Hertsmere Council election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Hertsmere Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Hertsmere
District
Council in Hertfordshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
s standing down at the election, Conservative Darren Solomons and Liberal Democrat
Anita Gamble. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrat leader on the council Roger Kutchinsky contested Bushey
Heath, instead of the ward
he had previously held Bushey North.
, thus winning 11 of the 13 seats contested. This meant the Conservatives stayed in control of the council with 35 seats compared to 4 for Labour. Meanwhile the defeats for the Liberal Democrats meant they no longer had any seats on Hertsmere council for the first time ever. Overall turnout
at the election was 40.49%.
The Conservatives gained Bushey North and Bushey St James from the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrat leader came third in Bushey Heath. Labour candidate Richard Butler gained Borehamwood
Kenilworth from the Conservatives, at the same election that his father Ernie Butler held Borehamwood Cowley Hill for Labour. The gain by 25 year old Richard Butler meant Labour finished the election with more councillors than before the election for the first time since 1996.
Hertsmere
Hertsmere is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Borehamwood. Other towns in the borough include Bushey, Elstree, Radlett and Potters Bar.-History:...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
35 - LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
4
Background
13 of the 39 seats on the council were being contested, with 2 sitting councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s standing down at the election, Conservative Darren Solomons and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Anita Gamble. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrat leader on the council Roger Kutchinsky contested Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
Heath, instead of the ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
he had previously held Bushey North.
Election result
The Conservatives gained 2 seats from the Liberal Democrats, but lost a seat to LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, thus winning 11 of the 13 seats contested. This meant the Conservatives stayed in control of the council with 35 seats compared to 4 for Labour. Meanwhile the defeats for the Liberal Democrats meant they no longer had any seats on Hertsmere council for the first time ever. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
at the election was 40.49%.
The Conservatives gained Bushey North and Bushey St James from the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrat leader came third in Bushey Heath. Labour candidate Richard Butler gained Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
Kenilworth from the Conservatives, at the same election that his father Ernie Butler held Borehamwood Cowley Hill for Labour. The gain by 25 year old Richard Butler meant Labour finished the election with more councillors than before the election for the first time since 1996.