1998 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 1996 7 May 1998 (1998-05-07) 1999 →
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 26 16
Seats after 26 17
Seat change Steady Increase1
  Third party Fourth party
 
LD
Ind
Leader Ian Simpson
Party Liberal Democrats Independent
Seats before 7 1
Seats after 6 1
Seat change Decrease1 Steady
Leader before election

David Kearns
Labour

Leader after election

David Kearns
Labour

The 1998 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 1998, 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 two by-elections in Hitchin Walsworth and Knebworth wards.[1][2]

Labour retained its narrow majority on the council. The Conservatives won most votes and gained one extra seat.[3]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows:[4]

1998 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 9 Increase1 50.0 8 17 50.0 10,154 41.0 +7.8
  Labour 8 Steady 44.4 18 26 52.0 9,141 36.9 -8.0
  Liberal Democrats 1 Decrease1 5.6 5 6 12.0 5,088 20.6 -1.3
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 273 1.1 +1.1
  Natural Law 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 91 0.4 +0.4

Ward results

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

Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bernard Crow 947 48.6 +15.2
Labour Neil Haslam 763 39.1 -4.4
Liberal Democrats John White 240 12.3 -10.9
Turnout 26.3
Registered electors 7,440
Conservative hold Swing +9.8
Codicote ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Luke La Plain 641 62.0 +16.3
Labour Diane Hillyer 312 30.2 -5.9
Liberal Democrats Richard Stanley 81 7.8 -6.1
Turnout 40.8
Registered electors 2,541
Conservative hold Swing +11.1
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jennifer Marr*
(Jenny Marr) 		709 57.6 -12.2
Conservative Patricia Cherry 356 28.9 +10.4
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Llewelyn 145 11.8 +0.1
Natural Law George Woodhouse 20 1.6 +1.6
Turnout 26.7
Registered electors 4,619
Labour hold Swing -11.3
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alvaro Damiani
(Al Damiani) 		1,012 48.5 +9.7
Liberal Democrats Robert Lord 726 34.8 -6.5
Labour Jonathan Newham 343 16.4 -3.5
Natural Law Graham Bell 7 0.3 +0.3
Turnout 41.4
Registered electors 5,054
Conservative hold Swing +8.1
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Stears* 684 66.2 -1.3
Conservative Nigel Brook 228 22.1 +6.8
Liberal Democrats Victoria Warwick
(Vicki Warwick) 		110 10.6 -6.6
Natural Law Yvonne Bell 11 1.1 +1.1
Turnout 24.9
Registered electors 4,159
Labour hold Swing -4.1
Hitchin Priory ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derrick Ashley* 645 65.0 +9.8
Labour Derek Sheard 214 21.6 +1.1
Liberal Democrats John Winder 128 12.9 -11.5
Natural Law Ann Burcombe 6 0.6 +0.6
Turnout 34.0
Registered electors 2,926
Conservative hold Swing +6.3
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Philip Kirk* 1,112 49.7 -17.9
Labour Sandra Lunn 1,020
Conservative Bernard Lovewell 524 23.4 +3.0
Liberal Democrats David Shirley 357 16.0 +4.0
Green George Howe 202 9.0 +9.0
Natural Law Russell Howard 42 1.9 +1.9
Natural Law Lesley Relph 18
Turnout 29.7
Registered electors 6,321
Labour hold Swing -10.5
Labour hold Swing

The by-election in Hitchin Walsworth ward was to replace Labour councillor John Banks.

Kimpton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Horrell 422 66.4 +18.1
Labour Colin Seddon 143 22.5 +7.3
Liberal Democrats Sally Jarvis
(Sal Jarvis) 		66 10.4 -26.2
Natural Law Donna Hawkins 5 0.8 +0.8
Turnout 36.5
Registered electors 1,738
Conservative hold Swing +5.4
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jane Gray 720 56.3 +6.2
Conservative Ferrers Robin Bruce Wordsworth
(Robin Wordsworth) 		715
Labour Timothy Liddy 361 28.2 -21.7
Labour Christopher Tasker 335
Liberal Democrats Michael Stiff 128 10.0 +10.0
Green Stuart Madgin 71 5.5 +5.5
Liberal Democrats John Winder 47
Turnout 35.6
Registered electors 3,459
Conservative hold Swing +14.0
Conservative hold Swing

The by-election in Knebworth ward was to replace Conservative councillor Margaret Hilton.

Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Jarman* 750 54.5 -9.6
Conservative Adam Wilson 370 26.9 +6.4
Liberal Democrats Martin Gammell 257 18.7 +3.2
Turnout 28.2
Registered electors 4,903
Labour hold Swing -8.0
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Mardell* 996 64.9 -2.3
Conservative Stephen Paul 304 19.8 -0.5
Liberal Democrats Robin Hall 235 15.3 +2.8
Turnout 30.4
Registered electors 5,057
Labour hold Swing -0.9
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John James Wilkinson*
(Jack Wilkinson) 		993 43.3 -2.9
Conservative Carole McNelliey 771 33.7 +3.1
Liberal Democrats Murray Turner 527 23.0 -0.1
Turnout 36.8
Registered electors 6,236
Labour hold Swing -3.0
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alison Kingman 1,097 48.0 +5.6
Conservative Ray Shakespeare-Smith 936 40.9 -1.6
Labour Marion Watson-Blake 254 11.1 -4.0
Turnout 49.5
Registered electors 4,629
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +3.6
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ian Mantle* 641 50.8 -8.0
Conservative Neil Redfern 452 35.8 +9.1
Liberal Democrats Paul Booton 170 13.5 -1.2
Turnout 27.7
Registered electors 4,563
Labour hold Swing -8.6
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Burt 822 56.8 +8.6
Labour Robin King 399 27.6 -5.5
Liberal Democrats John Ledden 227 15.7 -3.2
Turnout 33.2
Registered electors 4,386
Conservative hold Swing +7.1
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Lombari 1,004 48.6 +14.3
Liberal Democrats Patricia Baxter*
(Pat Baxter)[a] 		594 28.8 +2.8
Labour Vaughan West 467 22.6 -17.0
Turnout 32.1
Registered electors 6,513
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +5.8
  1. ^ Previously elected in 1994 as Pat Kennington.

References

  1. ^ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ^ "Royston ready to go to the polls". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 10 April 1998. p. 144. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Night's only gain is delight for Tories". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 15 May 1998. p. 4. Retrieved 7 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. ^ Pankhurst, Nigel (14 May 1998). "Elections bring almost no council changes". Hitchin Comet. p. 12.
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