1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election
7 June 1973 (1973-06-07) 1976 →

All 48 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Con
Lab
Leader Bob Flatman John Goldsmith
Party Conservative Labour
Seats after 23 17

  Third party Fourth party
 
Ind
RA
Party Independent Ratepayers
Seats after 7 1

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative
No overall control

The 1973 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 June 1973. It was the first election to North Hertfordshire District Council, and was held at the same time as other local elections across England for the new non-metropolitan district councils that were created under the Local Government Act 1972. The elected councillors initially formed a shadow authority to oversee the transition to the new system, operating alongside the five outgoing district councils until 1 April 1974 when the new district formally came into being.[1]

The election saw the Conservatives form the largest party on the council, albeit falling a couple of seats short of having a majority, leaving the council under no overall control. The Conservatives formed a minority administration, with their group leader, Bob Flatman, becoming the first leader of the council.[2]

Overall results[edit]

The overall results were as follows:[3]

North Hertfordshire District Council Election, 1973
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 23 47.9 42.7 14,958
  Labour 17 35.4 32.8 11,492
  Independent 7 14.6 19.6 6,862
  Ratepayers 1 2.1 3.1 1,099
  Liberal 0 0.0 1.8 616

Ward results[edit]

The new district was divided into 18 numbered wards, electing between one and four councillors each to give a total of 48 councillors:[4]

The results for each ward were as follows:[3][5][6][7]

Ward 1: Baldock
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Nora M. Burgess 1,212 40.4
Labour George A. York 813 27.1
Conservative John Barton 769 25.6
Labour Stanley Watson 687
Labour Roger McFall 639
Conservative Richard E. Harrison 605
Liberal John C. Whelan 207 6.9
Turnout 62.7
Registered electors 4,785
Independent win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 2: Hitchin Oughton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Audrey Carss 683 52.8
Labour James Reilly
(Jim Reilly)
666
Labour Charles Rowe
(Jim Rowe)
624
Conservative John Parfitt 338 26.1
Independent Tony Elliott 272 21.0
Turnout 27.1
Registered electors 4,094
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 3: Hitchin Bearton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Ballantyne 949 57.0
Conservative Dorothy Jenkinson 917
Labour Andrew McQuillan 716 43.0
Labour John Seabrook 705
Turnout 46.2
Registered electors 3,682
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 4: Hitchin Priory
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Stanley Flatman
(Bob Flatman)
1,013 59.6
Conservative Keith Crook 989
Conservative Derek Doel 960
Liberal Bill Williams 409 24.0
Labour Derek Massey 279 16.4
Labour Jean Gentle 267
Labour Athelstan Herbert 253
Turnout 33.7
Registered electors 4,469
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 5: Hitchin Walsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Goldsmith 880 36.7
Labour Peter Clarke 833
Ratepayers Ken Logan 769 32.1
Conservative David Ingram 750 31.3
Ratepayers Ted Morton 720
Labour Crystal Toleman 708
Turnout 46.3
Registered electors 4,023
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ratepayers win (new seat)
Ward 6: Hitchin Highbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Beryl Wearmouth 1,152 53.3
Conservative Les Ford 988
Conservative Michael Hillman 891
Independent Don Bache 748 34.6
Independent Ron Hartless 447
Independent George Jackson 387
Labour Walter Patrick Guymer 261 12.1
Labour David Wilson 230
Labour Doris Reilly 223
Independent Peter Hull 159
Turnout 45.7
Registered electors 4,211
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 7: Letchworth Norton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Miller
(Bill Miller)
1,513 62.9
Labour Christopher Derek Stockwell
(Chris Stockwell)
1,396
Labour Gerard Devlin
(Gerry Devlin)
1,384
Labour Edith Badstevener 1,309
Conservative James McGinlay 894 37.1
Conservative Brian J. Down 866
Turnout 37.0
Registered electors 6,285
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 8: Letchworth Pixmore
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David A. Griffiths 1,178 75.3
Labour Reginald S. Hall
(Reg Hall)
1,163
Labour Ernest M. Brown
(Ernie Brown)
1,149
Conservative William Charles Bifield
(Charles Bifield)
387 24.7
Turnout 32.9
Registered electors 5,057
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 9: Letchworth Wilbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Gallard 1,144 59.5
Labour Mary B. Briercliffe
(Mamie Briercliffe)
1,107
Labour Ian Mantle 1,102
Conservative John Cole 779 40.5
Conservative Barry C. Jackson 755
Turnout 47.0
Registered electors 4,243
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Ward 10: Letchworth Westbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Clifford J. Marshall
(Cliff Marshall)
832 54.5
Conservative John G. McKenna 782
Labour Donald Kitchiner
(Don Kitchiner)
696 45.5
Labour Edna Patricia Watson-Blake
(Pat Watson-Blake)
679
Turnout 62.2
Registered electors 2,519
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 11: Letchworth Central and Willian
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Saunders
(Bob Saunders)
962 59.9
Conservative Margaret Gavin Jones 941
Independent Douglas C. Squirrell 417 26.0
Labour Florence Wiggs 226 14.1
Labour Leslie Pulham
(Les Pulham)
165
Turnout 40.7
Registered electors 3,574
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 12: Royston
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent George William Stevens 1,559 42.7
Independent Patricia Alison Rule 1,544
Conservative Francis John Smith
(John Smith)
1,336 36.6
Independent Philip Leslie Gray 1,298
Conservative Christopher McMichael 852
Labour Robert Douglas Beckwith 760 20.8
Labour Brian William Cavanagh 673
Labour Alan Evans 666
Labour Anthony Clive Pettit 600
Turnout 58.2
Registered electors 6,279
Independent win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)
Ward 13: Ashwell, Bygrave, Caldecote, Clothall, Graveley, Hinxworth, Newnham, Radwell and Weston
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Eric James Gurney 971 51.5
Conservative Robert Peter Evans 649 34.4
Conservative Nellie Laura Thompson 642
Labour William Watson 266 14.1
Labour Willie Page 243
Turnout 67.4
Registered electors 2,800
Independent win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 14: Barkway, Barley, Kelshall, Nuthampstead, Reed, Rushden, Sandon, Therfield and Wallington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Esther Mary Brookes 710 55.5
Conservative Ian Smith Rose 558
Independent John Joseph Crumpholt 414 32.4
Labour Pamela Marjorie Toorchen 155 12.1
Labour Brian Douglas Miller 118
Turnout 55.5
Registered electors 2,304
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 15: Ippollitts, Kimpton, Langley, Preston, St Paul's Walden and Wymondley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ivan Wren 1,457 77.5
Conservative Margaret Jane McMurtrie
(Jane McMurtrie)
1,383
Conservative John Raffell 1,312
Labour David Kendall 422 22.5
Labour Christina Evans 405
Labour Philip Leslie Dicks 348
Turnout 42.6
Registered electors 4,547
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 16: Codicote
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Denis Winch 614 71.8
Labour Anthony Gentle 241 28.2
Turnout 43.2
Registered electors 1,986
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 17: Knebworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Dumelow 659 40.1
Conservative Alfred Grosse 555
Labour Martin Lisles 355 21.6
Ratepayers Dennis Bols 330 20.1
Independent Ernest Grosse 298 18.1
Turnout 46.5
Registered electors 2,675
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Ward 18: Hexton, Holwell, Ickleford, King's Walden, Lilley, Offley and Pirton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ron Lodge 971 37.6
Labour Gilbert Kendall 904 35.0
Independent David Stedman 894
Independent James Holden 847
Labour Ronald Hawkes
(Ron Hawkes)
770
Labour Raymond Cousins
(Ray Cousins)
742
Conservative Howard Swann 708 27.4
Conservative Arthur Baines 679
Conservative Ian Little 638
Turnout 52.7
Registered electors 4,736
Independent win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)

Changes 1973–1976[edit]

Ward 7: Letchworth Norton by-election, 25 September 1975
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Donald Kitchiner
(Don Kitchiner)
Conservative Geoffrey Peter Woods
(Geoff Woods)
Turnout 38.4
Majority 35
Labour hold Swing -10

The Letchworth Norton by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Chris Stockwell on 18 August 1975. The seat was retained for Labour by Don Kitchiner. The precise number of votes cast was not reported, only the majority, turnout and swing.[8][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 19 March 2023
  2. ^ "Tories take North Herts". The Comet. Hitchin. 14 June 1973. p. 2.
  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. ^ The County of Hertfordshire (District Wards) Order 1973
  5. ^ "The district council polling figures in detail". Cambridge Daily News. 9 June 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  6. ^ "How they voted in the rest of the region". Cambridge Daily News. 8 June 1973. p. 23. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Election round-up". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 14 June 1973. pp. 8–9.
  8. ^ "Tories name by-election candidate". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 21 August 1975. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Labour scrape in despite 10% Tory swing". Letchworth and Baldock Citizen Gazette. 2 October 1975. p. 16.