# 1997 Wiltshire County Council election

Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 1 May 1997. The whole council was up for election and the result was no overall control, with the Conservatives as the largest party.
As with other county elections in England, these local elections in Wiltshire took place on the same day as the 1997 United Kingdom general election.

## Results

Wiltshire Local Election Result 1997 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 22 | | | +4 | 46.81 | 43.4 | 107,867 | +46,488 |
| Liberal Democrats | 20 | | | -13 | 42.55 | 35.2 | 87,367 | +23,260 |
| Labour | 4 | | | -13 | 8.51 | 18.3 | 45,365 | +6,920 |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2.13 | 1.6 | 3,978 | +426 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 | 3,481 | +2,402 |
| Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.14 | 257 | -1,992 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.09 | 230 | +230 |

## Results by divisions
### Aldbourne and Ramsbury

Aldbourne and Ramsbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Christopher Paul Humphries | 2,571 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Francis | 2,213 |
| | Labour | Brian McLintock | 660 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 358 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Alderbury

Alderbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Charles Temple Blackwood | 2,668 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Hardy | 1,114 |
| | Labour | Ann Oliver | 599 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 757 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Amesbury

Amesbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Allan Godfrey Peach | 2,283 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Allen | 1,389 |
| | Labour | Ross Pelling | 722 |
| | Green | Peter Matthews | 157 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 894 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Avon and Cannings

Avon and Cannings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Dennis James Willmott | 2,207 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Thompson | 1,582 |
| | Labour | Terrence O'Sullivan | 1,118 |
| | UKIP | Alan Wood | 108 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 625 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Bedwyn and Pewsey

Bedwyn and Pewsey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Mary Scott | 2,735 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Bromwich | 2,380 |
| | Labour | Michael Maude | 884 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 355 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Bourne Valley

Bourne Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Kevin Christopher Wren | 2,718 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Frost | 1,705 |
| | Labour | Mark Riches | 920 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,013 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Bradford on Avon

Bradford on Avon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Victoria Christine Scott Landell Mills | 2,710 |
| | Conservative | Robert George Ian Elliott | 1,533 |
| | Labour | Angela Womersley | 934 |
| | Green | David Gilbert | 385 |
| | UKIP | John Douglas Sankey | 122 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,177 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Bremhill and Calne

Bremhill and Calne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Christine Crisp | 2,854 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandra Webb | 2,277 |
| | Labour | David Songhurst | 868 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 577 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Calne

Calne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Nancy Suzanne Bryant | 1,854 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeanette Greer | 1,692 |
| | Labour | Maureen Songhurst | 1,354 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 162 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Chippenham Park

Chippenham Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patrick Charles Bourne Coleman | 2,746 |
| | Conservative | Mary Norton | 1,661 |
| | Labour | Stephen Wheeler | 863 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,085 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Chippenham Sheldon

Chippenham Sheldon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | June Margaret Wood | 1,994 |
| | Conservative | Donald Ellis | 1,392 |
| | Labour | Maureen Lloyd | 1,357 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 552 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Chippenham Town

Chippenham Town :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip George Allnatt | 2,709 |
| | Conservative | Richard Purdon | 1,967 |
| | Labour | Tim Hayhoe | 712 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 742 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Collingbourne

Collingbourne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Connolly | 1,613 |
| | Conservative | Peter Colling | 1,489 |
| | Labour | Eric Dalkin | 722 |
| | Independent | Anthony Still | 489 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 122 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Corsham

Corsham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Roy Davis | 1,893 |
| | Conservative | Hywel Jones | 1,438 |
| | Labour | Chris Reid | 799 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 455 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Cricklade and Purton

Cricklade and Purton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Edward Atfield | 2,570 |
| | Conservative | Peter Smith | 1,862 |
| | Labour | Brian Bayton | 773 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 708 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Devizes

Devizes :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Margaret Sheila Nancy Taylor | 1,918 |
| | Conservative | Maurice Came | 1,496 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bryan Castle | 893 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 422 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |

### Devizes South and Bromham

Devizes South and Bromham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Patricia Rugg | 2,932 |
| | Labour | James Thorpe | 1,647 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Henry Jordan | 1,636 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,285 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Downton

Downton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Julian Paul Johnson | 2,814 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Ford | 1,617 |
| | Labour | Hamish Ross | 1,047 |
| | Green | Marion Reed | 310 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,197 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Durrington

Durrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Linda Patricia Morris | 1,731 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Judith Greville | 1,636 |
| | Labour | Tamsen Jacobs | 812 |
| | Green | Mark Pafford | 105 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 95 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Holt

Holt :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Terrence Peter (Terry) Chivers | 2,792 |
| | Conservative | Carolyn Joy Walker | 2,142 |
| | Labour | Gregory Anthony Coombes | 537 |
| | Liberal | George Frederick James Hawkins | 256 |
| | Green | John Richard Pearce | 230 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 650 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Kington

Kington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Jane Antoinette Scott | 3,002 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Doreen Darby | 2,926 |
| | Labour | Peter Mellett | 732 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 76 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Lavington

Lavington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Derek Bernard William Jarvis | 2,663 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Thomson | 1,534 |
| | Labour | David Wearn | 1,158 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,129 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Malmesbury

Malmesbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lesley Clare Stockman Bennett | 2,490 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Watson | 2,369 |
| | Labour | Daphne Jones | 837 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 121 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Marlborough

Marlborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Boulton | 1,816 |
| | Conservative | Josephine Goodfellow | 1,772 |
| | Labour | Alec Light | 782 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Melksham

Melksham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Mary Salisbury | 1,567 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Angela Betty Barker | 1,354 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Williams | 768 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 213 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Melksham Without

Melksham Without :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Barrie Wesley | 2,524 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Molland | 2,193 |
| | Labour | John Adcock | 1,663 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 187 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Mere

Mere :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Robert George Catton | 2,131 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Houghton-Brown | 1,346 |
| | Labour | Graham Parish | 604 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 785 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Minety

Minety :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Carole Alethea Soden | 3,418 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Davis | 1,925 |
| | Labour | John Battersby | 457 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,493 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Pickwick with Box

Pickwick with Box :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Judith Helen Seager | 1,984 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dianne McGee | 1,701 |
| | Labour | Christopher Lynch | 1,375 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 283 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Salisbury Bemerton

Salisbury Bemerton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Richard Terance Rogers | 2,040 |
| | Conservative | Pamela Roche | 997 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jo Heaney | 883 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,043 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Salisbury Harnham

Salisbury Harnham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Iris Throp | 1,852 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Dalton | 1,261 |
| | Labour | Gary Buckley | 665 |
| | Green | Rosemary Perry | 186 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 591 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Salisbury St Mark

Salisbury St Mark :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Peter Frederick Chalke | 2,399 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Cherry | 1,239 |
| | Labour | Kelvin Dawson | 731 |
| | Green | Susan Wright | 132 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,160 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Salisbury St Martin

Salisbury St Martin :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul William Leslie Sample | 2,261 |
| | Conservative | Kevin Robbin | 1,511 |
| | Labour | Susan Mallory | 772 |
| | Green | Indira Nath | 209 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 750 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Salisbury St Paul

Salisbury St Paul :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Beryl Mary Jay | 2,503 |
| | Conservative | Timothy Nolan | 1,102 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rachel Smith | 840 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,401 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Southwick

Southwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Napier Beatson Irving | 1,687 |
| | Independent | Anthony Guy Phillips | 1,500 |
| | Labour | Brian Michael Staines | 571 |
| | Green | David John Howells | 316 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 187 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Tisbury

Tisbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Robert John Baddeley | 2,420 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Felicity Corp | 1,571 |
| | Labour | Paul Whiteside | 567 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 849 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Trowbridge East

Trowbridge East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Raymond James | 1,754 |
| | Conservative | Joan Barbara Savage | 1,484 |
| | Labour | Jeffrey Bryan Osborn | 1,244 |
| | Green | Antoinette (Toni) Beizsley | 150 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 270 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Trowbridge South

Trowbridge South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Grace Hill | 2,363 |
| | Labour | Jefferey David Morris | 1,628 |
| | Conservative | Patrick Andrew Sturges | 1,473 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 735 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Trowbridge West

Trowbridge West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicholas Shawne Edney Westbrook | 1,482 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Ivan Moore | 1,041 |
| | Labour | Helen Bridget Osborn | 929 |
| | Green | Carolyn Susan (Lyn) Davis | 120 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 441 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Upper Wylye Valley

Upper Wylye Valley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Mary Fleur de Rhé-Philipe | 2,076 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Denby-Gardner | 1,167 |
| | Labour | Ernest Martin McCleave | 501 |
| | Green | Kevan James Corcoran | 220 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 909 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Warminster East

Warminster East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Dorothea Joan Main | 1,716 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Jane Day | 1,187 |
| | Labour | Robert Alan Smith | 706 |
| | Green | Jonathan William Daniels | 224 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 529 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Warminster West

Warminster West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Edward Syme | 2,599 |
| | Conservative | Helen Kathleen Margaret Muriel Rowley | 1,623 |
| | Green | Elsa-Marie Kitching | 483 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 976 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Westbury

Westbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Christopher Newbury | 1,686 | 29.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gordon Ian King | 1,650 | 28.6 |
| | Conservative | John Aidan Booth | 1,324 | 22.9 |
| | Labour | Michael Sutton | 974 | 16.8 |
| | Green | James Oliver Toyne | 102 | 1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 36 | 0.6 |
| | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | |

### Whorwellsdown Hundred

Whorwellsdown Hundred :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Douglas Malcolm Firmager | 2,348 |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Richards | 1,910 |
| | Labour | John William Hawkes | 718 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 438 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Wilton and Wylye

Wilton and Wylye :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Clive West | 2,293 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Brown-Hovelt | 1,987 |
| | Labour | Michael Thomas | 725 |
| | Independent | Timothy Ingle Abbott | 303 |
| | Green | Sarah Green | 152 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 306 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |

### Wootton Bassett North

Wootton Bassett North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Mollie Eileen May Groom | 1,789 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Duncan Bamford | 1,327 |
| | Labour | Julian Watson | 679 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 462 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

### Wootton Bassett South

Wootton Bassett South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Toby Russell Sturgis | 2,641 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Daphne Matthews | 2,323 |
| | Labour | Ellis Webb | 991 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 318 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |

## By-elections between 1997 and 2001

Whorwellsdown By-Election 2 April 1998 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joan Barbara Prouse Savage | 1,095 | 50.4 | +12.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor William Carbin | 1,078 | 49.6 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17 | 0.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2173 | 34.6 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Alderbury By-Election 1 July 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Gerard Downes | 1,223 | 60.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gillian Morgan | 682 | 33.8 |
| | Labour | Mark Wareham | 114 | 5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 541 | 26.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,019 | 30.35 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Melksham Without By-Election 13 January 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Arthur Spiers | 810 | 48.6 | +15.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Angela Betty Barker | 623 | 37.4 | −1.2 |
| | Labour | Marcus Aurelius | 234 | 14.0 | −11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 187 | 11.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,667 | 18.4 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Bedwyn and Pewsey By-Election 20 July 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Lay | 1,470 | 61.8 | +22.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Francis | 771 | 32.4 | −13.1 |
| | Labour | Terrence O'Sullivan | 139 | 5.8 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 699 | 29.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,380 | 29.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |