# 2004 Hertsmere Borough Council election

The 2004 Hertsmere Borough Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Conservative 25
* Labour 7
* Liberal Democrat 7

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 25 councillors, compared to 8 for Labour and 6 Liberal Democrats. 39 candidates stood for the 13 seats being contested, with 13 each from the Conservative and Labour parties, 12 Liberal Democrats and 1 from the Socialist Labour Party.

## Election result

The Conservative party remained on 25 seats, after both gaining and losing 2 seats. Labour finished 1 down on 7 seats, to be level with the Liberal Democrats for the first time, after the Liberal Democrats picked up a seat.
The Conservative gains from Labour came in Borehamwood Hillside where they won by 235 votes and in the former Labour stronghold of Borehamwood Brookmeadow, which had been held by Tim Sandle since 1995 (the area had been subject to a recent boundary change, with the main Labur voting part of the ward being reallocated to Cowley ward). Labour did take one seat back from the Conservatives in Borehamwood Cowley Hill by 87 votes, after the sitting Conservative councillor for Cowley Hill, Martin Heywood, contested and held Potters Bar Oakmere instead with a 709-vote majority for the Conservatives. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats picked up a seat from the Conservatives in Bushey St James by 59 votes.
Following the election the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties shared the main opposition role as both parties were on the same number of seats. Meanwhile, Labour chose a new leader, Leon Reefe, after Len Silverstone stood down as leader of the group.
Hertsmere Local Election Result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 76.9 | 56.5 | 13,358 | +3.7% |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 15.4 | 22.8 | 5,396 | +2.3% |
| Labour | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 7.7 | 19.9 | 4,704 | -5.5% |
| Socialist Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 181 | -0.3% |

## Ward results

Aldenham East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Graham | 1,319 | 77.5 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Silverman | 199 | 11.7 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | Brian Levy | 185 | 10.9 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,120 | 65.8 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,703 | 44.0 | +9.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Aldenham West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Saunders | 882 | 65.2 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Bird | 242 | 17.9 | +2.3 |
| | Labour | Sandra Huff | 228 | 16.9 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 640 | 47.3 | −6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,352 | 38.0 | +6.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Brookmeadow :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Segall | 758 | 47.5 | +15.6 |
| | Labour | Tim Sandle | 548 | 34.4 | −21.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Audrey McCracken | 289 | 18.1 | +6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 210 | 13.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,595 | 33.0 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Cowley Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ann Harrison | 654 | 38.8 | −28.1 |
| | Conservative | Howard Rosen | 567 | 33.6 | +15.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Brass | 284 | 16.8 | +16.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | James Dry | 181 | 10.7 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 87 | 5.2 | −43.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,686 | 30.5 | +8.8 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Hillside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hannah David | 1,055 | 48.2 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | Peter Hedges | 820 | 37.4 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Zissis Kakoulakis | 316 | 14.4 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 235 | 10.7 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,191 | 38.1 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Bushey Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Seamus Quilty | 1,425 | 68.8 | −3.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Kutchinsky | 423 | 20.4 | +3.1 |
| | Labour | David Bearfield | 222 | 10.7 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,002 | 48.4 | −6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,070 | 40.0 | +17.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bushey North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Gamble | 905 | 56.8 | −12.0 |
| | Conservative | John Slade | 520 | 32.7 | +11.6 |
| | Labour | George Bath | 167 | 10.5 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 385 | 24.2 | −23.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,592 | 35.4 | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Bushey Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Spencer Pitfield | 842 | 56.0 | +10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vincent Turner | 550 | 36.6 | −10.3 |
| | Labour | James Sowerbutts | 111 | 7.4 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 292 | 19.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,503 | 46.0 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bushey St James :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kim Boughton | 1,058 | 46.4 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | Carey Keates | 999 | 43.8 | +4.3 |
| | Labour | Dinah Hoeksma | 223 | 9.8 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 2.6 | −11.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,280 | 42.1 | +8.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Furzefield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rebecca Foy | 1,080 | 57.9 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Dean | 443 | 23.7 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | James Fisher | 343 | 18.4 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 637 | 34.1 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,866 | 38.4 | +12.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Oakmere :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Martin Heywood | 1,311 | 68.5 | −0.4 |
| | Labour | Russell Ramshaw | 602 | 31.5 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 709 | 37.1 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,913 | 35.7 | +10.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Parkfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Donne | 1,661 | 68.1 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Bonner | 445 | 18.3 | −0.5 |
| | Labour | Elizabeth Savage | 332 | 13.6 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,216 | 49.9 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,438 | 40.2 | +8.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Shenley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rodney Saunders | 939 | 64.8 | +9.0 |
| | Labour | Anthony Scott-Norman | 269 | 18.6 | −25.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anita Ownsworth | 242 | 16.7 | +16.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 670 | 46.2 | +34.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,450 | 36.6 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |