# 1998 Hackney London Borough Council election

The 1998 Hackney London Borough Council election took place on 7 May 1998. All 60 members of Hackney London Borough Council were up for election. The elections took place as part of the 1998 London local elections.
Despite the losses, the Labour Party remained the largest party, but the council continued with no overall control. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party both made gains.
The Labour Party retained overall control of the council but saw a significant reduction in seats, losing 16 seats. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives made gains, with the Liberal Democrats increasing their seat count by 10 and the Conservatives by six.
Simultaneously, a referendum was held on whether there was support for establishing a Greater London Authority
The 1998 Hackney London Borough Council elections initially left the Labour Party without a working majority, holding 29 of the 60 available seats. Following a series of by-elections, Labour gained three additional seats, securing victories from both the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, and thus achieving a working majority with 32 seats. The Liberal Democrats saw a reduction from 17 to 15 seats, while the Conservative Party increased their seats from 12 to 13, and the Green Party's representation decreased from 2 to 1 seat. This shift in council composition allowed Labour to establish stronger control over council decisions, including budgetary matters.

## Background

Prior to the 1998 election, Labour had effectively lost control of Hackney Council, with no single party holding a majority. The election was part of a broader set of local elections across London and the UK, where several councils experienced shifts in control.

## Electoral fraud

On 9 March 2001, two Hackney Borough Council councillors, Isaac Leibowitz, Conservative, and Zev Lieberman, Liberal Democrat were convicted of a major vote-rigging conspiracy related to the May 1998 local elections. They were found guilty of fraudulently adding names to the electoral roll to influence the election outcome in Hackney's Northwold ward.
The fraud involved registering fake voters, including using disused properties and misrepresenting addresses. It also included manipulating proxy votes. This led to a significant increase in proxy voting from 12 in 1994 to 241 in 1998, with a majority of the proxies voting for the Liberal Democrats.
Leibowitz and Lieberman were convicted of forgery and conspiracy to defraud. The scale of the fraud raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the accuracy of the election results.

## Election result

In the 1998 Hackney Council election, no single party gained overall control of the council. The result reflected a broader trend observed in other boroughs during the same election cycle, where several councils transitioned to no overall control. The outcome was consistent with changes observed in other boroughs, where Labour gained control of Harrow, Brent, Lambeth, and Waltham Forest from a state of no overall control. Labour lost control of Hillingdon, Islington, and Hackney, where they had previously held a majority or significant influence.

## Ward result

Brownswood (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Peter G. Kenyon | 855 |
| Labour | Linda Smith | 714 |
| Liberal Democrats | Joyce Alexander | 233 |
| Green | Klaus Graichen | 226 |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark N. Smulan | 198 |
| Conservative | Joan Hillier | 156 |
| Conservative | Irene M. Lewington | 153 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Clissold (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Lorraine Monk | 937 |
| Labour | John M. Hudson | 916 |
| Liberal Democrats | Sylvia Anderson | 814 |
| Labour | Brian N. Marsh | 776 |
| Liberal Democrats | David Mackey | 669 |
| Liberal Democrats | Abraham-Samuel Jacobson | 596 |
| Green | Ian B. Wingrove | 457 |
| Conservative | June R. Eaton | 114 |
| Conservative | David W. Balcombe | 111 |
| Conservative | John A.W. Moir | 96 |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
Queensbridge (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Williams | 983 |
| Liberal Democrats | Vernon E. Williams | 959 |
| Liberal Democrats | Hettie V. Peters | 951 |
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony S. Terrill | 881 |
| Labour | Nihal U. Fernando | 870 |
| Labour | Emma M. Plouviez | 851 |
| Green | Daphne U. Boyce | 145 |
| Conservative | Wendy Fuller | 129 |
| Conservative | Maureen Mgaza | 116 |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
Chatham (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Ian Darbyshire | 924 |
| Labour | Naomi Russell | 893 |
| Labour | Sally Mulready | 862 |
| Liberal Democrats | Maryam Hafezji | 396 |
| Liberal Democrats | Menachem Beitél | 387 |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark B. Ukandu | 370 |
| Conservative | Elsie M. Baverstock | 182 |
| Conservative | Stephen Giff | 145 |
| Conservative | Alfred G. Suskin | 124 |
| Socialist Party (UK) | Paul Heron | 109 |
| Socialist Party (UK) | Christian Newby | 70 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Dalston (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | David A.J. Bentley | 1,055 |
| Liberal Democrats | Philip Pearson | 937 |
| Liberal Democrats | Meral H. Ece | 838 |
| Labour | Fiona E. Alderton | 809 |
| Labour | Samantha A. Lloyd | 770 |
| Labour | Richard Blanco | 763 |
| Green | Jack E. Easton | 239 |
| Conservative | Christopher J. Ballingall | 122 |
| Conservative | David C. Harmer | 72 |
| Conservative | Winston G. Henry | 68 |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
De Beauvoir (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | Christopher P. O'Leary | 997 |
| Labour | Andrew Windross | 942 |
| Labour | Frances E. Pearson | 929 |
| Labour | Peter J.I. Snell | 891 |
| Conservative | James A. Spencer | 886 |
| Conservative | Alexander Ellis | 877 |
| Liberal Democrats | John Bird | 402 |
| Liberal Democrats | Irene S. Fawkes | 316 |
| Liberal Democrats | Edward Garber | 264 |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Eastdown (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Patrick Corrigan | 803 |
| Labour | Bharti Patel | 702 |
| Labour | Stephen Sartain | 696 |
| Labour | Linda A. Hibberd | 666 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kenneth E. Hanson | 610 |
| Liberal Democrats | Paula Granger | 594 |
| Conservative | Lilian Lonsdale | 110 |
| Conservative | Peter Lonsdale | 82 |
| Conservative | Pamela Y. Sills | 72 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Haggerston (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | William G. Nicholson | 731 |
| Labour | David Young | 668 |
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Goodchild | 561 |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Pursey | 488 |
| Conservative | Andrew Boff | 348 |
| Conservative | Bruce Spenser | 306 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Homerton (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Sharon R. Patrick | 641 |
| Labour | Robin J. Cornell | 545 |
| Liberal Democrats | Celya A. Maxted | 194 |
| Liberal Democrats | Melvin E.C. Minter | 190 |
| Green | Michael C. Walsh | 172 |
| Socialist Labour | Robert W. Adams | 139 |
| Conservative | Julia D. Cole | 114 |
| Conservative | Martin Summers | 95 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Kings Park (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Simon B. Parkes | 680 |
| Labour | Mohammad S. Siddiqui | 672 |
| Conservative | Hyman Kern | 136 |
| Conservative | Giulio Rapaciulo | 96 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Leabridge (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Bonnie Miller | 928 |
| Labour | Anthony H. Milton | 846 |
| Labour | Abdul G. Mulla | 757 |
| Conservative | Heather Whitewall | 590 |
| Conservative | Faruk Miah | 587 |
| Conservative | Shuja Shaikh | 585 |
| Green | Yesin Hussein | 299 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jeffrey Shenker | 255 |
| Socialist Labour | Peter J. Morton | 229 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
New River (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | David J. Phillips | 1,343 |
