# 1992 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 1992 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 1992, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. There were 17 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.
The Conservatives retained their narrow majority on the council; they lost one seat to the Liberal Democrats but gained one seat from Labour. Following the election, at the annual council meeting on 19 May 1992, the Conservative leader of the council, Bob Flatman, was appointed to the more ceremonial role of vice-chairman. He had been leader since the council's creation in 1974. Geoff Woods was appointed as the new leader of the council and Conservative group leader in his place.

## Overall results

The overall results were as follows:
1992 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 | 11 | | 64.7 | 15 | 26 | 52.0 | 14,033 | 43.1 | +7.9 |
| | Labour | 4 | 1 | 35.3 | 13 | 17 | 34.0 | 8,993 | 27.6 | -5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1 | 1 | 5.9 | 2 | 3 | 6.0 | 6,849 | 21.1 | -1.3 |
| | Ratepayers | 1 | | 5.9 | 2 | 3 | 6.0 | 2,585 | 7.9 | +1.0 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 65 | 0.2 | -0.4 |

## Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election. A double dagger (‡) indicates a sitting councillor contesting a different ward.
Ashbrook ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Tatham* | 789 | 70.4 | +5.9 |
| | Labour | John Saunders | 215 | 19.2 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Upchurch | 116 | 10.4 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 54.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,136 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.6 | |
Baldock ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bernard Crow* | 1,536 | 51.0 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Harry Penfold | 846 | 28.1 | +9.6 |
| | Labour | Rodney Leete | 629 | 20.9 | −13.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 42.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,133 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.7 | |
Cadwell ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Lee* | 620 | 67.8 | +12.8 |
| | Labour | David Lawson | 294 | 32.2 | −1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,832 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.1 | |
Hitchin Bearton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Judi Billing* | 845 | 42.0 | −9.3 |
| | Conservative | Michael East | 704 | 35.0 | +1.7 |
| | Ratepayers | Chris Parker ‡ | 315 | 15.7 | +15.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Canning | 148 | 7.4 | −8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 44.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,520 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.5 | |
Hitchin Highbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Dee | 1,067 | 46.1 | +6.3 |
| | Ratepayers | Evelyn Mary Burton (Mary Burton) | 657 | 28.4 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Clark | 304 | 13.1 | +0.2 |
| | Labour | Paul Gater | 288 | 12.4 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 45.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,073 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
Hitchin Oughton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joan Kirby* | 796 | 58.4 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Julia McLean | 431 | 31.6 | +10.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Palmer | 135 | 9.9 | −2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 34.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,972 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -8.7 | |
Hitchin Priory ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Thake* | 822 | 63.4 | +9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Seabrook | 321 | 24.8 | −5.0 |
| | Labour | David Tizzard | 153 | 11.8 | −4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 46.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,802 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.3 | |
Hitchin Walsworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ratepayers | Dennis Ward | 1,613 | 60.8 | +3.4 |
| | Labour | Philip Kirk | 821 | 30.9 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Penelope Cunningham | 220 | 8.3 | −2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 43.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,091 | | |
| | Ratepayers hold | Ratepayers hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
Knebworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Margaret Hilton* | 861 | 62.6 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Stiff | 335 | 24.3 | +13.1 |
| | Labour | Jack Ashwell | 180 | 13.1 | −10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,402 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.4 | |
Letchworth East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lorna Kercher* | 878 | 45.0 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | Ravinder Athwal | 603 | 30.9 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Gammell | 405 | 20.8 | +4.5 |
| | Green | Eric Blakeley | 65 | 3.3 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 39.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,926 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.6 | |
Letchworth Grange ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Kearns* | 1,078 | 52.3 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Carole McNelliey | 613 | 29.8 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Cathleen Worcester | 369 | 17.9 | +0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,169 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.8 | |
Letchworth South East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pauline Wood* | 1,261 | 44.6 | +7.6 |
| | Labour | Teresa Trangmar (Tre Trangmar) | 969 | 34.3 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pauline Poole | 596 | 21.1 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 46.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,097 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.4 | |
The poll in Letchworth South East ward was delayed until 11 June following the death of one of the original candidates, former SDP and Labour councillor Tony Quinn, who was to have stood for Labour.
Letchworth South West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Woods* (Geoff Woods) | 1,206 | 48.3 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Kingman | 1,030 | 41.2 | −5.4 |
| | Labour | Linda Grimes | 263 | 10.5 | −3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 55.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,551 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.2 | |
Letchworth Wilbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raymond Shakespeare-Smith (Ray Shakespeare-Smith) | 773 | 41.7 | +1.1 |
| | Labour | Peter Mardell* | 660 | 35.6 | −7.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Booton | 422 | 22.7 | +6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 47.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,920 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.5 | |
Royston East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis John Smith* (John Smith) | 1,131 | 61.1 | +12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Pitts | 386 | 20.8 | +7.7 |
| | Labour | Jessie Etheridge | 335 | 18.1 | −12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 43.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,254 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.6 | |
Royston West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mark Hughes* | 1,288 | 48.1 | +10.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pat Kennington | 833 | 31.1 | −11.4 |
| | Labour | Les Baker | 559 | 20.9 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 43.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,189 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +11.1 | |
Weston ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Jarvis (Steve Jarvis) | 383 | 51.7 | +24.2 |
| | Conservative | Robert Evans* | 328 | 44.3 | −12.3 |
| | Labour | Teresa Trangmar (Tre Trangmar) | 30 | 4.0 | −11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 58.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,259 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +18.3 | |

## Changes 1992–1994

On 12 June 1992 Labour councillor Don Kitchiner, who represented Letchworth Grange, announced his defection to the Conservatives.
Some time between the 1992 and 1994 elections it would appear that there was a by-election in Hitchin Walsworth ward which saw Ratepayer councillor Jack Swain being replaced by Labour councillor Philip Kirk, whilst the seat in that ward held by Dennis Ward in 1992 had also gone to Labour by the time of the 1994 election, although whether by a defection or a by-election has yet to be established.