Map of the results of the 2004 St Albans City and District Council election. Liberal Democrats in yellow, Conservatives in blue, Labour in red and independent in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2004.

The 2004 St Albans City and District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of St Albans District Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

After the last election in 2003 the Liberal Democrats were the largest party on the council with 23 seats, compared to 21 for the Conservatives, 13 for Labour and there was 1 independent.[3] In April 2004 the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives at a by-election in Verulam,[4][5] which meant they needed to gain 6 seats at the 2004 council election to take a majority on the council.[6] St Albans was reported by national newspapers to be a council that the Liberal Democrats were hoping to win a majority on.[7][8]

18 seats were contested at the election with only Colney Heath and Sandridge wards not having elections.[6] Candidates from the 3 main parties stood in all 18 wards apart from in Redbourn, where the Liberal Democrats did not put up a candidate to oppose the independent councillor, Tony Swendell, who was standing for re-election.[6] Two other parties put up some candidates, 3 from the new St Albans Party and 2 from the Green Party.[6]

4 Conservative councillors stood down at the election, Mike Bretherton, Mike Jameson, Martin Treasure and Hazel Ward, as well as 1 from Labour, Andrew Rose and 1 Liberal Democrat, John White.[6]

Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrat make 5 gains but come up one seat short of gaining an overall majority.[9][10] They gained seats in Ashley and St Peters wards from Labour, and in Marshalswick South, Park Street and Wheathampstead from the Conservatives,[11][12] to have exactly half of the 58 seats on the council.[13] This reduced the Conservatives to 17 seats and Labour to 11 seats, while independent Anthony Swendell was re-elected in Redbourn.[12]

Following the election the Liberal Democrats took control of the council with all of the seats on the council cabinet after winning a vote 29 to 24, with 1 abstention, despite opposition from both Labour and the Conservatives.[14]

St Albans local election result 2004[13][15]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Liberal Democrats 9 5 0 +5 50.0 38.2 15,235 -5.6%
  Conservative 5 0 3 -3 27.8 39.6 15,796 +4.2%
  Labour 3 0 2 -2 16.7 17.1 6,826 -3.5%
  Independent 1 0 0 0 5.6 3.3 1,310 +3.3%
  St Albans Party 0 0 0 0 0 1.1 436 +1.1%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 0.8 310 +0.8%