| Conservative | Jacob M. Grosskopf | 1,267 |
| Conservative | Maureen B. Middleton | 1,241 |
| Labour | Michael B. Desmond | 941 |
| Labour | Rosa Gomez | 917 |
| Labour | John W. Small | 841 |
| Green | Catherine S. Murphy | 262 |
| Conservative gain from | Conservative gain from | Swing |
| Conservative gain from | Conservative gain from | Swing |
| Conservative gain from | Conservative gain from | Swing |
North Defoe (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Green | Yen C. Chong | 661 |
| Green | Paul A. Carswell | 554 |
| Labour | James E. Carswell | 455 |
| Labour | John McGafferty | 406 |
| Labour | Ann V. McGinley | 125 |
| Conservative | Michael J. Donoghue | 121 |
| Socialist Alliance (UK) | Anne Murphy | 52 |
| Green gain from | Green gain from | Swing |
| Green gain from | Green gain from | Swing |
Northfield (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | Medlin Lewis | 1,058 |
| Conservative | Bernard V. Peretz | 1,048 |
| Conservative | Christopher D. Sills | 1,044 |
| Labour | Victoria L. Murco | 679 |
| Labour | Michael I.G. Bartlet | 647 |
| Labour | Sunday A. Owogumbu | 629 |
| Green | Lucy Sommers | 236 |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
South Defoe (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Ian C. Peacock | 471 |
| Labour | Jules Pipe | 458 |
| Green | Mischa A. Borris | 226 |
| Green | Jon George | 212 |
| Labour | Philip G. Stark | 156 |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith L. Sexton | 127 |
| Socialist Labour | Jennifer Burnett | 98 |
| Conservative | Paul Brenells | 82 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Northwold (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Ian D. Scharer | 1,098 |
| Liberal Democrats | Shahid M. Ahchala | 1,073 |
| Liberal Democrats | Zev Lieberman | 1,019 |
| Labour | Daphne McAllister | 887 |
| Labour | Joko N. Mafcoy | 810 |
| Labour | Safeer A. Shaikh | 774 |
| Green | Julie A. Hathaway | 316 |
| Conservative | Gordon Bell | 227 |
| Conservative | Grace Forsythe | 211 |
| Conservative | Linda Hardy | 184 |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats gain from | Liberal Democrats gain from | Swing |
Springfield (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | Heinz I. Lobenstein | 1,406 |
| Conservative | Isaac Leibowitz | 1,330 |
| Conservative | Eric Ollenhauser | 1,323 |
| Labour | Linda A. Kelly | 790 |
| Labour | Dennis Sawyer | 728 |
| Labour | Ian S. Thompson | 704 |
| CPI | Monty Goldman | 92 |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
Victoria (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Howard Hyman | 1,046 |
| Liberal Democrats | Patricia McGuiness | 994 |
| Liberal Democrats | Lindsay Montgomery | 980 |
| Labour | Jason Cox | 965 |
| Labour | Geoffrey Horn | 897 |
| Labour | Faizullah Khan | 847 |
| Conservative | Barbara Campbell | 122 |
| Conservative | Patricia Birgell | 109 |
| CPI | Doris E. Snelgrove | 81 |
| BNP | Victor J. Dooley | 65 |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Wenlock (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Kevin N. Daws | 809 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kay M. Stone | 716 |
| Labour | Emma F. Burnell | 373 |
| Labour | Patricia M.L. Webster | 312 |
| BNP | Kate McKay | 89 |
| Conservative | Caroline I. Fazzani | 47 |
| Conservative | Rita Than | 18 |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Westdown (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Labour | Julie P. Grimble | 596 |
| Labour | David H. Manion | 493 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kevin Brock | 162 |
| Green | Nicholas Lee | 151 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jerry H. Parana-Hetty | 134 |
| Conservative | Angela Kilmartin | 62 |
| Conservative | Peter Fazzani | 58 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
Wick (3) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Neil Hughes | 1,233 |
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew J. Bridgwater | 1,154 |
| Liberal Democrats | Adrian J. Gee-Turner | 1,108 |
| Labour | Elizabeth Clowes | 608 |
| Labour | Allan Hilton | 589 |
| Labour | William O'Connor | 513 |
| Conservative | Ann B. Brenells | 117 |
| Conservative | Yann Leclercq | 100 |
| Conservative | Irene C. Wonderling | 84 |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Moorfields (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | David J. Candlin | 887 |
| Conservative | Lorraine C. Fahey | 830 |
| Labour | Ian W. Blunt | 349 |
| Labour | Dylan Jeffery | 306 |
| Liberal Democrats | John Henderson | 146 |
| Liberal Democrats | Tat C. Kong | 136 |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
Wenlock (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Kevin N. Daws | 809 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kay M. Stone | 716 |
| Labour | Emma F. Burnell | 373 |
| Labour | Patricia M.L. Webster | 312 |
| BNP | Kate McKay | 89 |
| Conservative | Caroline I. Fazzani | 47 |
| Conservative | Rita Than | 18 |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

## By-elections
### Clissold

An by-election was held after the resignation of Cllr Loarraine Monk, on 22 October 1998
Clissold (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Vicki L. Munro | 747 | 42.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Paula Grainger | 689 | 39.3 |
| Green | Julie A. Hathaway | 264 | 15.0 |
| Conservative | Bruce Spenser | 147 | 8.4 |
| Ind. Labour Party | Kevin V. Johnston | 66 | 3.8 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### North Defoe

An by-election was held after the resignation of Cllr Paul Thomas, on 21 January 1998. The election led to the Greens losing one of their two seats on the council, being gained by Labour
North Defoe (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | James E. Carswell | 581 | 43.4 |
| Green | Mischa A. Borris | 548 | 41.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Sarah-Jane Pratten | 100 | 7.5 |
| Conservative | Yann Leclercq | 42 | 3.1 |
| Independent Socialist Party | Anne Murphy | 37 | 2.8 |
| Labour gain from Green | Labour gain from Green | Swing | |

### Rectory

An by-election was held after the resignation of Cllr Irfan Malik, on 15 July 1998.
Rectory (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Samantha A. Lloyd | 941 | 52.7 |
| Conservative | Shuja Shaikh | 475 | 26.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | Steven R. Laing | 163 | 9.1 |
| Green | Isabel Lane | 122 | 6.8 |
| Independent | Breen L.L. Lewis | 84 | 4.7 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### King's Park

An by-election was held after the disqualification of Cllr Simon Parkes, on 13 January 2000.
Kings Park (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Sunday A. Ogunwobi | 582 | 66.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kenrick E. Hanson | 190 | 21.8 |
| Conservative | James A. Spencer | 89 | 10.2 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Wick

An by-election was held after the disqualification of Cllr Neil Hughes, on 12 October 2000. Labour gained Wick from the Liberal Democrats.
Wick (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Jessica Webb | 496 | 40.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | Kenrick E. Hanson | 423 | 34.6 |
| Socialist Alliance (UK) | Diana Swingler | 134 | 10.9 |
| Conservative | Alexander Ellis | 99 | 8.1 |
| Independent | Adrian K. Peacock | 25 | 2.0 |
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | |

### Northwold

An by-election was held after the disqualification of Cllr Zev Liberman, on 7 June 2001. Labour gained Northwold from the Liberal Democrats.
Northwold (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Michael B. Desmond | 1,260 | 42.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | Dawood E. Akhoon | 645 | 21.5 |
| Green | Isabel Lane | 342 | 11.4 |
| Conservative | Pamela Y. Sills | 251 | 8.4 |
| Socialist Alliance (UK) | Diana L. Swingler | 187 | 6.2 |
| Independent | John G. Kelly | 145 | 4.8 |
| Humanist | Cambell R. McK. Matheson | 145 | 4.8 |
| Independent | Adrian K. Peacock | 24 | 0.8 |
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | |

### Queensbridge

An by-election was held after the resignation of Cllr Vernon Williams, on 7 June 2001. Labour gained Northwold from the Liberal Democrats.
Queensbridge (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Labour | Andrew Travers | 1,907 | 59.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Celya A. Maxted | 724 | 22.7 |
| Conservative | Andrew Boff | 355 | 11.1 |
| Socialist Alliance (UK) | Michael L. Matthews-Dublin | 202 | 6.3 |
| Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Springfield

An by-election was held after the disqualification of Cllr Isaac Leibowitz, on 7 June 2001. Labour gained Northwold from the Liberal Democrats.
Springfield (By-Election) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Conservative | Jacob Landau | 1,269 | 37.4 |
| Liberal Democrats | Linda A. Kelly | 1227 | 36.1 |
| Humanist | Bruce Spenser | 401 | 11.8 |
| Liberal Democrats | Steven R. Laing | 205 | 6.0 |
| Green | William J. Childley | 169 | 5.0 |
| Independent | Anetta P. Gluckstein | 124 | 3.7 |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Council Control Before and After By-Elections :
| Party | Seats Before | Seats Gained/Lost | Total Seats After |
| Labour Party (UK) | 29 | 3 | 32 |
| Conservative Party (UK) | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| Liberal Democrats (UK) | 17 | 2 | 15 |
| Green Party of England and Wales | 2 | 1 | 1 |