2019 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 2018 2 May 2019 (2019-05-02) 2021 →
16 of 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
LD
Leader Lynda Needham Martin Stears-Handscomb Paul Clark
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Seats before 28 14 7
Seats after 22 16 11
Seat change Decrease6 Increase2 Increase4
Popular vote 9,380 5,675 7,384
Percentage 36.0% 21.8% 28.4%
Leader before election

Lynda Needham
Conservative

Leader after election

Martin Stears-Handscomb
Labour
No overall control

The 2019 North Hertfordshire Council election was held on 2 May 2019, at the same time as other local elections across England and Northern Ireland. Of the 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council, 16 were up for election.[1][2]

The Conservatives had a majority on the council prior to the election, but lost a net total of six seats, leaving the council under no overall control. The Conservative leader and leader of the council prior to the election was Lynda Needham, who lost her Letchworth South West seat after a tie with the Liberal Democrat candidate, Sean Prendergast, which was settled by drawing lots.[3] Whilst the Conservatives remained the largest party, with six seats more than any other party, a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition took control of the council after the election, with the Labour leader, Martin Stears-Handscomb, becoming leader of the council, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Paul Clark, becoming deputy leader of the council.[4] David Levett became new leader of the Conservative group, which became the opposition.[5]

Overall results

Map showing the winner in each ward for the 2019 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The overall results were as follows:[6]

2019 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 7 Decrease 6 43.8 15 22 44.9 9,380 36.0 -3.6
  Liberal Democrats 6 Increase 4 37.5 7 11 22.4 7,384 28.4 +7.8
  Labour 3 Increase 2 18.8 13 16 32.7 5,675 21.8 -9.2
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 2,757 10.6 +3.3
  UKIP 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 841 3.2 +2.9

Ward Results

The results for each ward were as follows. Where the previous incumbent was standing for re-election they are marked with an asterisk(*).[7]

Arbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Thomas Wade Tyson
(Tom Tyson) 		570 51.0% +39.5
Conservative Christopher John Schwick
(Chris Schwick) 		453 40.5% -23.4
Green Timothy Peter Lee
(Tim Lee) 		88 7.9% -5.0
Turnout 1,118 51.6%
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +31.5
Baldock Town ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Douglas Robert Mackenzie Muir* 941 51.4% +0.7
Liberal Democrats Robin Christopher Lambie
(Rob Lambie) 		350 19.1% +5.9
Labour Colwyn Luke Griffiths 321 17.5% -12.7
Green George Woolhouse 201 11.0% +5.4
Turnout 1,832 32.0%
Conservative hold Swing -2.6
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Samuel North
(Sam North) 		352 48.0% +38.1
Conservative Michael Frank Goddard 207 28.2% -29.8
Labour David Leon De Smet 95 12.9% -6.7
Green Rosamund Brigid McGuire 72 9.8% -0.8
Turnout 734 41.2%
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +33.9
Chesfield ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Edmund Rhys Davies 595 42.0% +7.5
Liberal Democrats Keith Abrahams 337 23.8% -18.5
Labour Yusuf Liam Mayet 226 15.9% -0.9
Green Mary Karin Marshall 220 15.5% +9.6
Turnout 1,417 27.4%
Conservative hold Swing +13.0
Ermine ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gerald Edward Morris* 492 59.2% -14.5
Liberal Democrats Suzanne Anderton
(Suzie Anderton) 		187 22.5% +22.5
Green Mark Alister Gamon 104 12.5% -11.7
Labour Robin Anthony King 40 4.8% +4.8
Turnout 831 40.2%
Conservative hold Swing -18.5
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Judi Billing* 1,157 53.7% -2.6
Liberal Democrats Jonathan Clayden 351 16.3% +3.0
Conservative Gulshan Deep Singh Mangat 328 15.2% -6.8
Green Anni Elke Sander 296 13.7% +5.9
Turnout 2,155 34.4%
Labour hold Swing -2.8
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Keith Hoskins 1,606 62.2% +14.6
Conservative Leon Emirali 534 20.7% -9.4
Labour Angela Jean Griggs 244 9.5% -7.2
Green Diana Joyce Newson 181 7.0% +1.4
Turnout 2,582 41.9%
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +12.0
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kay Frances Tart 994 44.4% -3.7
Conservative Mark David Russell 570 25.4% -4.5
Green William Lavin 393 17.5% +5.8
Liberal Democrats Ying Han 255 11.4% +1.5
Turnout 2,240 37.1%
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +0.4
Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David John Barnard* 1,149 54.7% -8.3
Green Nicola Jane Clark
(Nicky Clark) 		360 17.1% +7.3
Liberal Democrats Marilyn Margaret Parkin 305 14.5% +5.6
Labour Anton Jungreuthmayer 260 12.4% -5.8
Turnout 2,100 36.1%
Conservative hold Swing -7.8
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Morgan William Derbyshire 708 37.9% +0.1
Labour Conor Brogan 563 30.1% -13.3
UKIP Steven Adelantado 234 12.5% +12.5
Liberal Democrats Joshua Edward Hamilton
(Josh Hamilton) 		187 10.0% -1.4
Green Sarah Elizabeth Cope 172 9.2% +1.3
Turnout 1,868 34.4%
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +6.7