Ward results

Ashley[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Michael Ellis 912 41.2 -2.2
Labour Edward Hill 713 32.2 -2.8
Conservative Alec Campbell 457 20.6 -1.0
St Albans Party Peter Cobden 133 6.0 +6.0
Majority 199 9.0 +0.6
Turnout 2,215 44.4 0.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Batchwood[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eleanor Harris 732 37.1 -10.0
Liberal Democrats Allan Witherick 698 35.3 +9.0
Conservative Eileen Brown 545 27.6 +1.0
Majority 34 1.8 -18.7
Turnout 1,975 40.1 +2.5
Labour hold Swing
Clarence[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Brian Sinfield 985 47.0 -18.3
Conservative Lee Foster 514 24.5 +7.5
Labour David Lee 416 19.9 +2.2
Green Simon Grover 180 8.6 +8.6
Majority 471 22.5 -25.1
Turnout 2,095 47.1 +1.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Cunningham[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Harrison 1,180 57.2 -4.1
Conservative James Vessey 542 26.3 +7.5
Labour Rebecca Gumbrell-Mccormick 340 16.5 -3.4
Majority 638 30.9 -10.5
Turnout 2,062 45.5 -0.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harpenden East[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Brian Peyton 1,224 50.4 +0.2
Conservative Nora Kavanaugh 960 39.5 +2.2
Labour David Crew 245 10.1 -2.4
Majority 264 10.9 -2.0
Turnout 2,429 47.7 +2.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harpenden North[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Chambers 1,228 56.9 +5.8
Liberal Democrats Christopher Canfield 707 32.8 -5.6
Labour Rosemary Ross 223 10.3 -0.2
Majority 521 24.1 +11.4
Turnout 2,158 43.4 +1.8
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden South[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Elizabeth Stevenson 1,480 66.2 +4.5
Liberal Democrats Nigel Jenkinson 536 24.0 -4.4
Labour David Lawlor 220 9.8 -0.1
Majority 944 42.2 +8.9
Turnout 2,236 44.3 +1.1
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden West[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Newman 1,448 57.7 +1.4
Liberal Democrats Jeffrey Phillips 698 27.8 -4.3
Labour Elizabeth Rayner 232 9.3 -2.3
Green Marc Scheimann 130 5.2 +5.2
Majority 750 29.9 +5.7
Turnout 2,508 46.5 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing
London Colney[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sean Flynn 881 43.7 -14.0
Conservative Brian Lee 721 35.8 +10.2
Liberal Democrats Carol Prowse 414 20.5 +3.8
Majority 160 7.9 -24.2
Turnout 2,016 35.6 +2.4
Labour hold Swing
Marshalswick North[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Stroud 1,169 51.8 +3.3
Conservative John Foster 880 39.0 +1.2
Labour John Baughan 207 9.2 -4.4
Majority 289 12.8 +2.1
Turnout 2,256 47.5 -3.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Marshalswick South[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Melvyn Teare 1,193 47.1 -6.2
Conservative Richard Bretherton 1,025 40.5 +7.0
Labour Sonia Smith 313 12.4 -0.8
Majority 168 6.6 -13.2
Turnout 2,531 51.4 -1.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Park Street[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Yates 1,079 50.4 -7.3
Conservative Katharine Cramer 795 37.1 +8.8
Labour Janet Blackwell 266 12.4 -1.7
Majority 284 13.3 -16.1
Turnout 2,140 42.1 +3.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Redbourn[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Anthony Swendell 1,310 63.5 +63.5
Conservative Susan Walford 578 28.0 -13.4
Labour Linda Spiri 175 8.5 +0.4
Majority 732 35.5
Turnout 2,063 45.7 0.0
Independent hold Swing
Sopwell[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Smith 708 40.0 -9.4
Liberal Democrats Linda Bateman 532 30.0 +4.8
Conservative Roderick Douglas 532 30.0 +7.4
Majority 176 10.0
Turnout 1,772 36.2 +3.8
Labour hold Swing
St Peters[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Martin Morris 987 47.3 +1.2
Labour Helen Ives-Rose 613 29.4 -6.2
Conservative Maureen Havard 385 18.5 +0.2
St Albans Party Vera Tinson 100 4.8 +4.8
Majority 374 17.9 +7.4
Turnout 2,085 41.9 -0.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
St Stephen[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Canham 1,431 60.6 +2.5
Liberal Democrats David Parry 733 31.0 +1.5
Labour Jane Cloke 197 8.3 -4.1
Majority 698 29.6 +1.0
Turnout 2,361 47.7 +4.0
Conservative hold Swing
Verulam[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Clare Ellis 1,213 45.7 +8.4
Liberal Democrats Peter Burton 1,051 39.6 -13.0
St Albans Party Janet Girsman 203 7.6 +7.6
Labour Larry Heyman 188 7.1 -0.7
Majority 162 6.1 -9.2
Turnout 2,655 53.8 -2.5
Conservative hold Swing
Wheathampstead[13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Paul Edelston 1,137 48.3 -11.5
Conservative Gillian Clark 1,062 45.1 +12.3
Labour Mary Cheale 157 6.7 -0.7
Majority 75 3.2 -23.8
Turnout 2,356 51.7 +2.8
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

References

  1. ^ "St Albans council". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Elections 2004: Results at a glance". The Guardian. 12 June 2004. p. 10.
  3. ^ "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  4. ^ "By-election date set after councillor quits". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank. 26 February 2004.
  5. ^ "Verulam Ward By Election Result 5th April 2004". St Albans City and District Council. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Alex (20 May 2004). "Parties get set to do battle". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  7. ^ Sherman, Jill (7 June 2004). "Labour set for severe losses on all sides". The Times. NewsBank. p. 2.
  8. ^ Johnston, Philip (9 June 2004). "Clue to result of general election lies with how we vote for councils". The Daily Telegraph. NewsBank. p. 2.
  9. ^ Lydall, Ross (11 June 2004). "Tories claim to have turned tide after South-East wins". Evening Standard. p. 8.
  10. ^ "Watford Lib Dems are strengthened". BBC News Online. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Blair: War cast shadow over election". This is Local London. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  12. ^ a b Bateman, Aaron (11 June 2004). "Liberal Democrats win fifth seat". Hertfordshire County Publications. NewsBank.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Local Elections: St Albans". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  14. ^ "Council control seized by Lib Dems". St Albans & Harpenden Review. 29 June 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "District Council Election Results 10th June 2004". St Albans District and City Council. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
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