1997 Essex County Council election explained

Election Name:	1997 Essex County Council election
Country:	Essex
Type:	Parliamentary
Ongoing:	no
Party Colour:	yes
Previous Election:	1993 Essex County Council election
Previous Year:	1993
Next Election:	2001 Essex County Council election
Next Year:	2001
Seats For Election:	79 out of 98 seats to Essex County Council
Majority Seats:	50
Election Date:	1 May 1997
Registered:	994,948
Turnout:	72.6% (36.6%)
Leader1:	Paul White
Party1:	Conservative Party (UK)
Last Election1:	32 seats, 35.3%
Seats Before1:	26
Seats1:	40
Seats After1:	45
Seat Change1:	13
Popular Vote1:	281,074
Percentage1:	38.9%
Swing1:	3.1%
Leader2:	Christopher Pearson (defeated)
Party2:	Labour Party (UK)
Last Election2:	33 seats, 30.7%
Seats Before2:	25
Seats2:	23
Seats After2:	32
Seat Change2:	1
Popular Vote2:	229,181
Percentage2:	31.7%
Swing2:	1.3%
Leader4:	Richard Boyd
Party4:	Liberal Democrats (UK)
Last Election4:	32 seats, 31.9%
Seats Before4:	27
Seats4:	15
Seats After4:	20
Seat Change4:	12
Popular Vote4:	192,520
Percentage4:	26.6%
Swing4:	5.3%
Party5:	Loughton Residents Association
Last Election5:	did not stand
Seats Before5:	0
Seats5:	1
Seats After5:	1
Seat Change5:	1
Popular Vote5:	5,040
Percentage5:	0.7%
Swing5:	0.7%
Leader
Posttitle:	Leader after election
Before Election:	Christopher Pearson Labour
Before Party:	No overall control
After Election:	Mervyn Juliff Labour
After Party:	No overall control

The 1997 Essex County Council election took place on 1 May 1997 to elect members of Essex County Council in Essex, England. This was held on the same day as other local elections and the 1997 general election.

79 councillors were elected from various electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office.

Due to the impending creation of the Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Thurrock Council unitary authorities, the divisions covering these areas were not contested at this election and would ultimately be abolished in 1998. This would reduce the number of seats on Essex County Council by 19 to 79 seats. In 1993, the breakdown of the abolished seats were 9 Labour, 5 Conservative and 5 Liberal Democrats.

Previous composition

1993 election

Party		Seats
	33
	32
	32
	1
Total		79

Composition of council seats before election

Party		Seats
	34
	32
	31
	1
Total		79

Summary

Election result

Results below exclude the 19 councillors from Southend and Thurrock whose divisions were not contested at this election and were ultimately abolished in 1998.

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Election of Group Leaders

Paul White (Stock) was elected leader of the Conservative Group, Mervyn Juliff (Great Parndon) was elected leader of the Labour Group and Kenneth Jones (Park) was elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Group.

Government Formation

Despite winning less than half the seats contested, the incumbent Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition continued in government because the members from Southend and Thurrock (whose seats had not been contested at the election) gave them a 52 to 45 majority over the Conservatives until April 1998 when those seats would be abolished.^[1]

After council leader Chris Pearson (Tendring Rural West), wasn't reelected in Maypole, Mervyn Juliff (Great Parndon) became council leader until the departure of the 19 Southend and Thurrock councilors, at which point Conservative group leader Paul White became leader.^[2]

However in May 1999 Alison Enkel (Brentwood Rural) resigned from the Conservatives.^[3] This following a by election loss to Labour a year before gave control of the council back to the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.^[4]

This proved unworkable as with further resignations leading to a power struggle before defeat in budget vote which caused the coalition to resign and the Conservatives to return.^{[5] [6]}

Division results by local authority

Basildon

Basildon District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		5		<	-- votes -->35,336	<	-- pp -->39.9	<	-- change -->–1.3
		5	1	<	-- votes -->33,144	<	-- pp -->37.4	<	-- change -->+0.2
		0	1	<	-- votes -->20,021	<	-- pp -->22.6	<	-- change -->+1.5
	Socialist Alliance	0		<	-- votes -->120	<	-- pp -->0.1	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		10		<	-- votes -->88,621	<	-- pp -->70.7	<	-- change -->+32.9

Division results

Braintree

District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4		<	-- votes -->26,705	<	-- pp -->37.2	<	-- change -->–3.0
		2		<	-- votes -->26,812	<	-- pp -->37.3	<	-- change -->+2.1
		1		<	-- votes -->15,388	<	-- pp -->21.4	<	-- change -->–0.7
		0		<	-- votes -->2,909	<	-- pp -->4.1	<	-- change -->+1.5
Total		7		<	-- votes -->71,814	<	-- pp -->74.6	<	-- change -->+35.6

Division results

Brentwood

Brentwood District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4	4	<	-- votes -->18,258	<	-- pp -->43.8	<	-- change -->+7.9
		1	4	<	-- votes -->15,046	<	-- pp -->36.1	<	-- change -->–15.5
		0		<	-- votes -->7,965	<	-- pp -->19.1	<	-- change -->+9.4
		0		<	-- votes -->400	<	-- pp -->1.0	<	-- change -->–1.9
Total		5		<	-- votes -->41,669	<	-- pp -->74.9	<	-- change -->+34.5

Division results

Castle Point

Castle Point District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4	2	<	-- votes -->21,761	<	-- pp -->45.1	<	-- change -->+11.8
		2	1	<	-- votes -->19,413	<	-- pp -->40.3	<	-- change -->+6.1
		0	1	<	-- votes -->6,957	<	-- pp -->14.4	<	-- change -->–18.0
	Socialist Alliance	0		<	-- votes -->100	<	-- pp -->0.2	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		6		<	-- votes -->48,231	<	-- pp -->70.9	<	-- change -->+33.2

