# 2004 Welwyn Hatfield District Council election

The 2004 Welwyn Hatfield District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Welwyn Hatfield District 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 31
* Labour 15
* Liberal Democrat 2

## Election result

The results saw the Conservative increase their majority on the council after both they and the Liberal Democrats gained seats from Labour. The Conservatives made 4 gains from Labour in Hatfield North, Hatfield West, Howlands and Sherrards wards, with one Conservative councillor describing the results as "so good absolutely marvellous". Labour put their defeats down to mid-term unpopularity of the national Labour government.
However the Conservatives did lose one seat to the Liberal Democrats in Handside, and this, along with a Liberal Democrat gain from Labour in Hatfield Central, meant that the Liberal Democrats won their first seats on the council for 14 years. The Liberal Democrats said they had been successful after campaigning on local issues such as maintaining Welwyn Garden City and on Stanborough Park.
Meanwhile, the one candidate from the United Kingdom Independence Party came second in Northaw ward ahead of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Overall turnout in the election was 40.61%, a significant rise on the 2003 election. The Green Party stood their first ever candidate for a Welwyn Hatfield council seat in Hatfield East ward. However, the result was disappointing for the party, finishing in a distant last place with only 7.% of the local vote.
Welwyn Hatfield Local Election Result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 11 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 64.7 | 47.4 | 13,492 | +2.3% |
| Labour | 4 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 23.5 | 26.5 | 7,546 | -5.8% |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 11.8 | 24.0 | 6,828 | +1.4% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 437 | +1.5% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 137 | +0.5% |

## Ward results

Brookmans Park & Little Heath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Irene Dean | 1,549 | 73.9 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Bain | 361 | 17.2 | +3.7 |
| | Labour | William Couzens | 187 | 8.9 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,188 | 56.7 | −7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,097 | 47.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Haldens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Rory Hallahan | 600 | 38.4 | −13.1 |
| | Conservative | Edward Hall | 545 | 34.8 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Arch | 419 | 26.8 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 55 | 3.6 | −20.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,564 | 36.6 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Handside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Daniel Cooke | 1,230 | 45.5 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | Lance Stanbury | 1,180 | 43.6 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Lynn Chesterman | 296 | 10.9 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 50 | 1.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,706 | 55.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Hatfield Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hazel Laming | 514 | 37.3 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Margaret White | 476 | 34.5 | −9.8 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Peffer | 388 | 28.2 | +7.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 38 | 2.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,378 | 32.7 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Hatfield East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bernard Sarson | 883 | 51.2 | −4.0 |
| | Labour | Sheila Wilder | 376 | 21.8 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lis Meyland-Smith | 330 | 19.1 | −0.8 |
| | Green | Graham Laverick | 137 | 7.9 | +7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 507 | 29.4 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,726 | 40.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Hatfield North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Mark Gilding | 783 | 43.7 |
| | Labour | Bridgit Croft | 669 | 37.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Gammage | 341 | 19.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 114 | 6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,793 | 36.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | |
Hatfield South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Linda Mendez | 395 | 50.1 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Berry | 242 | 30.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Griffiths | 152 | 19.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 153 | 19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 789 | 29.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
Hatfield West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Wheeler | 731 | 45.2 | −1.8 |
| | Labour | Tony Wilder | 519 | 32.1 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Archer | 369 | 22.8 | +7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 212 | 13.1 | +3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,619 | 39.2 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Hollybush :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Susan Jones | 669 | 46.3 | −9.5 |
| | Conservative | Marian Pile | 491 | 34.0 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eirwen Smith | 286 | 19.8 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 178 | 12.3 | −18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,446 | 35.2 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Howlands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Franey | 655 | 38.8 | +8.7 |
| | Labour | Mark Biddle | 643 | 38.1 | −13.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pascal Jacquemain | 388 | 23.0 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 0.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,686 | 40.2 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Northaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Couch | 1,115 | 61.4 | −18.9 |
| | UKIP | Robert Ellingham | 437 | 24.1 | +24.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Blumsom | 160 | 8.8 | −3.2 |
| | Labour | Peter Heyman | 104 | 5.7 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 678 | 37.3 | −31.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,816 | 43.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Panshanger :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roger Trigg | 779 | 46.6 | +4.2 |
| | Labour | Anthony Crump | 448 | 26.8 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ted Naseby | 446 | 26.7 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 331 | 19.8 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,673 | 35.7 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Peartree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Christopher Cory | 607 | 45.3 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Wanda Armstrong-Bridges | 405 | 30.2 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | Julie Peffer | 328 | 24.5 | +7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 202 | 15.1 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,340 | 30.4 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Sherrards :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Terence Mabbott | 970 | 44.3 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Margaret Hurst | 814 | 37.1 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frank Marsh | 408 | 18.6 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 156 | 7.2 | +1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,192 | 51.6 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Welham Green :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Keith Pieri | 745 | 66.6 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Sheila Jones | 195 | 17.4 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sheila Archer | 179 | 16.0 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 550 | 49.2 | +8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,119 | 41.1 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Welwyn North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Steven Markiewicz | 948 | 64.7 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Bassett | 318 | 21.7 | +0.1 |
| | Labour | David Wilson | 199 | 13.6 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 630 | 43.0 | +2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,465 | 43.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Welwyn South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stuart Pile | 1,160 | 57.1 | −2.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Skidmore | 522 | 25.7 | +5.9 |
| | Labour | Julia Henderson | 349 | 17.2 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 638 | 31.4 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,031 | 47.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |