# 1983 North Hertfordshire District Council election

The 1983 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 5 May 1983, at the same time as other local elections across England and Wales. There were 18 out of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council up for election, being the usual third of the council plus a by-election in Letchworth East ward.

## Overall results

The overall results were as follows:
1983 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 | 2 | 61.1 | 19 | 30 | 60.0 | 14,340 | 42.1 | +0.8 |
| | Labour | 5 | 1 | 27.8 | 10 | 15 | 27.8 | 9,933 | 29.1 | +1.8 |
| | Alliance | 1 | 1 | 5.6 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 8,191 | 24.0 | -2.0 |
| | Ratepayers | 1 | | 5.6 | 1 | 2 | 4.0 | 1,614 | 4.7 | +1.2 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0.0 | n/a |
Liberal and SDP votes are counted together in the summary above as part of the Alliance. In the ward results below, where the individual party affiliation of Alliance candidates was reported it is shown instead.

## 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 | John Sheldrick* | 582 | 48.3 | +2.2 |
| | Alliance | Anne Glenys Travis | 531 | 44.1 | +3.7 |
| | Labour | Nigel Percival | 91 | 7.6 | −5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 66.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,811 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
Baldock ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Evens* | 1,238 | 47.3 | +6.9 |
| | Labour | Roger McFall | 933 | 35.6 | +4.3 |
| | Alliance | Mike Pritchett | 448 | 17.1 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,196 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
Hitchin Bearton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Roberts* | 981 | 41.6 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Harry Smith | 882 | 37.4 | +1.2 |
| | Alliance | Harry Shipley | 396 | 16.8 | −7.0 |
| | Residents | Basil St John Emery | 97 | 4.1 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 54.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,347 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.3 | |
Hitchin Highbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Beryl Wearmouth* | 1,626 | 65.6 | +10.8 |
| | SDP | Mary Burton | 502 | 20.3 | −12.9 |
| | Labour | Teresa Trangmar | 350 | 14.1 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 48.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,047 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.4 | |
Hitchin Oughton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Audrey Carss* | 1,070 | 54.3 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Derrick Ashley | 641 | 32.5 | +1.4 |
| | Alliance | Lorna Boardman | 259 | 13.1 | −7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 44.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,437 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
Hitchin Walsworth ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Residents | Ken Logan* | 1,517 | 46.4 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Keith Ruff | 811 | 24.8 | −5.3 |
| | Conservative | John Crow | 612 | 18.7 | +18.7 |
| | Alliance | Hugh Kelliher | 329 | 10.1 | −14.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 56.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,817 | | |
| | Ratepayers hold | Ratepayers hold | Swing | +3.4 | |
Hitchwood ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Raffell* | 463 | 62.1 | −14.8 |
| | Alliance | Edward Wilson | 209 | 28.0 | +28.0 |
| | Labour | Jenny Marr | 74 | 9.9 | −13.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 55.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,349 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -21.4 | |
Hoo ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Jackson | 430 | 49.9 | −13.5 |
| | Labour | David Kendall | 274 | 31.8 | −4.7 |
| | Alliance | Celia Lord | 157 | 18.2 | +18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 55.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,554 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -4.4 | |
Letchworth East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Bifield | 956 | 40.1 | −0.3 |
| | Labour | Headley Parkins* | 910 | | |
| | Alliance | Martin Fisher | 768 | 32.2 | +0.3 |
| | Alliance | Hans Mulder | 717 | | |
| | Conservative | Nicholas King | 660 | 27.7 | 0.0 |
| | Conservative | David Langridge | 655 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 62.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,168 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.3 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
The by-election in Letchworth East ward was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Tony McWalter.
Letchworth Grange ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Liz Leonard | 1,017 | 37.2 | −1.3 |
| | Alliance | Brian Nicholson | 954 | 34.9 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | John McKenna | 764 | 27.9 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 53.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,084 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
Letchworth South East ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDP | Tony Quinn | 1,355 | 37.6 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | Gordon Whalley | 1,308 | 36.3 | +0.4 |
| | Labour | Joan Kirby | 940 | 26.1 | −5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 61.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,887 | | |
| | SDP gain from Conservative | SDP gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.2 | |
Letchworth South West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Talbot* | 1,400 | 55.0 | −8.6 |
| | Labour | Steve Spencer | 617 | 24.2 | +11.4 |
| | Liberal | Rosemary Ryden | 530 | 20.8 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 58.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,332 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -10.0 | |
Letchworth Wilbury ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stuart Murray | 1,162 | 45.1 | +6.0 |
| | Conservative | Ray Bloxham* | 1,080 | 42.0 | +1.0 |
| | Alliance | Mary Marsh | 332 | 12.9 | −7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 64.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,003 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.5 | |
Newsells ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Wilkerson* (Bob Wilkerson) | 507 | 79.7 | +0.1 |
| | Labour | Michael Kernaghan (Mick Kernaghan) | 129 | 20.3 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 49.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,276 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |
Offa ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lynne Jackson | 426 | 47.9 | +2.9 |
| | Alliance | Andy Hofton | 236 | 26.5 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | John Mayo | 228 | 25.6 | −4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,488 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
Royston West ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Leo Doyle | 1,115 | 43.6 | −11.6 |
| | Alliance | Hazel Lord | 1,107 | 43.3 | +17.2 |
| | Labour | Jessie Etheridge | 335 | 13.1 | −5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,045 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -14.4 | |
Sandon ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Patricia Toulson (Patsy Toulson) | 507 | 78.1 | −4.4 |
| | Alliance | Patrick Short | 78 | 12.0 | +12.0 |
| | Labour | Philip Davies (Phil Davies) | 64 | 9.9 | −7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,085 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -8.2 | |