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1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 1987 5 May 1988 (1988-05-05) 1990 →

18 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
SDP
Leader Bob Flatman Judi Billing Tony Quinn
Party Conservative Labour SDP
Seats before 26 13 4
Seats after 27 13 4
Seat change Increase1 Steady Steady

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
SLD
RA
Party SLD Ratepayers
Seats before 4 3
Seats after 3 3
Seat change Decrease1 Steady

Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

The 1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 5 May 1988, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. 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 Codicote ward.[1]

The Conservatives made a net gain of one seat to increase their majority on the council. The former SDP–Liberal Alliance group of eight councillors had fragmented ahead of the election; four joined the new merged party of the Social and Liberal Democrats (renamed the Liberal Democrats the following year), but the other four (including former Alliance group leader, Tony Quinn) joined the breakaway continuing Social Democratic Party opposed to the merger.[2]

Overall results

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The overall results were as follows:[3]

1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 12 Increase1 66.7 15 27 54.0 14,569 41.1 +1.6
  Labour 5 Steady 27.8 8 13 26.0 11,412 32.2 +7.8
  SLD 0 Decrease1 0.0 3 3 6.0 6,094 17.2 -14.5
  SDP 0 Steady 0.0 4 4 8.0 1,363 3.8 new
  Ratepayers 1 Steady 5.6 2 3 6.0 1,869 5.3 +1.2
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 138 0.4 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.[3]

Ashbrook ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Tatham* 667 64.6 +9.2
Labour Keith Brydon 253 24.5 −2.7
SLD Jonathan Heath 113 10.9 −6.5
Turnout 50.0
Registered electors 2,046
Conservative hold Swing +6.0
Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bernard Crow 1,595 50.7 +4.0
Labour Alan Moir* 1,327 42.2 +15.1
SLD Sara Tustin 221 7.0 −19.1
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 6,703
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -5.6
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Lee 538 55.1 +17.4
Labour Charles MacNally
(Charlie MacNally)
327 33.5 +6.5
SLD Richard Canning 88 9.0 −26.3
SDP Bernadette Hatch
(Bernie Hatch)
24 2.5 +2.5
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 1,801
Conservative hold Swing +5.5
Codicote ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Ian Smith 769 75.9 +32.4
Labour Peter Read 244 24.1 −0.1
Conservative hold Swing +16.3

The by-election in Codicote ward was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Denis Winch.

Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Judi Billing* 1,174 54.1 +14.1
Conservative Norman Frost 624 28.7 −8.4
SLD Penelope Cunningham
(Penny Cunningham)
171 7.9 −15.0
Ratepayers John Edwards 135 6.2 +6.2
Green Christopher Studman 68 3.1 +3.1
Turnout 48.0
Registered electors 4,500
Labour hold Swing +11.3
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phillip MacCormack* 1,092 46.2 −3.1
SLD Rosemary Read 471 19.9 −21.2
Labour David Tizzard 359 15.2 +5.5
SDP Carolyn Randall 294 12.4 +12.4
Ratepayers Jacqueline Tait 150 6.3 +6.3
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 5,154
Conservative hold Swing +9.1
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joan Kirby 1,022 70.5 +19.5
SLD Michael John Edwards 427 29.5 +5.7
Turnout 35.0
Registered electors 4,225
Labour hold Swing +6.9
Hitchin Priory ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Howett*
(Frank Howett)
832 65.8 +8.7
SLD Jennifer Sefton
(Jenny Sefton)
265 21.0 −6.8
Labour Roger Wood 167 13.2 −2.0
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 2,737
Conservative hold Swing +7.8
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ratepayers Christopher Parker* 1,584 62.0 +13.8
Labour Roger Newby 688 26.9 +6.0
SLD Paul Clark 213 8.3 −5.0
Green Elizabeth Ann Roberts 70 2.7 +1.1
Turnout 42.0
Registered electors 6,096
Ratepayers hold Swing +3.9
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Hilton* 917 62.4 +4.8
SLD Michael Stiff
(Mike Stiff)
286 19.5 −6.4
Labour Jack Nelson 266 18.1 +1.6
Turnout 43.0
Registered electors 3,416
Conservative hold Swing +5.6
Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Lorna Kercher 1,077 53.2 +11.7
Conservative David Langridge 607 30.0 +4.1
SLD Keith Marr 340 16.8 −15.7
Turnout 48.0
Registered electors 4,199
Labour hold Swing +3.8
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Kearns* 1,302 42.6 +8.6
Conservative Michael Muir 861 28.2 +1.1
SLD Alison Kingman 729 23.9 −12.6
SDP Sue Sinclair 164 5.4 +5.4
Turnout 58.0
Registered electors 5,215
Labour hold Swing +3.8
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Wood 1,158 39.1 +5.8
Labour David Evans 812 27.4 +8.2
SDP James Bray 707 23.9 +23.9
SLD Harry Shipley 287 9.7 −37.9
Turnout 49.0
Registered electors 6,004
Conservative hold Swing -1.2
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Woods*
(Geoff Woods)
1,203 48.3 −3.7
SLD Ian Simpson 697 28.0 −10.0
Labour Tony McWalter 418 16.8 +6.7
SDP Robert Ashton 174 7.0 +7.0
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 4,642
Conservative hold Swing +3.2
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Mardell 1,010 46.1 +8.1
Conservative Ray Bloxham* 941 42.9 −0.2
SLD Derek Hunter 242 11.0 −7.9
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 4,036
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +4.2
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis John Smith* 1,146 58.3 +6.1
SLD Jennifer Comley 493 25.1 −9.3
Labour Christopher Hills 328 16.7 +3.2
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 4,170
Conservative hold Swing +7.7
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Hughes 1,216 46.8 −1.7
SLD Gwyn Hardwicke 855 32.9 −2.2
Labour Robin King 525 20.2 +3.9
Turnout 46.0
Registered electors 5,652
Conservative gain from SLD Swing +0.3
Weston ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Evans* 403 56.6 −4.3
SLD Stephen Jarvis 196 27.5 +4.6
Labour Rodney Leete 113 15.9 −0.3
Turnout 57.0
Registered electors 1,248
Conservative hold Swing -4.5

Changes 1988–1990

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Royston West ward by-election, 27 October 1988
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Timothy Doyle
(Tim Doyle)
801 46.6 −0.2
SLD Jenny Comley 455 26.5 −6.5
Labour Robin King 363 21.1 +0.9
SDP Michael Harrison 100 5.8 +5.8
Turnout 1000.0
Registered electors
Conservative gain from SLD Swing +3.2

The Royston West by-election was triggered by the resignation of Social and Liberal Democrat councillor Fran Bate. Tim Doyle won the seat for the Conservatives.[4]

Hitchin Priory ward by-election, 22 February 1990
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Thake
Liberal Democrats Stephen Harbron
Labour David Billing
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing

The Hitchin Priory by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Frank Howett. The seat was retained for the Conservatives by Richard Thake. The number of votes was not reported, but it was said that the Conservative vote was down 20% from the last time the seat was contested and the Liberal Democrat share of the vote was 33%.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ^ "Increased majority for happy Tories". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen. 11 May 1988. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Tories make it a double". Cambridge Daily News. 31 October 1988. p. 7. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Councillor Richard Thake". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Worst Tory result". Letchworth and Baldock Gazette. 2 March 1990. p. 5.