2012 North Hertfordshire District Council election

2012 North Hertfordshire District Council election

3 May 2012 (2012-05-03)
15 of 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council 25 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Con Lab LD Leader Lynda Needham David Billing Steve Jarvis Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats Seats before 34 7 8 Seats after 33 10 6 Seat change 1 3 2 Popular vote 9,972 6,729 3,386 Percentage 42.4% 28.6% 14.4%
Leader before election Lynda Needham Conservative Leader after election Lynda Needham Conservative

The 2012 North Hertfordshire Council election was held on 3 May 2012, at the same time as other local elections across England, Scotland and Wales. Of the 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council, 15 were up for election.^[1][2]

Labour gained three seats from the Conservatives, whilst the Conservatives gained two seats from the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives retained overall control of the council, whilst Labour overtook the Liberal Democrats to become the second largest party.^[2]

Overall results

The overall results were as follows:^[3]

2012 North Hertfordshire District Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Conservative	9	1	60.0	24	33	67.3	9,972	42.4	-6.0
	Labour	5	3	33.3	5	10	20.4	6,729	28.6	+5.7
	Liberal Democrats	1	2	6.7	5	6	12.2	3,386	14.4	-3.2
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,341	10.0	+1.8
	UKIP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	850	3.6	+1.7
	English Democrat	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	238	1.0	+0.8

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(*). A double dagger (‡) indicates a sitting councillor contesting a different ward.^[4][5]

Baldock East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Harris	475	46.8	+2.3
	Liberal Democrats	Marilyn Kirkland*	392	38.7	−13.1
	Labour	Vaughan West	86	8.5	n/a
	Green	Sylvia Hutchinson	54	5.3	+1.7
Majority			83	8.2
Turnout			1,014	45.19
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	+7.8

Baldock Town

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Edwin Weeks*	828	54.7	−3.3
	Labour	Ken Garland	308	20.3	−2.3
	Green	Arwen Jane Tapping	221	14.6	+5.5
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Winter	147	9.7	+0.5
Majority			520	34.3
Turnout			1,514	26.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.5

Chesfield

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Sally Margaret Jarvis	685	43.9	+9.0
	Conservative	James Henry	534	34.2	−7.3
	Labour	Bhavna Joshi	280	17.9	−0.5
	Green	Felicity Ann Power	59	3.8	−0.8
Majority			151	9.7
Turnout			1,562	29.9
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	+8.2

Hitchin Bearton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Deborah Segalini	1,041	52.7	+2.4
	Conservative	Alex Stoner	536	27.1	−3.5
	Green	Gavin Nicholson	216	10.9	+2.4
	Liberal Democrats	Michael John Lott	175	8.9	−1.0
Majority			505	25.6
Turnout			1,976	31.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.0

Hitchin Highbury

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Leal-Bennett	906	39.7	+5.1
	Liberal Democrats	Clare Body*	877	38.4	−1.4
	Labour	Peter Anthony Mardell	301	13.2	+2.3
	Green	Jackie Greatorex	187	8.2	+2.4
Majority			29	1.3
Turnout			2,283	37.9
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	+3.3

Hitchin Oughton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joan Irene Kirby*	638	60.4	+21.7
	Conservative	Faye Barnard	258	24.4	−10.2
	Green	Alan Brookman	103	9.8	+3.7
	Liberal Democrats	Rob Lambie	50	4.7	−15.3
Majority			380	36.0
Turnout			1,056	29.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+16.0

Hitchin Priory

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Thake*	696	49.0	−7.6
	Labour	Nafisa Sayany	228	16.1	+7.5
	UKIP	Adrianne Smyth	228	16.1	n/a
	Liberal Democrats	Liz Willoughby	146	10.3	−17.9
	Green	Ann De Bock	117	8.2	+2.3
Majority			468	33.0
Turnout			1,419	39.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-7.5

Hitchin Walsworth

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ray Shakespeare-Smith*	759	38.9	−1.7
	Labour	Derek Nigel Sheard	756	38.7	+8.6
	Green	Mario May	299	15.3	+3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Ircha	127	6.5	−1.1
Majority			3	0.2
Turnout			1,952	32.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.2

Hitchwood, Offa & Hoo

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Claire Patricia Strong*	1,230	63.7	−2.6
	Labour	Louise Helen Chinnery	325	16.8	+1.4
	Green	George Winston Howe	213	11.0	+3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Donald Johnson	147	7.6	−2.5
Majority			905	46.9
Turnout			1,931	34.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.0

Knebworth

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Bardett*	741	57.4	−4.4
	Labour	Jonathan Holman	251	19.4	+2.7
	UKIP	Andrew Scuoler	147	11.4	n/a
	Green	Harold Bland	142	11.0	+6.8
Majority			490	37.9
Turnout			1,292	31.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.5

Letchworth East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ian Mantle	472	40.2	+1.2
	Conservative	Michael Paterson*	383	32.6	−4.3
	UKIP	John Barry	108	9.2	−0.4
	Green	Eric Morris Blakeley	97	8.3	−5.1
	Liberal Democrats	Mertsi Fisher	73	6.2	n/a
	English Democrat	Tim Vickers	36	3.1	n/a
Majority			89	7.6
Turnout			1,174	27.6
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.7

Letchworth Grange

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clare Helen Billing	721	43.1	+1.4
	Conservative	Paul Marment*	487	29.1	−6.5
	English Democrat	Charles Vickers	202	12.1	+9.3
	Green	Rosemary Bland	131	7.8	+2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Geoffrey Penny	123	7.3	+0.2
Majority			234	14.0
Turnout			1,674	29.1
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.9

Letchworth South East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Charles Levett*	627	38.8	−9.1
	Labour	Nicholas Kissen	487	30.1	+3.7
	UKIP	Philip Martin Stevens	235	14.5	+5.7
	Liberal Democrats	John Winder	132	8.2	−0.5
	Green	James Drew	124	7.7	+0.5
Majority			140	8.7
Turnout			1,617	28.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.4

Letchworth South West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Terry Hone*	1,097	53.8	−2.1
	Labour	Jean Andrews	403	19.8	+3.8
	Liberal Democrats	John Paul Winder	274	13.4	−1.0
	Green	Rebecca Leek	257	12.6	−0.4
Majority			694	34.0
Turnout			2,039	34.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.0

Letchworth Wilbury

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Deepak Singh Sangha ‡	432	37.7	−9.5
	Conservative	Andy Frankland	415	36.2	+1.8
	UKIP	Michael Rodgers	132	11.5	n/a
	Green	Jonathan Guy Hart	121	10.5	−1.6
	Liberal Democrats	John Stephen White	38	3.3	n/a
Majority			17	1.5
Turnout			1,147	27.8
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-5.7

Changes 2012–2014

Immediately after the 2012 elections, Robert Inwood, who had been elected as a Liberal Democrat for the Royston Palace ward in 2010, defected to Labour.^[6]

Two by-elections were held on 15 November 2012. The by-election in Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo ward was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor David Miller, who had been most recently elected in 2010. The by-election in Letchworth South East ward was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Richard Harman, who had been elected in 2011, after being charged with various offences; he was subsequently convicted of burglary.^[7][8] Neither seat changed party at the resulting by-elections.^[9]

Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo ward by-election, 15 November 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Faye Susan Barnard	774	56.5	−7.2
	UKIP	Peter Robbins	217	15.8	n/a
	Labour	Jackie McDonald	189	13.8	−3.0
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Donald Johnson	110	8.0	+0.4
	Green	George Winston Howe	72	5.3	−5.8
Majority			557	40.7
Turnout			1,370	24.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Letchworth South East ward by election, 15 November 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Michael Cunningham	761	50.9	+12.1
	Labour	Martin Stears-Handscomb	399	26.7	−3.4
	UKIP	John Finbarr Barry	184	12.3	−2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Margaret Anne Higbid	88	5.9	−2.3
	Green	Mario Alexander May	51	3.4	−4.3
Majority			362	24.2
Turnout			1,496	26.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.8

A by-election in Hitchin Oughton ward was held on 12 September 2013 following the death of Labour councillor David Billing, who was also the party's leader on the council, and had most recently been elected in 2010. Labour retained the seat.^[10][11]

Hitchin Oughton ward by election, 12 September 2013

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Radcliffe	361	48.0	−12.4
	Conservative	Mara MacSeoinin	180	23.9	−0.5
	UKIP	Peter Croft	148	19.7	n/a
	Green	Jacqueline Greatorex	32	4.3	−5.5
	Liberal Democrats	Clare Body	31	4.1	−0.6
Majority			181	24.1
Turnout				20.8
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.0

References

1. "The District of North Hertfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/3112, retrieved 4 March 2023
2. "Vote 2012: North Hertfordshire". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
3. Andrew, Teale. "Local Election Results 2012: North Hertfordshire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
4. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "North Hertfordshire District Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
5. "Election Results 2012". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
6. Foskett, Ewan (17 May 2012). "Former mayor and district councillor defects to Labour from Lib Dems". Royston Crow. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
7. Burge, Laura (5 October 2012). "By-election to be held after councillor accused of rape". The Comet. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
8. Tanna, Chandni (4 November 2013). "Former Letchworth councillor guilty of burglary". The Comet. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
9. "Election Results November 2012". North Hertfordshire District Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
10. Tanna, Chandni (13 September 2013). "Labour wins in Hitchin by-election". The Comet. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
11. Teale, Andrew. "Hitchin Oughton Ward - North Hertfordshire". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 6 March 2023.