1984 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1984 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 1983 3 May 1984 (1984-05-03) 1986 →
17 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
RA
Leader Bob Flatman Ian Mantle
Party Conservative Labour Ratepayers
Seats before 30 15 2
Seats after 31 12 3
Seat change Increase1 Decrease3 Increase1
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Ind
Lib
SDP
Party Independent Liberal SDP
Seats before 2 0 1
Seats after 2 1 1
Seat change Steady Increase1 Steady
Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

The 1984 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 3 May 1984, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. There were 17 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.[1]

The Conservatives remained in overall control of the council, increasing their majority by one seat. Labour lost three seats, despite its share of the vote actually increasing compared to the 1983 election. The Labour group leader, Ian Mantle, was one of those who lost his seat.[2]

Overall results[edit]

The overall results were as follows:[3]

1984 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 9 Increase1 52.9 22 31 62.0 13,805 39.0 -3.1
  Labour 5 Decrease3 29.4 7 12 24.0 11,434 32.3 +3.2
  Alliance 1 Increase1 5.9 1 2 4.0 8,517 24.1 0.0
  Ratepayers 1 Increase1 5.9 2 3 6.0 1,094 3.1 -1.6
  Independent 1 Steady 5.9 1 2 4.0 525 1.5 +1.5

Liberal and SDP votes are counted together in the summary above as part of the Alliance. In the ward results below, where the individual party affiliation of Alliance candidates was reported it is shown instead.

Ward results[edit]

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election.[3][4][5]

Ashbrook ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Tatham* 633 55.4 -6.8
Labour Keith Brydon 311 27.2 -10.6
Alliance John Seabrook 199 17.4 +17.4
Turnout 55.6
Registered electors 2,057
Conservative hold Swing +1.9
Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Moir 1,163 40.8 +5.2
Conservative Alan Ford 1,050 36.9 -10.4
Alliance Bill Gore 636 22.3 +5.2
Turnout 48.8
Registered electors 5,839
Labour hold Swing +7.8
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ron Lodge 525 61.0 +1.7
Labour Mark Baker 205 23.8 +5.3
SDP Ann Milner 130 15.1 +15.1
Turnout 48.5
Registered electors 1,773
Independent hold Swing -1.8
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Judi Billing*[a] 1,056 47.0 +9.5
Conservative Jean Saunders 893 39.7 -1.9
SDP Harry Shipley 299 13.3 -3.5
Turnout 50.5
Registered electors 4,450
Labour hold Swing +5.7
  1. ^ Previously elected in 1980 as Judi Smith.
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phillip MacCormack* 1,247 51.9 -13.8
SDP Mary Burton 772 32.1 +11.8
Labour Teresa Trangmar 386 16.0 +1.9
Turnout 47.1
Registered electors 5,105
Conservative hold Swing -12.8
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Stears* 1,096 60.4 +6.1
Conservative Derrick Ashley 459 25.3 -7.2
Alliance Lorna Maclean 260 14.3 +1.2
Turnout 41.5
Registered electors 4,377
Labour hold Swing +6.7
Hitchin Priory ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frank Howett* 858 67.7 +2.7
SDP Aileen Burford-Mason 275 21.7 -6.5
Labour Nigel Agar 135 10.6 +3.8
Turnout 45.8
Registered electors 2,769
Conservative hold Swing +4.6
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ratepayers Chris Parker 1,094 36.2 -10.2
Labour Veronica Sharp 938 31.0 +6.2
Conservative Julian Glynne Jones
(Glynne Jones) 		595 19.7 +1.0
Alliance Jenny Sefton 397 13.1 +3.1
Turnout 50.9
Registered electors 5,941
Ratepayers gain from Labour Swing -8.2
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Hilton 797 52.1 -5.9
Alliance Andy Hudson 445 29.1 +8.8
Labour Brian Kelly 288 18.8 -1.1
Turnout 48.0
Registered electors 3,188
Conservative hold Swing -7.4
Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Headley Parkins* 1,073 43.3 +3.2
Alliance Martin Fisher 871 35.1 +2.9
Conservative Nicholas King 536 21.6 -6.1
Turnout 42.5
Registered electors 5,841
Labour hold Swing +0.2
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Kearns* 1,122 41.1 +3.9
SDP Brian Nicholson 934 34.2 -0.7
Conservative Richard Sturman 673 24.7 -3.3
Turnout 52.7
Registered electors 5,179
Labour hold Swing +2.3
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Whalley 1,173 34.2 -2.1
SDP David Attwood 1,150 33.5 -4.1
Labour David Evans* 1,107 32.3 +6.2
Turnout 57.6
Registered electors 5,954
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +1.0
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Woods* 1,294 54.3 -0.7
Labour John Preston 596 25.0 +0.8
Liberal Rosemary Ryden 494 20.7 -0.1
Turnout 53.1
Registered electors 4,491
Conservative hold Swing -0.8
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Bloxham 1,062 44.4 +2.4
Labour Ian Mantle* 1,007 42.1 -3.1
Alliance Hans Mulder 325 13.6 +0.7
Turnout 59.6
Registered electors 4,016
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +2.8
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis John Smith*
(John Smith) 		1,133 72.4 +17.3
Labour Mandy Webb 432 27.6 +16.7
Turnout 39.2
Registered electors 3,996
Conservative hold Swing +0.3
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold Margolis 1,157 46.3 +3.0
Conservative Terence Bernard Botfield*
(Terry Botfield) 		943 37.8 -5.8
Labour Eunice King 397 15.9 +2.8
Turnout 46.9
Registered electors 5,319
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +4.4
Weston ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Evans* 459 60.9 -3.6
Alliance Gary Barker 173 22.9 +22.9
Labour Roger McFall 122 16.2 -19.3
Turnout 54.0
Registered electors 1,396
Conservative hold Swing -13.3

Changes 1984–1986[edit]

Two by-elections were held on 28 March 1985. The by-election in Cadwell ward was triggered by the death of independent councillor Ron Lodge, and the by-election in Letchworth South West ward was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor John Talbot. The SDP–Liberal Alliance won the Letchworth South West seat from the Conservatives. In Cadwell ward the Conservatives won the seat which had previously been independent.[6]

Cadwell ward by-election, 28 March 1985
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Linda Turner 293 37.7 -23.4
SDP John Seabrook 275 35.3 +11.5
Labour Jan Gosling 210 27.0 +11.9
Conservative gain from Independent Swing -17.5
Letchworth South West ward by-election, 28 March 1985
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Armitage 1,202 45.5 +24.7
Conservative Ron Edwards 937 35.4 -18.8
Labour Bill Miller 505 19.1 -5.9
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +21.8

References[edit]

  1. ^ The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ^ "Triple blow for Labour". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 10 May 1984. p. 1.
  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. ^ "North Herts results". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 10 May 1984. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Liberal breaks Royston monopoly". Cambridge Evening News. 4 May 1984. p. 28. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  6. ^ Saunders, Bernie (4 April 1985). "Now bring on the county elections say Alliance". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen. p. 3.
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