# 1995 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 1995 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 4 May 1995, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. There were 17 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council.
The council remained under no overall control. Prior to the election the council had been run by a Conservative minority administration, with the Conservative leader, Geoff Woods, being leader of the council. At the election, the Conservatives made a net loss of three seats whilst Labour gained three seats and was able to form a minority administration with the support of the Liberal Democrats, although the two parties did not formally consider their arrangement to be a coalition. At the subsequent annual council meeting on 16 May 1995 the Labour leader, David Kearns, took the council's most senior political role as chairman of the policy and resources committee, although he was not given the title of leader of the council that all previous policy chairmen had held. Immediately after the election the Conservatives changed their group leader from Geoff Woods to F. John Smith.

## Overall results

The overall results were as follows:
1995 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 % | +/− |
| | Labour | 9 | 3 | 52.9 | 12 | 21 | 42.0 | 13,640 | 45.6 | +7.6 |
| | Conservative | 4 | 3 | 23.5 | 18 | 22 | 44.0 | 8,080 | 27.0 | -4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 3 | 1 | 17.6 | 3 | 6 | 12.0 | 6,544 | 21.9 | -3.9 |
| | Ratepayers | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1,160 | 3.9 | +1.2 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 482 | 1.6 | +0.5 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 34 | 0.1 | -0.6 |

## Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election.
Arbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Young* | 671 | 57.3 | +6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Pritchard | 323 | 27.6 | −9.8 |
| | Labour | Roger McFall | 177 | 15.1 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 62.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,887 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.1 | |
Baldock ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Brian Derbyshire | 1,535 | 53.2 | +18.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael Muir* | 919 | 31.8 | −9.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vernon Gaskell | 433 | 15.0 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,132 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +14.0 | |
Hitchin Bearton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donald Hitchcock | 1,181 | 71.8 | +9.8 |
| | Conservative | Michael East | 271 | 16.5 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Newham | 192 | 11.7 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 36.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,566 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.1 | |
Hitchin Highbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Clark | 1,041 | 44.2 | +5.0 |
| | Conservative | Robin Dartington* | 744 | 31.6 | −9.4 |
| | Labour | April Shelbourn | 570 | 24.2 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 46.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,066 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.2 | |
Hitchin Oughton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Audrey Carss* | 1,157 | 76.5 | +11.7 |
| | Conservative | Nigel Brook | 184 | 12.2 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Victoria Walker (Vicki Walker) | 171 | 11.3 | −7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 37.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,038 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.2 | |
Hitchin Walsworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Terry | 1,275 | 45.9 | −4.6 |
| | Ratepayers | Ken Logan* | 1,160 | 41.8 | +11.5 |
| | Conservative | Bernard Lovewell | 212 | 7.6 | −2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Penelope Cunningham | 128 | 4.6 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 46.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,018 | | |
| | Labour gain from Ratepayers | Labour gain from Ratepayers | Swing | -8.1 | |
Hitchwood ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rodney Bird* | 318 | 55.4 | −7.3 |
| | Labour | Colin Southward | 175 | 30.5 | +12.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Upchurch | 81 | 14.1 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 41.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,398 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -10.0 | |
Hoo ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Roger Wood | 403 | 46.4 | +8.9 |
| | Conservative | David Barnard* | 400 | 46.0 | −3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Martin | 66 | 7.6 | −5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,464 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.0 | |
Letchworth East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anthony Hartley (Tony Hartley) | 1,343 | 65.5 | +12.0 |
| | Conservative | Simon Bloxham | 378 | 18.4 | −6.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Ellis | 296 | 14.4 | −3.8 |
| | Green | Eric Blakeley | 34 | 1.7 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 41.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,896 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.4 | |
The Letchworth East seat had previously been held by Labour councillor Charles Bifield, but had been vacant since his death on 16 February 1995.
Letchworth Grange ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Morris | 1,668 | 71.7 | +12.6 |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Mitchell | 390 | 16.8 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robin Hall | 269 | 11.6 | −8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 45.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,122 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.3 | |
Letchworth South East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Nigel Agar* | 1,439 | 51.0 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Gammell | 738 | 26.2 | −8.2 |
| | Conservative | Carole McNelliey | 642 | 22.8 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 46.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,149 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.2 | |
Letchworth South West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Simpson* | 1,141 | 44.6 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Lynda Needham | 1,007 | 39.3 | −0.4 |
| | Labour | Edna Patricia Watson-Blake (Pat Watson-Blake) | 413 | 16.1 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 56.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,579 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
Letchworth Wilbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Evans* | 975 | 56.3 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | Jessica Thomson | 424 | 24.5 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Booton | 333 | 19.2 | −3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,275 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
Newsells ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Wilkerson* (Bob Wilkerson) | 419 | 54.6 | −7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Frank Christopher East (Chris East) | 187 | 24.4 | +3.9 |
| | Labour | Frederick Peacock (Fred Peacock) | 161 | 21.0 | +3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,290 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -5.8 | |
Offa ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Claire Strong | 310 | 37.7 | −10.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sally Jarvis (Sal Jarvis) | 275 | 33.5 | −7.2 |
| | Labour | Jean Wood | 237 | 28.8 | +17.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 53.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,542 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.4 | |
Royston West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Cook* | 870 | 34.7 | −3.0 |
| | Labour | Kenneth Garland (Ken Garland) | 844 | 33.7 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter Lill | 791 | 31.6 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,275 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -4.4 | |
Sandon ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Edward Faure Walker* (Teddy Faure Walker) | 482 | 84.7 | +24.2 |
| | Labour | Neil Haslam | 87 | 15.3 | +11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 49.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,151 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | +6.2 | |