1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election

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1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election
← 1976 3 May 1979 (1979-05-03) 1980 →
All 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Con
Lab
Leader Bob Flatman Bill Miller
Party Conservative Labour
Seats before 30 11
Seats after 34 12
Seat change Increase4 Increase1
  Third party Fourth party
 
Ind
RA
Party Independent Ratepayers
Seats before 5 2
Seats after 2 2
Seat change Decrease3 Steady
Leader before election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

Leader after election

Bob Flatman
Conservative

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]

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

Overall results[edit]

The overall results were as follows:[3]

North Hertfordshire District Council Election, 1979
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 34 +4 68.0 52.0 33,135 +2.2
  Labour 12 +1 24.0 33.8 21,519 +5.0
  Liberal 0 0.0 4.7 2,988 +0.8
  Independent 2 -3 4.0 4.6 2,945 -7.7
  Ratepayers 2 0 4.0 3.6 2,082 -1.6
  Ecology 0 0.0 1.0 627 +1.0
  National Front 0 0.0 0.2 140 +0.2

Ward results[edit]

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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Sheldrick* 668 46.1
Liberal Glenis Travis 585 40.4
Labour John Payne 195 13.5
Turnout 82.6
Registered electors 1,753
Conservative win (new seat)
Ashbrook ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Tatham 1,084 63.3
Labour Keith Brydon 628 36.7
Turnout 83.3
Registered electors 2,054
Conservative win (new seat)
Baldock ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Evens 1,850 42.9
Conservative Lord Stanley Corbett[a] 1,663
Labour Willy Page 1,633 37.8
Labour Roger McFall 1,608
Labour Stan Watson 1,513
Conservative Colin Vaughan 1,499
Independent Jane Tomkinson 832 19.3
Turnout 86.8
Registered electors 4,974
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Labour gain from Independent Swing
  1. ^ "Lord" was his first given name rather than a title.
Cadwell ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ron Lodge* 733 52.2
Conservative James Halliday 474 33.7
Labour Jenny Marr 153 10.9
Liberal Sarah Low 45 3.2
Turnout 83.4
Registered electors 1,685
Independent win (new seat)
Codicote ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Denis Winch* 1,249 72.8
Labour Owen Swain 466 27.2
Turnout 80.9
Registered electors 2,119
Conservative hold Swing
Hitchin Bearton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Roberts* 1,605 50.8
Conservative Fred Scott* 1,537
Conservative Tim Phillips 1,507
Labour Paul Prescott 1,416 44.8
Labour Judi Smith 1,355
Labour Brian Abrahams 1,323
National Front Paul Cooper 140 4.4
Turnout 73.9
Registered electors 4,275
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative win (new seat)
Hitchin Highbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Beryl Wearmouth* 2,784 71.8
Conservative Stuart Grantham* 2,590
Conservative Betty Goble* 2,571
Labour Pat Guymer 1,092 28.2
Labour Doris Reilly 1,048
Labour Keith Ruff 985
Turnout 77.4
Registered electors 5,006
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Hitchin Oughton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Audrey Carss* 1,750 52.9
Labour Jim Reilly* 1,677
Labour Martin Stears 1,594
Conservative Derrick Ashley 1,275 38.5
Conservative Valerie Leeson 1,214
Conservative Andrew Smith 1,141
Independent Vic Logan 283 8.6
Turnout 75.4
Registered electors 4,385
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Hitchin Priory ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bob Flatman* 1,731 79.1
Conservative Michael Hillman* 1,606
Labour Roger Burford Mason 457 20.9
Labour Harchet Bains 341
Turnout 79.0
Registered electors 2,768
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ratepayers Ken Logan* 2,313 41.5
Ratepayers Brian Worbey* 2,119
Labour Fred Peacock* 1,703 30.6
Conservative Phillip MacCormack 1,551 27.9
Labour Moira Anderson 1,144
Labour Bill Harmer 1,105
Turnout 110.9
Registered electors 5,019
Ratepayers hold Swing
Ratepayers hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Hitchwood ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Raffell* 782 76.8
Labour Ms E. Connelly 236 23.2
Turnout 80.7
Registered electors 1,262
Conservative win (new seat)
Hoo ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Jackson* 786 63.4
Labour Tony Brown 453 36.6
Turnout 81.5
Registered electors 1,520
Conservative win (new seat)
Kimpton ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Paul Nicholson 672 54.1
Conservative Francis Thompson 484 38.9
Labour Don Smith 87 7.0
Turnout 82.9
Registered electors 1,500
Independent win (new seat)
Knebworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Dumelow* 1,691 59.9
Conservative Alfred Grosse* 1,195
Ecology Melanie Hutchins 627 22.2
Labour Christina Evans 507 17.9
Labour Joan Page 476
Turnout 91.5
Registered electors 3,088
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Letchworth East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Headley Parkins 1,526 45.1
Labour Stan Wilmer 1,479
Labour Tony McWalter 1,443
Conservative Alan Brett 1,436 42.4
Conservative Malcolm Bage 1,351
Conservative Peter Colvin 1,342
Independent Roger Leach 425 12.5
Turnout 83.3
Registered electors 4,067
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Letchworth Grange ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Miller* 2,400 62.4
Labour Don Kitchiner* 2,039
Labour David Kearns 1,977
Conservative Charles Bifield 1,444 37.6
Conservative John McKenna 1,429
Conservative Annie Murphy 1,327
Turnout 77.6
Registered electors 4,956
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Letchworth South East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Shipman* 2,270 54.9
Conservative John Yates 2,193
Conservative Jenny Ritchie 2,191
Labour Noel Geaney 1,863 45.1
Labour Joan Kirby 1,655
Labour George York 1,576
Turnout 74.6
Registered electors 5,537
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Letchworth South West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bob Saunders* 2,148 66.5
Conservative Anthony Burrows* 2,122
Conservative Geoffrey Woods* 1,970
Labour Stephen Spencer 1,080 33.5
Labour David Gallard 958
Labour Nigel Percival 891
Turnout 79.5
Registered electors 4,059
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ray Bloxham* 1,509 43.7
Conservative Keith Emsall* 1,394
Labour Ian Mantle 1,357 39.3
Conservative Jeffrey Smith 1,298
Labour David Evans* 1,290
Labour Mainie Briercliffe 1,270
Liberal Ian McGinley 587 17.0
Turnout 85.0
Registered electors 4,062
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Newsells ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Wilkerson* 736 79.6
Labour Anthony Pettit 189 20.4
Turnout 79.5
Registered electors 1,164
Conservative win (new seat)
Offa ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rosalie Fitzgerald 541 45.0
Labour David Kendall* 358 29.8
Liberal David Jamieson 304 25.3
Turnout 81.7
Registered electors 1,473
Conservative win (new seat)
Royston East ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pat Rule*[a] 1,843 58.2
Conservative Francis John Smith* 1,822
Liberal Sydney Charles McLennan 672 21.2
Labour Robert Pratt 650 20.5
Labour John Walker 577
Turnout 85.5
Registered electors 3,701
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
  1. ^ Pat Rule had been elected as an independent in 1976, but she stood as a Conservative in 1979.
Royston West ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Duncan Ferguson 1,807 51.9
Conservative Harold Greenfield 1,590
Conservative Andrew Emms 1,379
Labour Alan Evans 883 25.3
Liberal Hazel Lord 795 22.8
Labour Jessie Etheridge 739
Labour Michael Kernaghan 684
Liberal Eric Harlow [a]
Turnout 83.2
Registered electors 4,188
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
  1. ^ Result obscured in source.
Sandon ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Esther Brookes* 734 82.6
Labour Jenny Weetch 155 17.4
Turnout 80.5
Registered electors 1,105
Conservative win (new seat)
Weston ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Evans* 653 69.8
Labour Mick Donaghue 282 30.2
Turnout 82.9
Registered electors 1,128
Conservative win (new seat)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
  2. ^ Pattinson, Nadine (9 May 1979). "Tory Council get a vote of confidence". The Comet. Hitchin. 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. ^ "Council election results". The Comet. Hitchin. 9 May 1979. p. 40.
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