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 |  1
|
50.0 | 8 | 17 | 50.0 | 10,154 | 41.0 | +7.8 | |
| Labour | 8 | 
|
44.4 | 18 | 26 | 52.0 | 9,141 | 36.9 | -8.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 |  1
|
5.6 | 5 | 6 | 12.0 | 5,088 | 20.6 | -1.3 | |
| Green | 0 |
|
0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 273 | 1.1 | +1.1 | |
| Natural Law | 0 |
|
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]
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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.
| 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 | |||
| 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.
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
- ^ Previously elected in 1994 as Pat Kennington.
References
- ^ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
- ^ "Royston ready to go to the polls". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 10 April 1998. p. 144. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Night's only gain is delight for Tories". Royston and Buntingford Mercury. 15 May 1998. p. 4. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ a b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ Pankhurst, Nigel (14 May 1998). "Elections bring almost no council changes". Hitchin Comet. p. 12.
