| Election Name: | 1998 Harlow District Council election |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party Colour: | yes |
| Previous Election: | 1996 Harlow District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 1996 |
| Next Election: | 1999 Harlow District Council election |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
| Seats For Election: | 14 of the 42 seats to Harlow District Council |
| Majority Seats: | 17 |
| Election Date: | 7 May 1998 |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 39 |
| Seats Before1: | 40 |
| Seats1: | 13 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| Seats After1: | 38 |
| Popular Vote1: | 8,305 |
| Percentage1: | 53.0% |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 3 |
| Seats Before2: | 2 |
| Seats2: | 1 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Seats After2: | 3 |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,124 |
| Percentage2: | 19.9% |
| Party3: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election3: | 0 |
| Seats Before3: | 0 |
| Seats3: | 1 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Seats After3: | 1 |
| Popular Vote3: | 4,248 |
| Percentage3: | 27.1% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Council control | |
| Posttitle: | Council control after election |
| Before Election: | Labour |
| After Election: | Labour |
The 1998 Harlow District Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]
After the election, the composition of the council was
Before the election Labour had 40 of the 42 seats on the council, with only 2 Liberal Democrat councillors forming the opposition.[3] 3 Labour councillors stood down at the election from Katherines with Sumners, Netteswell West and Tye Green wards.[3]
Each of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats had candidates for all 15 seats contested at the election, with 2 seats available in Old Harlow ward.[3]
Labour held 13 of the 15 seats they had been defending, but the council chairman John Young was defeated in Kingsmoor ward by 21-year-old Conservative Andrew Johnson, who became the youngest councillor on the council.[4] The Liberal Democrats also regained Stewards from Labour, a seat they had previously lost at a by-election.[4]
All comparisons in vote share are to the corresponding 1994 election.