# 2011 Hertsmere Borough Council election

The 2011 Hertsmere Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2011 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 35
* Labour 4

## Background

13 of the 39 seats on the council were being contested, with 2 sitting councillors standing down at the election, Conservative Darren Solomons and Liberal Democrat Anita Gamble. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat leader on the council Roger Kutchinsky contested Bushey Heath, instead of the ward he had previously held Bushey North.

## Election result

The Conservatives gained 2 seats from the Liberal Democrats, but lost a seat to Labour, thus winning 11 of the 13 seats contested. This meant the Conservatives stayed in control of the council with 35 seats compared to 4 for Labour. Meanwhile, the defeats for the Liberal Democrats meant they no longer had any seats on Hertsmere council for the first time ever. Overall turnout at the election was 40.49%.
The Conservatives gained Bushey North and Bushey St James from the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrat leader came third in Bushey Heath. Labour candidate Richard Butler gained Borehamwood Kenilworth from the Conservatives, at the same election that his father Ernie Butler held Borehamwood Cowley Hill for Labour. The gain by 25-year-old Richard Butler meant Labour finished the election with more councillors than before the election for the first time since 1996.
Hertsmere local election result 2011 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 11 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 84.6 | 59.7 | 15,493 | -1.2% |
| Labour | 2 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 15.4 | 29.1 | 7,549 | +2.9% |
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 10.4 | 2,691 | +0.1% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 236 | +0.9% |

## Ward results

Aldenham East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Goldstein | 1,410 | 75.2 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ruth Irwin | 250 | 13.3 | +13.3 |
| | Labour | Richard Kirk | 214 | 11.4 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,160 | 61.9 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,874 | 51.4 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Aldenham West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dan Griffin | 1,122 | 72.4 | −2.1 |
| | Labour | Sandra Huff | 270 | 17.4 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Gamble | 158 | 10.2 | +10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 852 | 55.0 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,550 | 44.2 | +9.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Brookmeadow :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sam Dobin | 995 | 50.1 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | Susan Maughan | 860 | 43.3 | +16.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Judith Sear | 133 | 6.7 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 135 | 6.8 | −12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,988 | 36.9 | −22.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Cowley Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ernie Butler | 1,125 | 60.9 | +18.7 |
| | Conservative | Alan Plancey | 723 | 39.1 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 402 | 21.8 | +16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,848 | 30.7 | −23.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Hillside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jean Heywood | 1,302 | 58.2 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Lee Petar | 936 | 41.8 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 366 | 16.4 | −8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,238 | 33.9 | −25.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Borehamwood Kenilworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Butler | 859 | 56.8 | +8.1 |
| | Conservative | Penny Swallow | 652 | 43.2 | −8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 207 | 13.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,511 | 37.4 | −22.5 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Bushey Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Morris | 1,845 | 75.3 | −1.8 |
| | Labour | David Bearfield | 322 | 13.1 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Kutchinsky | 282 | 11.5 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,523 | 62.2 | −2.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,449 | 48.1 | −26.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bushey North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Leslie Winters | 841 | 45.4 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eddie Sheridan | 583 | 31.5 | −9.7 |
| | Labour | Sam Russell | 427 | 23.1 | +8.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 258 | 13.9 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,851 | 39.3 | −26.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Bushey St James :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Carey Keates | 1,238 | 51.8 | +2.3 |
| | Labour | Tony Breslin | 662 | 27.7 | +14.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kim Elliot | 491 | 20.5 | −16.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 576 | 24.1 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,391 | 44.6 | −23.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Elstree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Morris Bright | 1,116 | 77.6 | −0.1 |
| | Labour | Ian Feeney | 322 | 22.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 794 | 55.2 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,438 | 40.2 | −27.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Furzefield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Morris | 1,281 | 61.4 | −6.6 |
| | Labour | Jim Fisher | 532 | 25.5 | −6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Oatway | 275 | 13.2 | +13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 749 | 35.9 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,088 | 43.4 | −25.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Oakmere :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Calcutt | 1,092 | 54.1 | −11.5 |
| | Labour | John Doolan | 566 | 28.0 | −6.4 |
| | UKIP | David Rutter | 236 | 11.7 | +11.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Willett | 125 | 6.2 | +6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 526 | 26.1 | −5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,019 | 37.0 | −24.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Potters Bar Parkfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Hodgson-Jones | 1,876 | 68.9 | −7.9 |
| | Labour | Derek Marcus | 454 | 16.7 | −6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Bonner | 394 | 14.5 | +14.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,422 | 52.2 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,724 | 46.0 | −21.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |