1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 3 May 1979, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales and the 1979 United Kingdom general election. All 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council were up for election following ward boundary changes.[1]

1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 19763 May 1979 (1979-05-03)1980 →

All 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
 
Con
Lab
LeaderBob FlatmanBill Miller
PartyConservativeLabour
Seats before3011
Seats after3412
Seat changeIncrease4Increase1

 Third partyFourth party
 
Ind
RA
PartyIndependentRatepayers
Seats before52
Seats after22
Seat changeDecrease3Steady

Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

The election saw the Conservatives increase their majority on the council.[2]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows:[3]

North Hertfordshire District Council Election, 1979
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
 Conservative34+468.052.033,135+2.2
 Labour12+124.033.821,519+5.0
 Liberal00.04.72,988+0.8
 Independent2-34.04.62,945-7.7
 Ratepayers204.03.62,082-1.6
 Ecology00.01.0627+1.0
 National Front00.00.2140+0.2

Ward results

The number of seats on the council was increased from 48 to 50 and there were extensive ward boundary changes. The new ward arrangements allowed for the council to subsequently be elected roughly a third at a time rather than all at once.[1] The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election.[3][4]

Arbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeJohn Sheldrick* 668 46.1
LiberalGlenis Travis58540.4
LabourJohn Payne19513.5
Turnout82.6
Registered electors1,753
Conservative win (new seat)
Ashbrook ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeMichael Tatham 1,084 63.3
LabourKeith Brydon62836.7
Turnout83.3
Registered electors2,054
Conservative win (new seat)
Baldock ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeAlan Evens 1,850 42.9
ConservativeLord Stanley Corbett[a] 1,663
LabourWilly Page 1,633 37.8
LabourRoger McFall1,608
LabourStan Watson1,513
ConservativeColin Vaughan1,499
IndependentJane Tomkinson83219.3
Turnout86.8
Registered electors4,974
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Labour gain from IndependentSwing
Cadwell ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
IndependentRon Lodge* 733 52.2
ConservativeJames Halliday47433.7
LabourJenny Marr15310.9
LiberalSarah Low453.2
Turnout83.4
Registered electors1,685
Independent win (new seat)
Codicote ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDenis Winch* 1,249 72.8
LabourOwen Swain46627.2
Turnout80.9
Registered electors2,119
Conservative holdSwing
Hitchin Bearton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDavid Roberts* 1,605 50.8
ConservativeFred Scott* 1,537
ConservativeTim Phillips 1,507
LabourPaul Prescott1,41644.8
LabourJudi Smith1,355
LabourBrian Abrahams1,323
National FrontPaul Cooper1404.4
Turnout73.9
Registered electors4,275
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative win (new seat)
Hitchin Highbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeBeryl Wearmouth* 2,784 71.8
ConservativeStuart Grantham* 2,590
ConservativeBetty Goble* 2,571
LabourPat Guymer1,09228.2
LabourDoris Reilly1,048
LabourKeith Ruff985
Turnout77.4
Registered electors5,006
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Hitchin Oughton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LabourAudrey Carss* 1,750 52.9
LabourJim Reilly* 1,677
LabourMartin Stears 1,594
ConservativeDerrick Ashley1,27538.5
ConservativeValerie Leeson1,214
ConservativeAndrew Smith1,141
IndependentVic Logan2838.6
Turnout75.4
Registered electors4,385
Labour holdSwing
Labour holdSwing
Labour holdSwing
Hitchin Priory ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeBob Flatman* 1,731 79.1
ConservativeMichael Hillman* 1,606
LabourRoger Burford Mason45720.9
LabourHarchet Bains341
Turnout79.0
Registered electors2,768
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Hitchin Walsworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RatepayersKen Logan* 2,313 41.5
RatepayersBrian Worbey* 2,119
LabourFred Peacock* 1,703 30.6
ConservativePhillip MacCormack1,55127.9
LabourMoira Anderson1,144
LabourBill Harmer1,105
Turnout110.9
Registered electors5,019
Ratepayers holdSwing
Ratepayers holdSwing
Labour holdSwing
Hitchwood ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeJohn Raffell* 782 76.8
LabourMs E. Connelly23623.2
Turnout80.7
Registered electors1,262
Conservative win (new seat)
Hoo ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeJohn Jackson* 786 63.4
LabourTony Brown45336.6
Turnout81.5
Registered electors1,520
Conservative win (new seat)
Kimpton ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
IndependentPaul Nicholson 672 54.1
ConservativeFrancis Thompson48438.9
LabourDon Smith877.0
Turnout82.9
Registered electors1,500
Independent win (new seat)
Knebworth ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeGordon Dumelow* 1,691 59.9
ConservativeAlfred Grosse* 1,195
EcologyMelanie Hutchins62722.2
LabourChristina Evans50717.9
LabourJoan Page476
Turnout91.5
Registered electors3,088
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Letchworth East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LabourHeadley Parkins 1,526 45.1
LabourStan Wilmer 1,479
LabourTony McWalter 1,443
ConservativeAlan Brett1,43642.4
ConservativeMalcolm Bage1,351
ConservativePeter Colvin1,342
IndependentRoger Leach42512.5
Turnout83.3
Registered electors4,067
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Letchworth Grange ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LabourBill Miller* 2,400 62.4
LabourDon Kitchiner* 2,039
LabourDavid Kearns 1,977
ConservativeCharles Bifield1,44437.6
ConservativeJohn McKenna1,429
ConservativeAnnie Murphy1,327
Turnout77.6
Registered electors4,956
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Letchworth South East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativePaul Shipman* 2,270 54.9
ConservativeJohn Yates 2,193
ConservativeJenny Ritchie 2,191
LabourNoel Geaney1,86345.1
LabourJoan Kirby1,655
LabourGeorge York1,576
Turnout74.6
Registered electors5,537
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Letchworth South West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeBob Saunders* 2,148 66.5
ConservativeAnthony Burrows* 2,122
ConservativeGeoffrey Woods* 1,970
LabourStephen Spencer1,08033.5
LabourDavid Gallard958
LabourNigel Percival891
Turnout79.5
Registered electors4,059
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Letchworth Wilbury ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRay Bloxham* 1,509 43.7
ConservativeKeith Emsall* 1,394
LabourIan Mantle 1,357 39.3
ConservativeJeffrey Smith1,298
LabourDavid Evans*1,290
LabourMainie Briercliffe1,270
LiberalIan McGinley58717.0
Turnout85.0
Registered electors4,062
Conservative holdSwing
Conservative holdSwing
Labour gain from ConservativeSwing
Newsells ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRobert Wilkerson* 736 79.6
LabourAnthony Pettit18920.4
Turnout79.5
Registered electors1,164
Conservative win (new seat)
Offa ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRosalie Fitzgerald 541 45.0
LabourDavid Kendall*35829.8
LiberalDavid Jamieson30425.3
Turnout81.7
Registered electors1,473
Conservative win (new seat)
Royston East ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativePat Rule*[a] 1,843 58.2
ConservativeFrancis John Smith* 1,822
LiberalSydney Charles McLennan67221.2
LabourRobert Pratt65020.5
LabourJohn Walker577
Turnout85.5
Registered electors3,701
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Royston West ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeDuncan Ferguson 1,807 51.9
ConservativeHarold Greenfield 1,590
ConservativeAndrew Emms 1,379
LabourAlan Evans88325.3
LiberalHazel Lord79522.8
LabourJessie Etheridge739
LabourMichael Kernaghan684
LiberalEric Harlow[a]
Turnout83.2
Registered electors4,188
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Sandon ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeEsther Brookes* 734 82.6
LabourJenny Weetch15517.4
Turnout80.5
Registered electors1,105
Conservative win (new seat)
Weston ward
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRobert Evans* 653 69.8
LabourMick Donaghue28230.2
Turnout82.9
Registered electors1,128
Conservative win (new seat)

References