# 2004 St Albans City and District Council election

The 2004 St Albans City and District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of St Albans District Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Liberal Democrats 29
* Conservative 17
* Labour 11
* Independent 1

## Background

After the last election in 2003 the Liberal Democrats were the largest party on the council with 23 seats, compared to 21 for the Conservatives, 13 for Labour and there was 1 independent. In April 2004 the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives at a by-election in Verulam, which meant they needed to gain 6 seats at the 2004 council election to take a majority on the council. St Albans was reported by national newspapers to be a council that the Liberal Democrats were hoping to win a majority on.
18 seats were contested at the election with only Colney Heath and Sandridge wards not having elections. Candidates from the 3 main parties stood in all 18 wards apart from in Redbourn, where the Liberal Democrats did not put up a candidate to oppose the independent councillor, Tony Swendell, who was standing for re-election. Two other parties put up some candidates, 3 from the new St Albans Party and 2 from the Green Party.
4 Conservative councillors stood down at the election, Mike Bretherton, Mike Jameson, Martin Treasure and Hazel Ward, as well as 1 from Labour, Andrew Rose and 1 Liberal Democrat, John White.

## Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrat make 5 gains but come up one seat short of gaining an overall majority. They gained seats in Ashley and St Peters wards from Labour, and in Marshalswick South, Park Street and Wheathampstead from the Conservatives, to have exactly half of the 58 seats on the council. This reduced the Conservatives to 17 seats and Labour to 11 seats, while independent Anthony Swendell was re-elected in Redbourn.
Following the election the Liberal Democrats took control of the council with all of the seats on the council cabinet after winning a vote 29 to 24, with 1 abstention, despite opposition from both Labour and the Conservatives.
St Albans local election result 2004 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 9 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 50.0 | 38.2 | 15,235 | -5.6% |
| Conservative | 5 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 27.8 | 39.6 | 15,796 | +4.2% |
| Labour | 3 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 16.7 | 17.1 | 6,826 | -3.5% |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 | 3.3 | 1,310 | +3.3% |
| St Albans Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 436 | +1.1% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 310 | +0.8% |

## Ward results

Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Ellis | 912 | 41.2 | −2.2 |
| | Labour | Edward Hill | 713 | 32.2 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative | Alec Campbell | 457 | 20.6 | −1.0 |
| | St Albans Party | Peter Cobden | 133 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 199 | 9.0 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,215 | 44.4 | 0.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Batchwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Eleanor Harris | 732 | 37.1 | −10.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Allan Witherick | 698 | 35.3 | +9.0 |
| | Conservative | Eileen Brown | 545 | 27.6 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 1.8 | −18.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,975 | 40.1 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Clarence :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Sinfield | 985 | 47.0 | −18.3 |
| | Conservative | Lee Foster | 514 | 24.5 | +7.5 |
| | Labour | David Lee | 416 | 19.9 | +2.2 |
| | Green | Simon Grover | 180 | 8.6 | +8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 471 | 22.5 | −25.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,095 | 47.1 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Cunningham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Harrison | 1,180 | 57.2 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | James Vessey | 542 | 26.3 | +7.5 |
| | Labour | Rebecca Gumbrell-Mccormick | 340 | 16.5 | −3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 638 | 30.9 | −10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,062 | 45.5 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Harpenden East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Peyton | 1,224 | 50.4 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | Nora Kavanaugh | 960 | 39.5 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | David Crew | 245 | 10.1 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 264 | 10.9 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,429 | 47.7 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Harpenden North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Chambers | 1,228 | 56.9 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Canfield | 707 | 32.8 | −5.6 |
| | Labour | Rosemary Ross | 223 | 10.3 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 521 | 24.1 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,158 | 43.4 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Harpenden South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Stevenson | 1,480 | 66.2 | +4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Jenkinson | 536 | 24.0 | −4.4 |
| | Labour | David Lawlor | 220 | 9.8 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 944 | 42.2 | +8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,236 | 44.3 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Harpenden West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Newman | 1,448 | 57.7 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeffrey Phillips | 698 | 27.8 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Elizabeth Rayner | 232 | 9.3 | −2.3 |
| | Green | Marc Scheimann | 130 | 5.2 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 750 | 29.9 | +5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,508 | 46.5 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
London Colney :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sean Flynn | 881 | 43.7 | −14.0 |
| | Conservative | Brian Lee | 721 | 35.8 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carol Prowse | 414 | 20.5 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 160 | 7.9 | −24.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,016 | 35.6 | +2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Marshalswick North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Stroud | 1,169 | 51.8 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 880 | 39.0 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | John Baughan | 207 | 9.2 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 289 | 12.8 | +2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,256 | 47.5 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Marshalswick South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Melvyn Teare | 1,193 | 47.1 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Bretherton | 1,025 | 40.5 | +7.0 |
| | Labour | Sonia Smith | 313 | 12.4 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 168 | 6.6 | −13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,531 | 51.4 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Park Street :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Yates | 1,079 | 50.4 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Katharine Cramer | 795 | 37.1 | +8.8 |
| | Labour | Janet Blackwell | 266 | 12.4 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 284 | 13.3 | −16.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,140 | 42.1 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Redbourn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Anthony Swendell | 1,310 | 63.5 | +63.5 |
| | Conservative | Susan Walford | 578 | 28.0 | −13.4 |
| | Labour | Linda Spiri | 175 | 8.5 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 732 | 35.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,063 | 45.7 | 0.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Sopwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Janet Smith | 708 | 40.0 | −9.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda Bateman | 532 | 30.0 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative | Roderick Douglas | 532 | 30.0 | +7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 176 | 10.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,772 | 36.2 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
St Peters :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Morris | 987 | 47.3 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | Helen Ives-Rose | 613 | 29.4 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Maureen Havard | 385 | 18.5 | +0.2 |
| | St Albans Party | Vera Tinson | 100 | 4.8 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 374 | 17.9 | +7.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,085 | 41.9 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
St Stephen :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Canham | 1,431 | 60.6 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Parry | 733 | 31.0 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Jane Cloke | 197 | 8.3 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 698 | 29.6 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,361 | 47.7 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Verulam :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Clare Ellis | 1,213 | 45.7 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Burton | 1,051 | 39.6 | −13.0 |
| | St Albans Party | Janet Girsman | 203 | 7.6 | +7.6 |
| | Labour | Larry Heyman | 188 | 7.1 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 162 | 6.1 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,655 | 53.8 | −2.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wheathampstead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Edelston | 1,137 | 48.3 | −11.5 |
| | Conservative | Gillian Clark | 1,062 | 45.1 | +12.3 |
| | Labour | Mary Cheale | 157 | 6.7 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 3.2 | −23.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,356 | 51.7 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |