# 1998 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 1998 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 1998, at the same time as other local elections across England. There were 18 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council plus two by-elections in Hitchin Walsworth and Knebworth wards.
Labour retained its narrow majority on the council. The Conservatives won most votes and gained one extra seat.

## Overall results

The overall results were as follows:
1998 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 | 9 | 1 | 50.0 | 8 | 17 | 50.0 | 10,154 | 41.0 | +7.8 |
| | Labour | 8 | | 44.4 | 18 | 26 | 52.0 | 9,141 | 36.9 | -8.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1 | 1 | 5.6 | 5 | 6 | 12.0 | 5,088 | 20.6 | -1.3 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 273 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| | Natural Law | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 91 | 0.4 | +0.4 |

## Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election.
Baldock ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bernard Crow | 947 | 48.6 | +15.2 |
| | Labour | Neil Haslam | 763 | 39.1 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John White | 240 | 12.3 | −10.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 26.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,440 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.8 | |
Codicote ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Luke La Plain | 641 | 62.0 | +16.3 |
| | Labour | Diane Hillyer | 312 | 30.2 | −5.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Stanley | 81 | 7.8 | −6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,541 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +11.1 | |
Hitchin Bearton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jennifer Marr* (Jenny Marr) | 709 | 57.6 | −12.2 |
| | Conservative | Patricia Cherry | 356 | 28.9 | +10.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dorothy Llewelyn | 145 | 11.8 | +0.1 |
| | Natural Law | George Woodhouse | 20 | 1.6 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 26.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,619 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -11.3 | |
Hitchin Highbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alvaro Damiani (Al Damiani) | 1,012 | 48.5 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Lord | 726 | 34.8 | −6.5 |
| | Labour | Jonathan Newham | 343 | 16.4 | −3.5 |
| | Natural Law | Graham Bell | 7 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 41.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,054 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.1 | |
Hitchin Oughton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Martin Stears* | 684 | 66.2 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | Nigel Brook | 228 | 22.1 | +6.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Victoria Warwick (Vicki Warwick) | 110 | 10.6 | −6.6 |
| | Natural Law | Yvonne Bell | 11 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 24.9 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,159 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.1 | |
Hitchin Priory ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Derrick Ashley* | 645 | 65.0 | +9.8 |
| | Labour | Derek Sheard | 214 | 21.6 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Winder | 128 | 12.9 | −11.5 |
| | Natural Law | Ann Burcombe | 6 | 0.6 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 34.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,926 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.3 | |
Hitchin Walsworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Philip Kirk* | 1,112 | 49.7 | −17.9 |
| | Labour | Sandra Lunn | 1,020 | | |
| | Conservative | Bernard Lovewell | 524 | 23.4 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Shirley | 357 | 16.0 | +4.0 |
| | Green | George Howe | 202 | 9.0 | +9.0 |
| | Natural Law | Russell Howard | 42 | 1.9 | +1.9 |
| | Natural Law | Lesley Relph | 18 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 29.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,321 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -10.5 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
The by-election in Hitchin Walsworth ward was to replace Labour councillor John Banks.
Kimpton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Horrell | 422 | 66.4 | +18.1 |
| | Labour | Colin Seddon | 143 | 22.5 | +7.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sally Jarvis (Sal Jarvis) | 66 | 10.4 | −26.2 |
| | Natural Law | Donna Hawkins | 5 | 0.8 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 36.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,738 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.4 | |
Knebworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jane Gray | 720 | 56.3 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ferrers Robin Bruce Wordsworth (Robin Wordsworth) | 715 | | |
| | Labour | Timothy Liddy | 361 | 28.2 | −21.7 |
| | Labour | Christopher Tasker | 335 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Stiff | 128 | 10.0 | +10.0 |
| | Green | Stuart Madgin | 71 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Winder | 47 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 35.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,459 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +14.0 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
The by-election in Knebworth ward was to replace Conservative councillor Margaret Hilton.
Letchworth East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Jarman* | 750 | 54.5 | −9.6 |
| | Conservative | Adam Wilson | 370 | 26.9 | +6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Gammell | 257 | 18.7 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 28.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,903 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -8.0 | |
Letchworth Grange ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Mardell* | 996 | 64.9 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Paul | 304 | 19.8 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robin Hall | 235 | 15.3 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 30.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,057 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.9 | |
Letchworth South East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John James Wilkinson* (Jack Wilkinson) | 993 | 43.3 | −2.9 |
| | Conservative | Carole McNelliey | 771 | 33.7 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Murray Turner | 527 | 23.0 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 36.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,236 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.0 | |
Letchworth South West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Kingman | 1,097 | 48.0 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative | Ray Shakespeare-Smith | 936 | 40.9 | −1.6 |
| | Labour | Marion Watson-Blake | 254 | 11.1 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 49.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,629 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +3.6 | |
Letchworth Wilbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Mantle* | 641 | 50.8 | −8.0 |
| | Conservative | Neil Redfern | 452 | 35.8 | +9.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Booton | 170 | 13.5 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 27.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,563 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -8.6 | |
Royston East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Burt | 822 | 56.8 | +8.6 |
| | Labour | Robin King | 399 | 27.6 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Ledden | 227 | 15.7 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 33.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,386 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.1 | |
Royston West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Lombari | 1,004 | 48.6 | +14.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patricia Baxter* (Pat Baxter) | 594 | 28.8 | +2.8 |
| | Labour | Vaughan West | 467 | 22.6 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 32.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,513 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +5.8 | |
* ↑ Previously elected in 1994 as Pat Kennington.