The retiring councillor in Letchworth Grange ward, Paul Marment, had been elected as a Conservative in 2015, but defected to the Liberal Democrats in 2018.[8]

Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Adem Irfan Ruggiero-Cakir 796 43.3% +4.3
Conservative Andrew Malcolm Clare 783 42.6% +4.0
UKIP Sidney Arthur Start 242 13.2% +7.6
Turnout 1,838 34.0%
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +0.1
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Sean Prendergast 800 34.6% +7.8
Conservative Lynda Ann Needham* 800 34.6% -9.0
Labour Jean Andrews 279 12.1% -9.5
UKIP Wendy Gross 218 9.4% +9.4
Green Nicholas Mark Newson 201 8.7% +1.1
Turnout 2,312 38.9%
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +8.4

As the result in Letchworth South West ward was a draw, the tied candidates drew lots to choose the winner.[3]

Royston Heath ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Carol Ann Stanier 963 54.2% +9.4
Conservative Sarah Anne Dingley* 538 30.3% -10.4
Green Katherine Marie Shann 134 7.5% +3.7
Labour Amy Jane Bourke-Waite 119 6.7% -3.6
Turnout 1,777 40.3%
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +9.9
Royston Meridian ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Frederick Hunter*
(Tony Hunter) 		699 47.3% -7.8
Liberal Democrats Peter Martin Rice 340 23.0% +13.6
UKIP Christopher Laurence Arquati 147 9.9% +9.9
Labour Stephen James Lockett 147 9.9% -7.2
Green Karen Julie Harmel 140 9.5% -8.2
Turnout 1,479 35.9%
Conservative hold Swing -10.7
Royston Palace ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jean Margaret Green* 474 37.8% -5.5
Labour Robert Edward Inwood
(Rob Inwood) 		415 33.1% -0.5
Liberal Democrats Amy Chesterton Di Capite 180 14.4% -1.5
Green Angela Clark 170 13.6% +6.5
Turnout 1,253 28.6%
Conservative hold Swing -2.5
Weston and Sandon ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Kenneth Jarvis*
(Steve Jarvis) 		601 79.1% +21.6
Conservative Michael Steven Frederick Storm Hearn 109 14.3% -18.3
Green Desmond Peter Stephens
(Des Stephens) 		25 3.3% -6.2
Labour Headley Valentine Parkins 19 2.5% 2.5
Turnout 760 46.2%
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +20.0

Changes 2019–2021

Two councillors resigned in March 2020: Ben Lewis, Conservative councillor for Royston Palace, and Deepak Sangha, Labour councillor for Letchworth Wilbury. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic no by-election could be held. The vacancies were subsequently filled at the 2021 election, which would have been when Deepak Sangha's term of office would have expired anyway.[9]

References

  1. ^ "The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/3112, retrieved 4 March 2023
  2. ^ "North Hertfordshire District Council". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b Barrow, Georgia; Mountney, Dan (3 May 2019). "Local Elections 2019: North Herts council leader loses seat after drawing straws". The Comet. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2019". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Your councillors". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. ^ Andrew, Teale. "Local Election Results 2019: North Hertfordshire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Election Results 2019". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  8. ^ Asher, J. P. (17 August 2018). "Letchworth Conservative councillor defects to Lib Dems". The Comet. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  9. ^ Thorburn, Jacob (1 April 2020). "Two NHDC councillors out following string of recent absences". The Comet. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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