# 2008 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 2008 North Hertfordshire Council election was held on 1 May 2008, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. Of the 49 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council, 15 were up for election.
Only two seats changed party at the election, both of which were won by the Conservatives from Labour. The Conservatives therefore increased their majority on the council and their leader, F. John Smith, remained leader of the council. Whilst Labour's share of the vote increased, they were overtaken in seat numbers by the Liberal Democrats, who became the second largest party on the council. Prior to the election Labour was led by David Kearns, who was replaced after the election by Martin Stears.

## Overall results

The overall results were as follows:
2008 North Hertfordshire District Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Conservative | 10 | 2 | 66.7 | 22 | 32 | 65.3 | 13,576 | 49.6 | +2.6 |
| | Labour | 2 | 2 | 13.3 | 6 | 8 | 16.3 | 5,634 | 20.6 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 3 | | 20.0 | 6 | 9 | 18.4 | 5,308 | 19.4 | -6.3 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2,065 | 7.5 | +0.1 |
| | BNP | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 408 | 1.5 | n/a |
| | UKIP | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 351 | 1.3 | +0.4 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 21 | 0.1 | -0.4 |

## Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. Where the previous incumbent was standing for re-election they are marked with an asterisk(*).
Baldock East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marilyn Roberta Kirkland* | 535 | 51.8% | −1.8 |
| | Conservative | June Smith | 459 | 44.5% | −1.6 |
| | Green | Karen Julie Harmel | 37 | 3.6% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,032 | 47.1% | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -0.1 | |
Baldock Town ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Edwin Weeks* | 1,148 | 61.4% | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Alan Young | 317 | 16.9% | −5.1 |
| | Labour | Debbie Tara Hicks | 302 | 16.1% | −3.9 |
| | Green | Sarah Elaine Pond | 96 | 5.1% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,871 | 34.2% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
Chesfield ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lee Downie* | 746 | 43.6% | −16.0 |
| | Conservative | Emma Denise Pelling | 700 | 40.9% | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Bhavna Joshi | 212 | 12.4% | n/a |
| | Green | Ann Karen De Bock | 50 | 2.9% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,711 | 37.6% | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -8.9 | |
Hitchin Bearton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Deepak Singh Sangha* | 748 | 36.5% | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Charles Spencer Bunker | 700 | 34.2% | +7.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda Helen Maynard | 302 | 14.7% | +1.2 |
| | Green | Mark Ashley Walker | 284 | 13.9% | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,048 | 34.2% | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.5 | |
Hitchin Highbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clare Louise Body* | 1,186 | 47.3% | −8.3 |
| | Conservative | Mark Hanson | 1,056 | 42.1% | +2.0 |
| | Labour | Mark Francis Crawley | 141 | 5.6% | −1.4 |
| | Green | Robert John Mardon | 118 | 4.7% | −5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,508 | 43.3% | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -5.2 | |
Hitchin Oughton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joan Irene Kirby* | 640 | 50.8% | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Parker | 410 | 32.6% | +5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ron Clark | 108 | 8.6% | −1.7 |
| | Green | George Howe | 99 | 7.9% | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,259 | 33.6% | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.1 | |
Hitchin Priory ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Arthur Charles Thake* | 954 | 63.4% | +0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lisa Victoria Courts | 262 | 17.4% | −2.8 |
| | Green | Christopher James Honey | 148 | 9.8% | −3.5 |
| | Labour | Araminta Jane Birdsey | 138 | 9.2% | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,504 | 42.6% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
Hitchin Walsworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raymond Lawrence Shakespeare-Smith* | 995 | 42.7% | −0.6 |
| | Labour | Ryan Ottis Johnson | 660 | 28.4% | −5.4 |
| | Green | Giles Colin Woodruff | 418 | 18.0% | −11.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Darley | 249 | 10.7% | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,328 | 39.1% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Claire Patricia Annette Strong* | 1,705 | 72.9% | +6.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Donald Johnson | 243 | 10.4% | −10.4 |
| | Labour | Clare Helen Billing | 226 | 9.7% | −6.5 |
| | Green | Harold Bland | 160 | 6.8% | −13.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,340 | 41.9% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
Knebworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Bardett* | 1,071 | 70.1% | +4.0 |
| | Labour | John Brian Burnell | 241 | 15.8% | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Winder | 113 | 7.4% | −12.4 |
| | Green | William Nicholas Huggonson Berrington | 94 | 6.2% | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,528 | 37.9% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.8 | |
Letchworth East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Paterson | 519 | 37.3% | +0.8 |
| | Labour | Arthur Jarman* | 508 | 36.5% | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rebecca Carole Greener | 129 | 9.3% | −6.9 |
| | Green | Eric Morris Blakeley | 92 | 6.6% | n/a |
| | BNP | Thomas Godfrey | 89 | 6.4% | n/a |
| | UKIP | Julie Dawn Savage | 44 | 3.2% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,391 | 35.9% | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.1 | |
Letchworth Grange ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Anthony James Marment | 808 | 36.9% | −6.3 |
| | Labour | Jean Andrews | 727 | 33.2% | −10.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Geoffrey Penny | 237 | 10.8% | −5.2 |
| | BNP | Barry Gillespie | 184 | 8.4% | n/a |
| | UKIP | Susan Anne Mary Keeler | 135 | 6.2% | n/a |
| | Green | Luke Jack Alfred Gouldstone | 95 | 4.3% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,192 | 38.4% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.0 | |
Letchworth South East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Charles Levett* | 1,084 | 53.6% | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Nicholas Frederick Henry Kissen | 376 | 18.6% | −4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julia Winter | 295 | 14.6% | −7.1 |
| | UKIP | John Finbarr Barry | 172 | 8.5% | −9.1 |
| | Green | Heidi Shona Mollart-Griffin | 83 | 4.1% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,022 | 35.4% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
Letchworth South West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Terence William Hone* | 1,465 | 61.2% | +0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Paul Winder | 464 | 19.4% | −4.1 |
| | Labour | Headley Valentine Parkins | 240 | 10.0% | −1.1 |
| | Green | Jonathan Guy Hart | 215 | 9.0% | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,393 | 40.5% | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
Letchworth Wilbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elliot Needham | 502 | 37.6% | −4.5 |
| | Labour | Ian Mantle* | 475 | 35.6% | −10.2 |
| | BNP | Reginald Frank Norgan | 135 | 10.1% | n/a |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Stephen White | 122 | 9.1% | −14.6 |
| | Green | Susan Elizabeth Dye | 78 | 5.8% | n/a |
| | Independent | Jiten Bardwaj | 21 | 1.6% | n/a |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,334 | 33.2% | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +2.9 | |