Division results

Chelmsford

Chelmsford District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4	1	<	-- votes -->35,355	<	-- pp -->39.0	<	-- change -->+1.8
		4	1	<	-- votes -->31,366	<	-- pp -->34.6	<	-- change -->–8.6
		1		<	-- votes -->20,208	<	-- pp -->22.3	<	-- change -->+3.5
		0		<	-- votes -->2,320	<	-- pp -->2.6	<	-- change -->+1.8
		0		<	-- votes -->1,383	<	-- pp -->1.5	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		9		<	-- votes -->90,632	<	-- pp -->74.6	<	-- change -->+34.4

Division results

Colchester

Colchester District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		5		<	-- votes -->27,697	<	-- pp -->33.7	<	-- change -->–10.6
		3		<	-- votes -->28,144	<	-- pp -->34.2	<	-- change -->+2.2
		1		<	-- votes -->23,875	<	-- pp -->29.0	<	-- change -->+6.7
		0		<	-- votes -->2,147	<	-- pp -->2.6	<	-- change -->N/A
		0		<	-- votes -->367	<	-- pp -->0.4	<	-- change -->–1.0
Total		9		<	-- votes -->82,230	<	-- pp -->70.1	<	-- change -->+35.2

Division results

No Green candidate as previous (−2.8).

No Green candidate as previous (−2.6).

No Liberal Democrat candidate as previous (−25.2).

No Green candidate as previous (−3.7).

Epping Forest

Epping Forest District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		5	1	<	-- votes -->29,056	<	-- pp -->43.3	<	-- change -->+2.2
		1	1	<	-- votes -->19,769	<	-- pp -->29.4	<	-- change -->–1.4
		1		<	-- votes -->13,296	<	-- pp -->19.8	<	-- change -->–7.5
		1	1	<	-- votes -->5,040	<	-- pp -->7.5	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		8		<	-- votes -->67,161	<	-- pp -->72.1	<	-- change -->+39.3

Division results

Harlow

Harlow District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		5		<	-- votes -->22,591	<	-- pp -->53.9	<	-- change -->+2.0
		0		<	-- votes -->12,189	<	-- pp -->29.1	<	-- change -->–2.0
		0		<	-- votes -->6,696	<	-- pp -->16.0	<	-- change -->–1.0
		0		<	-- votes -->420	<	-- pp -->1.0	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		5		<	-- votes -->41,896	<	-- pp -->73.9	<	-- change -->+34.4

Division results

Maldon

Maldon District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		3		<	-- votes -->13,532	<	-- pp -->42.5	<	-- change -->–5.1
		0		<	-- votes -->7,856	<	-- pp -->24.7	<	-- change -->–1.4
		0		<	-- votes -->7,531	<	-- pp -->23.6	<	-- change -->+12.9
		0		<	-- votes -->1,597	<	-- pp -->5.0	<	-- change -->+1.0
		0		<	-- votes -->1,351	<	-- pp -->4.2	<	-- change -->–7.4
Total		3		<	-- votes -->31,867	<	-- pp -->74.0	<	-- change -->+41.5

Division results

Rochford

Rochford District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		2	1	<	-- votes -->18,023	<	-- pp -->40.8	<	-- change -->+8.2
		2	1	<	-- votes -->13,756	<	-- pp -->31.1	<	-- change -->–15.2
		1		<	-- votes -->12,425	<	-- pp -->28.1	<	-- change -->+7.1
Total		5		<	-- votes -->44,204	<	-- pp -->73.1	<	-- change -->+37.3

Division results

Tendring

Tendring District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4		<	-- votes -->26,250	<	-- pp -->35.7	<	-- change -->+1.9
		3	2	<	-- votes -->27,694	<	-- pp -->37.6	<	-- change -->+5.2
		1	1	<	-- votes -->18,048	<	-- pp -->24.5	<	-- change -->–2.1
		0	1	<	-- votes -->1,598	<	-- pp -->2.2	<	-- change -->–5.0
Total		8		<	-- votes -->73,590	<	-- pp -->70.5	<	-- change -->+34.4

Division results

Uttlesford

Uttlesford District Summary

Party		Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
		4	3	<	-- votes -->17,507	<	-- pp -->43.8	<	-- change -->+3.0
		0	3	<	-- votes -->13,380	<	-- pp -->33.5	<	-- change -->–10.2
		0		<	-- votes -->8,211	<	-- pp -->20.5	<	-- change -->+4.9
		0		<	-- votes -->653	<	-- pp -->1.6	<	-- change -->N/A
		0		<	-- votes -->212	<	-- pp -->0.5	<	-- change -->N/A
Total		4		<	-- votes -->39,963	<	-- pp -->75.5	<	-- change -->+35.1

Division results

By-elections

Southend

Notes and References

1. Web site: Southend Unitary Authority (Hansard, 28 November 1997). api.parliament.uk.
2. Web site: Essex County Council - Councillors, Chelmsford Borough. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20030423034750/http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/aboutecc/county/listby/dist_06.htm#c36. 23 April 2003. essexcc.gov.uk.
3. Web site: Essex Tories lose control. Gazette.
4. Web site: Essex: Council tax may rise by 9 per cent. Gazette.
5. Web site: Breakaways cause county council power struggle. Gazette.
6. Web site: Essex: Chaos over county's 'envelope' budget. Gazette.