| Election Name: | 1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1987 North Hertfordshire District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 1987 |
| Next Election: | 1990 North Hertfordshire District Council election |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
| Seats For Election: | 18 of 50 seats on North Hertfordshire District Council |
| Majority Seats: | 26 |
| Image1: | Con |
| Leader1: | Bob Flatman |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Seats Before1: | 26 |
| Seats After1: | 27 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Leader2: | Judi Billing |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Seats Before2: | 13 |
| Seats After2: | 13 |
| Image3: | SDP |
| Leader3: | Tony Quinn |
| Party3: | Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988) |
| Seats Before3: | 4 |
| Seats After3: | 4 |
| Image4: | SLD |
| Party4: | Social and Liberal Democrats |
| Seats Before4: | 4 |
| Seats After4: | 3 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Image5: | RA |
| Party5: | Ratepayers Association |
| Seats Before5: | 3 |
| Seats After5: | 3 |
| Leader | |
| Before Election: | Bob Flatman |
| Before Party: | Conservative |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| After Election: | Bob Flatman |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 1988 North Hertfordshire District Council election was held on 5 May 1988, at the same time as other local elections across England and Scotland. 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 Codicote ward.[1]
The Conservatives made a net gain of one seat to increase their majority on the council. The former SDP–Liberal Alliance group of eight councillors had fragmented ahead of the election; four joined the new merged party of the Social and Liberal Democrats (renamed the Liberal Democrats the following year), but the other four (including former Alliance group leader, Tony Quinn) joined the breakaway continuing Social Democratic Party opposed to the merger.[2]
The overall results were as follows:
The results for each ward were as follows. An asterisk(*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election.[3]
The by-election in Codicote ward was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Denis Winch.
The Royston West by-election was triggered by the resignation of Social and Liberal Democrat councillor Fran Bate. Tim Doyle won the seat for the Conservatives.[4]
The Hitchin Priory by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Frank Howett. The seat was retained for the Conservatives by Richard Thake. The number of votes was not reported, but it was said that the Conservative vote was down 20% from the last time the seat was contested and the Liberal Democrat share of the vote was 33%.[5] [6]