2012 St Albans City and District Council election

Map of the results of the 2012 St Albans City and District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red, Greens in green and independent in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2012.

The 2012 St Albans City and District Council election took place on 3 May 2012 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.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

Before the election the Conservatives were the largest party on the council with 29 of the 58 seats.[3] The Liberal Democrats had 23 seats, Labour had 4 seats, the Green Party had 1 seat and there was 1 Independent.[3] Since the last election in 2011 Labour had gained a seat in Batchwood from the Liberal Democrats at a by-election in January 2012.[4]

19 seats were contested in 2012 with both the Conservative and Labour parties having a full 19 candidates, the Liberal Democrats had 18 and the Greens had 17.[5] There were 3 independent candidates as well, the sitting independent councillor Tony Swendell in Redbourn, the former Labour group leader Maurice MacMillan in London Colney, who had left the party a few years before over the imposition of an all-women shortlist, and Conservative councillor John Chambers, who was standing in Harpenden North as an independent after having been deselected by the Conservatives.[5] Of the 19 seats the Conservatives were defending 9, the Liberal Democrats 8 and both the Green party and an independent were defending 1 seat.[6]

Election result

The Labour Party gained 4 seats to have 8 councillors after taking 3 seats from the Liberal Democrats and 1 seat from the Conservatives.[7] The Conservatives remained the largest party, while the Liberal Democrats dropped to 19 seats and both the Green Party and Independent Tony Swendell held the seats they had been defending.[7]

St Albans local election result 2012[2][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 8 1 1 0 42.1 37.9 14,598 -4.6%
  Liberal Democrats 5 0 4 -4 26.3 25.0 9,625 -4.3%
  Labour 4 4 0 +4 21.1 22.0 8,461 +2.4%
  Green 1 0 0 0 5.3 8.6 3,313 +0.3%
  Independent 1 0 0 0 5.3 5.6 2,164 +5.3%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 274 +0.7%
  English Democrat 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 83 +0.2%

Ward results

Ashley[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Momotaz Rahim 768 35.8 +5.5
Liberal Democrats Nik Alatortsev 702 32.7 +0.1
Conservative Guy Young 431 20.1 −7.8
Green Graham Ward 246 11.5 +2.3
Majority 66 3.1
Turnout 2,147 38 −10
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Batchwood[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Malachy Pakenham 896 48.5 +7.6
Conservative Tim Smith 395 21.4 −5.5
Liberal Democrats Allan Witherick 384 20.8 −3.6
Green Naomi Love 171 9.3 +7.6
Majority 501 27.1 +13.2
Turnout 1,846 34 −17
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Clarence[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Christopher White 880 42.5 +5.2
Conservative Joe Hames 494 23.9 −8.9
Labour Matthew Wilson 383 18.5 −1.6
Green Jack Easton 312 15.1 +5.3
Majority 386 18.7 +14.2
Turnout 2,069 40 −24
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Cunningham[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Geoff Harrison 735 39.5 −1.9
Conservative Jim Vessey 394 21.2 −9.8
Labour John Metcalf 386 20.7 −0.2
UKIP Michael Mason 151 8.1 +8.1
Green Greg Riener 113 6.1 −0.6
English Democrat Alan Malin 83 4.5 +4.5
Majority 341 18.3 +7.9
Turnout 1,862 38 −12
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harpenden East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rosemary Farmer 920 53.2 −0.9
Liberal Democrats Maria Moyes 420 24.3 −0.4
Labour Rosemary Ross 250 14.5 +1.6
Green Lorna Hann 139 8.0 −0.2
Majority 500 28.9 −0.4
Turnout 1,729 32 −17
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Julie Bell 806 46.9 −12.5
Independent John Chambers 434 25.2 +25.2
Labour Linda Spiri 226 13.1 −0.7
Liberal Democrats Gordon Burrow 170 9.9 −8.4
Green Lucy Eggleston 84 4.9 −3.5
Majority 372 21.6 −19.5
Turnout 1,720 32 −19
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Heritage 1,280 71.1 +3.0
Labour Michael Gray-Higgins 215 11.9 −0.1
Liberal Democrats Andrew Crofts 196 10.9 −3.1
Green Pete Eggleston 110 6.1 +0.2
Majority 1,065 59.1 +4.9
Turnout 1,801 34 −18
Conservative hold Swing
Harpenden West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Weaver 1,345 66.8 +3.1
Liberal Democrats Alison Steer 280 13.9 −4.8
Labour Geoffrey Dignum 251 12.5 +0.4
Green Lydia El-Khouri 136 6.8 +1.3
Majority 1,065 52.9 +7.9
Turnout 2,012 35 −20
Conservative hold Swing
London Colney (2 seats)[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dreda Gordon 1,162 47.1 +2.6
Conservative Simon Calder 912 36.9 −3.4
Conservative Dave Winstone 859 34.8 −5.5
Labour Ian Orton 813 32.9 −11.6
Independent Malcolm MacMillan 556 22.5 N/A
Green Mary Warren 197 8.0 +0.6
Liberal Democrats Vibs Nazeri 114 4.6 −3.2
Liberal Democrats Mark Pedroz 84 3.4 −4.4
Turnout 2,469 35 −5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Marshalswick North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Janet Churchard 889 44.5 +3.7
Conservative Lyn Bolton 713 35.7 −3.4
Labour John Paton 239 12.0 −1.5
Green Rosalind Paul 155 7.8 +1.2
Majority 176 8.8 +7.1
Turnout 1,996 40 −14
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Marshalswick South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Heidi Allen 929 39.8 −6.8
Liberal Democrats Melvyn Teare 651 27.9 +2.6
Labour Iain Grant 441 18.9 +0.7
Green Jill Mills 188 8.1 −1.8
UKIP Philip Singleton 123 5.3 +5.3
Majority 278 11.9 −9.5
Turnout 2,332 44 −14
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Park Street[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Yates 945 45.7 +5.7
Conservative Stella Nash 766 37.0 −4.0
Labour Martin McGrath 258 12.5 −1.9
Green Robert Barton 100 4.8 +0.2
Majority 179 8.7
Turnout 2,069 36 −12
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Redbourn[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Tony Swendell 1,174 59.5 +59.5
Conservative Victoria Mead 624 31.6 −21.1
Labour Richard Windle 175 8.9 −1.1
Majority 550 27.9
Turnout 1,973 41 −12
Independent hold Swing
Sopwell[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Smith 881 47.1 +1.9
Liberal Democrats Roger Axworthy 481 25.7 −0.1
Conservative Bruce Snell 324 17.3 −3.0
Green Kate Metcalf 184 9.8 +1.1
Majority 400 21.4 +2.0
Turnout 1,870 35 −13
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
St Peters[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Simon Grover 719 34.7 +7.1
Labour Andrew Dixon 485 23.4 +0.1
Conservative Paul Davies 454 21.9 −4.5
Liberal Democrats Liz Needham 412 19.9 −5.3
Majority 234 11.3
Turnout 2,070 36 −11
Green hold Swing
St Stephen[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Brian Gibbard 1,085 57.7 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Jay Baillie 430 22.9 −3.6
Labour Janet Blackwell 238 12.7 +1.7
Green Lesley Baker 127 6.8 −0.1
Majority 655 34.8 +5.6
Turnout 1,880 36 −15
Conservative hold Swing
Verulam[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Fred Wartenberg 1,211 50.2 +11.7
Conservative Panos Ifans 776 32.2 −9.6
Labour Dominic Benson 213 8.8 −3.4
Green Margaret Grover 213 8.8 +1.2
Majority 435 18.0
Turnout 2,413 47 −14
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Wheathampstead[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gill Clark 1,091 53.7 +9.2
Liberal Democrats Jon Bareham 641 31.5 −12.2
Labour Gavin Ross 181 8.9 +1.8
Green Ian Troughton 119 5.9 +1.2
Majority 450 22.1 +21.3
Turnout 2,032 42 −17
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "St Albans". BBC News Online. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Election results 2012: Non-Metro". The Guardian. NewsBank. 5 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Local elections 2012". BBC News Online. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  4. ^ White, Debbie (20 January 2012). "Roma Mills wins St Albans by-election". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b Burton, Madeleine (16 April 2012). "Surprise independent candidates in St Albans Council elections". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  6. ^ "2012 local election counting begins". St Albans & Harpenden Review. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b Mistry, Manisha (4 May 2012). "Conservatives still largest St Albans District Council party". St Albans & Harpenden Review. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "3rd May 2012 District Council Election Results". St Albans City & District Council. Retrieved 1 February 2015.