 4.0 -11.8
Turnout 58.8
Registered electors 1,259
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +18.3

Changes 1992–1994

On 12 June 1992 Labour councillor Don Kitchiner, who represented Letchworth Grange, announced his defection to the Conservatives.[7]

Some time between the 1992 and 1994 elections it would appear that there was a by-election in Hitchin Walsworth ward which saw Ratepayer councillor Jack Swain being replaced by Labour councillor Philip Kirk, whilst the seat in that ward held by Dennis Ward in 1992 had also gone to Labour by the time of the 1994 election, although whether by a defection or a by-election has yet to be established.

References

  1. ^ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ^ "Parties all set to fight battle". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. 1 May 1992. p. 10.
  3. ^ Lemay, Debbie (1 May 1992). "One lost seat will upset fragile Tory grip on balance of power". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. p. 3. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Council elects new chairman". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. 22 May 1992.
  5. ^ a b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  6. ^ Hunter, John (22 May 1992). "Labour set for second election". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. p. 6.
  7. ^ a b Hunter, John (19 June 1992). "Labour veteran joins Tories". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. p. 5.
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