2002 Hertsmere Borough Council election
2 May 2002
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 out of 39 seats to Hertsmere Borough Council 20 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered | 63,279 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 32.8% (2.5%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winner of each seat at the 2002 Hertsmere Borough Council election. Seats in white were not contested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2002 Hertsmere Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire, England.[1] This was on the same day as other local elections.
One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.[2]
Summary
Background
Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 22 seats, compared to 10 for Labour, 5 Liberal Democrats and 2 independents.[3] Since the 2000 election 2 Labour councillors, husband and wife Martin and Jean Heywood, had left the party and became independents.[4]
13 of the 15 wards had seats contested in 2002, with only Aldenham East and Aldenham West having no election.[5] The Conservative and Labour parties both had 5 seats up for election, while the Liberal Democrats defended 4 and the independents had 1 seat being contested.[5]
Election result
The Conservatives increased their majority after gaining 2 seats from Labour to have 24 councillors, compared to 9 for Labour, 5 Liberal Democrats and 1 independent.[3] The Conservatives gained Borehamwood Hillside by 74 votes, with the winning candidate, Sandra Parnell, becoming the first Conservative councillor for Borehamwood since 1976.[3] The other Conservative gain came in Shenley, where Rosemary Gilligan took the seat by 154 votes, after the Conservatives had gained the other seat in the ward at the last election in 2000.[3]
Despite losing 2 seats Labour did gain a seat in Borehamwood Cowley Hill by 193 votes defeating independent Jean Heywood.[3] Heywood had left Labour to sit as an independent in 2001 and both she and the Labour candidate Joe Goldberg accused the other of dirty tricks during the campaign.[3] Overall turnout at the election was 32.6%, an increase from 30.6% in 2000.[6]
Following the election the remaining independent councillor, Martin Heywood, joined the Conservatives, taking the Conservatives to a then record 25 seats on the council.[4]
| 2002 Hertsmere Borough Council election[7][8][9] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Conservative | 7 | 2 | 46.7 | 15 | 24 | 61.5 | 10,145 | 44.8 | –13.0 | |
| Labour | 4 | 2 | 26.7 | 5 | 9 | 23.1 | 6,425 | 28.4 | +0.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | 26.7 | 1 | 5 | 12.8 | 4,988 | 22.0 | +8.2 | ||
| Independent | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 888 | 3.9 | +3.0 | ||
| Green | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 108 | 0.5 | N/A | ||
| Socialist Labour | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 95 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
Ward results
Incumbent councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Changes in seats do not take into account by-elections or defections.
Borehamwood Brookmeadow
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Len Silverstone* | 736 | 60.2 | +3.1 | |
| Conservative | Simon Rubner | 487 | 39.8 | –3.1 | |
| Majority | 249 | 20.4 | +6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 1,223 | 24.4 | +3.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,058 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | 3.8 | |||
Borehamwood Cowley Hill
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Joseph Goldberg* | 886 | 52.9 | –13.5 | |
| Independent | Jean Heywood* | 693 | 41.4 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | James Dry | 95 | 5.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 193 | 11.5 | –21.3 | ||
| Turnout | 1,674 | 29.8 | +10.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,716 | ||||
| Labour hold | |||||
Borehamwood Hillside
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sandra Parnell | 1,054 | 51.8 | +2.1 | |
| Labour | Anthony Scott-Norman | 980 | 48.2 | –2.1 | |
| Majority | 74 | 3.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,034 | 35.3 | +2.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,806 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 2.1 | |||
Borehamwood Kenilworth
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ernest Butler | 463 | 51.2 | –14.7 | |
| Labour | Francis Ward* | 457 | 50.6 | –11.3 | |
| Conservative | David Wernick* | 231 | 25.6 | –1.3 | |
| Conservative | Lucy Wernick | 208 | 23.0 | –1.0 | |
| Independent | Peter Hedges | 195 | 21.6 | N/A | |
| Turnout | ~904 | 22.4 | +2.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,036 | ||||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Labour hold | |||||
Bushey Heath
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Ron Gealy* | 1,110 | 67.5 | –0.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Patrick Forsyth | 361 | 22.0 | +0.1 | |
| Labour | Dinah Hoeksma | 173 | 10.5 | ±0.0 | |
| Majority | 749 | 45.5 | –0.2 | ||
| Turnout | 1,644 | 32.0 | +3.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,163 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 0.1 | |||
Bushey North
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Marilyn Colne* | 1,083 | 67.9 | +13.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Robert Gamble* | 895 | 56.1 | +1.3 | |
| Conservative | Trevor Jones | 356 | 22.3 | –11.6 | |
| Conservative | John Slade* | 318 | 19.9 | –14.0 | |
| Labour | Sandra Mercado | 172 | 10.8 | –0.5 | |
| Green | Vega Alvarado | 108 | 6.8 | N/A | |
| Turnout | ~1,594 | 34.6 | +2.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,607 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | |||||
Bushey Park
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Lynne Hodgson* | 651 | 46.9 | +7.6 | |
| Conservative | Anne Swerling | 628 | 45.2 | –8.7 | |
| Labour | James Sowerbutts | 110 | 7.9 | +1.1 | |
| Majority | 23 | 1.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,389 | 40.7 | +0.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,426 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 8.2 | |||
Bushey St. James
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Zita Hobbs | 1,311 | 59.1 | +18.3 | |
| Conservative | David Bertin | 748 | 33.7 | –14.6 | |
| Labour | Christine Sowerbutts | 158 | 7.1 | –3.8 | |
| Majority | 563 | 25.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,217 | 40.0 | +7.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,560 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 16.5 | |||
Elstree
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Derrick Gunasekera* | 768 | 68.6 | +5.5 | |
| Labour | Oliver De Peyer | 223 | 19.9 | –17.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Roger Kutchinsky | 128 | 11.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 545 | 48.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,119 | 30.6 | +0.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,646 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 11.3 | |||
Potters Bar Furzefield
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Christine Calcutt* | 859 | 54.8 | –1.8 | |
| Labour | James Fisher | 415 | 26.5 | –3.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Colin Dean | 293 | 18.7 | –5.4 | |
| Majority | 444 | 28.3 | +6.9 | ||
| Turnout | 1,567 | 32.0 | –2.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,930 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 1.1 | |||
Potters Bar Oakmere
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Shirley Legate* | 1,125 | 62.1 | +1.4 | |
| Labour | Ann Harrison | 686 | 37.9 | –1.4 | |
| Majority | 439 | 24.2 | +2.8 | ||
| Turnout | 1,811 | 32.3 | –2.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,649 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 1.4 | |||
Potters Bar Parkfield
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edwin Roach* | 1,516 | 70.0 | –10.3 | |
| Labour | Liz Savage | 383 | 17.7 | –2.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Bonner | 266 | 12.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,133 | 52.3 | –8.3 | ||
| Turnout | 2,165 | 37.0 | +4.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,846 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 4.2 | |||
Shenley
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rosemary Gilligan | 737 | 55.8 | –5.8 | |
| Labour | William Hogan* | 583 | 44.2 | +5.8 | |
| Majority | 154 | 11.6 | –11.6 | ||
| Turnout | 1,320 | 34.0 | +3.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,836 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 5.8 | |||
References
- ^ "Hertsmere Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ "Hertsmere". BBC News. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hertsmere elections 2002: Tories win Borehamwood seat after 26 years". Borehamwood & Elstree Times. 8 May 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Mayor turns blue". Borehamwood & Elstree Times. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Hertsmere borough council elections 2002". Borehamwood & Elstree Times. 24 April 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Election turn-out". Borehamwood & Elstree Times. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Composition calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Election Results". Hertsmere Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 June 2003. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Local Elections in England: 2 May 2002" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Tories steal Borehamwood seat". Borehamwood & Elstree Times. 3 May 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2011.