2016 North Hertfordshire District Council election

2016 North Hertfordshire District Council election
15 of 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council; 25 seats needed for a majority
Leader before election; Lynda Needham; Conservative	Leader after election ; Lynda Needham; Conservative

The 2015 North Hertfordshire Council election was held on 5 May 2016, at the same time as other local elections across England. Of the 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council, 15 were up for election.^[1]^[2]

The Conservatives lost two seats, one to Labour and one to the Liberal Democrats, but retained their overall majority on the council.^[3]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows:^[4]

2016 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
Party		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Conservative	7	2	46.7	27	34	69.4	10,383	40.1	-7.7
	Labour	6	1	40.0	6	12	24.5	7,087	27.3	+5.5
	Liberal Democrats	2	1	13.3	1	3	6.1	3,893	15.0	+3.5
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,224	8.6	-0.9
	UKIP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,035	7.9	-1.6
	Independent	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	291	1.1	N/A

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. Where the previous incumbent was standing for re-election they are marked with an asterisk(*).^[5]

Baldock East ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Valentine Shanley	471	45.9%	-1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Richard William Winter	272	26.5%	-12.2
	Labour	Gillian Anne Tyler	121	11.8%	+3.3
	UKIP	Brian George Alderton	109	10.6%	+10.6
	Green	Jane Louise Turner	48	4.7%	-0.7
Turnout			1,027	45.2%
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.6

Baldock Town ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Edwin Weeks*	896	48.7%	-6.2
	Labour	Geraldine Dobson	377	20.5%	+0.2
	UKIP	Brian Cyril Munnery	251	13.6%	-0.4
	Green	Emily Charlotte Beswarick	169	9.2%	-1.4
	Liberal Democrats	Marcus Eric Keighley	138	7.5%	+7.5
Turnout			1,841	31.7%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.2

Chesfield ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Terry Tyler	668	42.3%	+26.4
	Conservative	James Terence Henry	545	34.5%	-12.8
	Labour	John Hayes	266	16.8%	-1.4
	Green	Felicity Ann Power	93	5.9%	+1.7
Turnout			1,581	30.6%
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+19.6

Hitchin Bearton ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ian Clive Albert	1,036	48.1%	+5.3
	Conservative	Serena Farrow	580	26.9%	-2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Stuart Alder	272	12.6%	+2.1
	Green	William Barry Lavin	243	11.3%	+1.1
Turnout			2,154	33.9%
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.1

Hitchin Highbury ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Clark	1,144	44.8%	+14.0
	Conservative	David Leal-Bennett*	836	32.7%	-6.4
	Labour	Martin Burke	401	15.7%	+0.7
	Green	Rosamund Brigid McGuire	151	5.9%	-1.2
Turnout			2,556	41.2%
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+10.2

Hitchin Oughton ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Simon Peter Watson	505	48.8%	+9.4
	Conservative	Pauline Anne Scully	328	31.7%	+9.6
	Green	George Winston Howe	102	9.9%	+2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Louise Peace	89	8.6%	+3.8
Turnout			1,034	28.1%
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.1

Hitchin Priory ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Arthur Charles Thake*	684	44.1%	-4.7
	Labour	David James Winstanley	281	18.1%	+4.3
	Liberal Democrats	Ewan Wilkie	164	10.6%	+1.4
	Independent	Jacqueline Mary McDonald	155	10.0%	+10.0
	Green	Des Stephens	142	9.1%	-2.3
	UKIP	Allan Newey	119	7.7%	-8.9
Turnout			1,552	42.3%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.5

Hitchin Walsworth ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Elizabeth Dennis	806	38.5%	+7.5
	Conservative	Ray Shakespeare-Smith*	668	31.9%	-8.0
	Green	Richard Alexander Cano	278	13.3%	+0.9
	UKIP	Peter Croft	193	9.2%	+0.2
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Ircha	133	6.4%	-0.9
Turnout			2,091	34.6%
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-8.2

Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Claire Patricia Annette Strong*	1,157	55.8%	-2.2
	UKIP	Gary John Jones	262	12.6%	0.0
	Labour	David Liam O'Brien	251	12.1%	-0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Johnson	212	10.2%	+2.2
	Green	Alex Longmore	186	9.0%	+0.7
Turnout			2,074	36.5%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.1

Knebworth ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen J. Deakin-Davies	904	62.4%	+5.4
	Labour	Ed Smith	310	21.4%	+7.7
	Liberal Democrats	Charlie Wilson	142	9.8%	+9.8
	Green	Claire Helen Taylor	81	5.6%	-4.8
Turnout			1,448	36.4%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.2

Letchworth East ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ian Mantle*	505	38.3%	-2.5
	Conservative	David Peter John Wakelin	347	26.3%	-0.2
	Independent	Paul Ross	136	10.3%	+10.3
	Green	Rosemary Bland	126	9.6%	-2.0
	UKIP	Mark James Hughes	111	8.4%	-12.2
	Liberal Democrats	Jane Fae	86	6.5%	+6.5
Turnout			1,319	29.9%
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.1

Letchworth Grange ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clare Billing*	685	34.9%	+1.7
	Conservative	Matthew Berman	654	33.3%	-7.1
	UKIP	Tyler James Davis	334	17.0%	+4.6
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Geoffrey Penny	153	7.8%	+1.9
	Green	Elizabeth Susan Hancock	125	6.4%	-1.4
Turnout			1,963	34.9%
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.4

Letchworth South East ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Charles Levett*	737	38.7%	-7.2
	Labour	Martin Stears-Handscomb	609	32.0%	+0.1
	UKIP	Sidney Arthur Start	309	16.2%	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Barry Peter Neale	134	7.0%	+7.0
	Green	Dean Lee Cartwright	99	5.2%	-2.0
Turnout			1,902	34.2%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.7

Letchworth South West ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Terry Hone*	1,096	48.8%	+0.2
	Labour	Jean Andrews	441	19.6%	+1.9
	Green	Mario May	212	9.4%	-3.3
	UKIP	Gemma Margaret Rosina Hughes	198	8.8%	-1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Ursula Winder	86	3.8%	-6.6
Turnout			2,246	36.5%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.9

Letchworth Wilbury ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Deepak Sangha*	493	38.1%	-4.2
	Conservative	Andy Frankland	480	37.1%	+3.4
	Green	Maryla Josephine Hart	169	13.1%	+4.8
	UKIP	Andrew Scuoler	149	11.5%	-3.7
Turnout			1,295	32.1%
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.8

Changes 2016–2018

A by-election was held in Hitchin Oughton ward on 10 November 2016 following the resignation of Labour councillor Simon Watson. Labour retained the seat.^[6]

Hitchin Oughton ward by-election, 10 November 2016
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Martin Stears-Handscomb	258	31.9%	-17.0
	Independent	Jackie McDonald	200	24.7%	+24.7
	Conservative	Serena Elizabeth Farrow	158	19.5%	-12.2
	Liberal Democrats	Louise Peace	150	18.5%	+9.9
	Green	George Winston Howe	42	5.2%	-4.7
Turnout			810
	Labour hold		Swing	-20.8

Two by-elections were held on 4 May 2017, at the same time as the 2017 Hertfordshire County Council election. The by-election in Royston Heath ward was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Peter Burt.^[7] The by-election in Hitchin Priory ward was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Allison Ashley.^[8] The Conservatives retained both seats.^[9]

Hitchin Priory ward by-election, 4 May 2017
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Raymond Shakespeare-Smith	717	41.5%	-2.6
	Liberal Democrats	John Hefford	394	22.8%	+12.2
	Independent	Jacqueline McDonald	277	16.0%	+6.1
	Labour	Dave Winstanley	219	12.7%	-5.4
	Green	Des Stephens	114	6.6%	-2.5
Turnout			1,727	46.4%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-7.4

Royston Heath ward by-election, 4 May 2017
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sarah Dingley	844	50.2%	-0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Carol Stanier	470	28.0%	+14.6
	Labour	Vaughan West	196	11.7%	-4.6
	Green	Katherine Shann	97	5.8%	-1.3
	UKIP	Christopher Arquati	68	4.0%	-8.0
Turnout			1,680	39.0%
	Conservative hold		Swing	-7.6

References

^ "The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/3112, retrieved 4 March 2023
^ "Guide to May 2016 elections in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
^ Yousif, Layth; Asher, J. P. (6 May 2016). "North Herts District Council elections 2016 round-up: Labour and Lib Dems gain at Conservatives' expense". The Comet. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ Andrew, Teale. "Local Election Results 2016: North Hertfordshire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ "Election Results 2016". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ Wild, Bianca (16 March 2017). "Prominent member of North Herts District Council dies aged 68". The Comet. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ Boothroyd, David (17 March 2017). "Mass resignation week". Local Councils. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
^ "Election Results 2017". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[1] "The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/3112, retrieved 4 March 2023

[BBC-2] "Guide to May 2016 elections in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2016.

[3] Yousif, Layth; Asher, J. P. (6 May 2016). "North Herts District Council elections 2016 round-up: Labour and Lib Dems gain at Conservatives' expense". The Comet. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[Teale-4] Andrew, Teale. "Local Election Results 2016: North Hertfordshire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[5] "Election Results 2016". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[6] "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[7] Wild, Bianca (16 March 2017). "Prominent member of North Herts District Council dies aged 68". The Comet. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[8] Boothroyd, David (17 March 2017). "Mass resignation week". Local Councils. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

[9] "Election Results 2017". North Hertfordshire District Council. Retrieved 9 March 2023.

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v t e Council elections in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Broxbourne Borough Council	1973 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dacorum Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
East Hertfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Hertsmere Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2019 2023
North Hertfordshire District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
St Albans City and District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Stevenage Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Three Rivers District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Watford Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council	1973 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
See also: Wards Boundary changes Middlesex County Council elections

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