Council election in England
1979 North Hertfordshire District Council election |
All 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council 26 seats needed for a majority |
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| First party | Second party | | Con | Lab | Leader | Bob Flatman | Bill Miller | Party | Conservative | Labour | Seats before | 30 | 11 | Seats after | 34 | 12 | Seat change | 4 | 1 | | | Third party | Fourth party | | Ind | RA | Party | Independent | Ratepayers | Seats before | 5 | 2 | Seats after | 2 | 2 | Seat change | 3 | | |
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
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
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 | | |
- ^ "Lord" was his first given name rather than a title.
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) |
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) |
- ^ 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) |
- ^ 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
- ^ a b The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1442)
- ^ Pattinson, Nadine (9 May 1979). "Tory Council get a vote of confidence". The Comet. Hitchin. p. 1.
- ^ a b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "Council election results". The Comet. Hitchin. 9 May 1979. p. 40.