1998 Epping Forest District Council election

7 May 1998
19 seats to Epping Forest District Council 29 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	29.4%
First party Second party Third party   Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Last election 18 seats 15 seats 15 seats Seats won 17 16 15 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 6,548 8,102 4,449 Percentage 29.6% 36.7% 20.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party Loughton Residents Chigwell Residents Epping Residents Last election 7 seats 0 seats 2 seats Seats won 7 1 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,988 660 354 Percentage 9.0% 3.0% 1.6%
Council composition following the election
Council control before election No overall control Labour largest party Council control after election No overall control Labour largest party

Elections to Epping Forest Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control. Overall turnout was 29.4%.

This election marks the last time the Labour Party were the largest party on the council. By 2015, they would have no representation in the council chamber.

Results

Broadway

Broadway

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paul Bostock	856	78.9	4.9
	Conservative	Ian Locks	229	21.1	4.9
Majority			627	57.8	9.7
Turnout			1,085	26.6	7.8
	Labour hold		Swing

Buckhurst Hill East

Buckhurst Hill East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Colin Robinson	687	64.2	2.6
	Conservative	Ronald Braybrook	242	22.6	6.8
	Labour	Sidney Miller	141	13.2	2.6
Majority			445	41.6	7.8
Turnout			1,070	31.9	6.5
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Buckhurst Hill West

Buckhurst Hill West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Thompson	989	59.6	0.7
	Conservative	James Brokenshire	565	34.0	2.8
	Labour	Janice Croke	106	6.4	2.1
Majority			424	25.6	3.5
Turnout			1,660	32.5	1.1
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Chigwell Row

Chigwell Row

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Patricia Brooks	390	57.9	6.8
	Conservative	Raymond Warner	283	42.1	6.8
Majority			107	15.8	13.6
Turnout			673	37.6	10.5
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Chigwell Village

Chigwell Village

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Chigwell Residents Association	John Knapman	660	62.2	N/A
	Conservative	Brian Sandler	338	31.9	32.5
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Spence	63	5.9	13.9
Majority			322	30.3	13.3
Turnout			1,061	31.6	3.2
	Chigwell Residents Association gain from Conservative		Swing

Debden Green

Debden Green

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Stephen Barnes	705	76.1	1.6
	Conservative	Lorne Daniel	221	23.9	1.6
Majority			484	52.2	3.2
Turnout			926	23.9	5.3
	Labour hold		Swing

Epping Hemnall

Epping Hemnall

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Allan Boydon	998	59.3	16.0
	Conservative	Jean Ashbridge	494	29.4	1.0
	Labour	Barry Johns	191	11.3	3.3
Majority			504	29.9	9.9
Turnout			1,683	35.1	20.9
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Epping Lindsey

Epping Lindsey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher Whitbread	511	36.3	8.3
	Labour	Roger Fitz-Gibbon	378	26.9	3.0
	Epping Residents Association	June O'Brien	354	25.2	2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Ingrid Black	164	11.7	2.2
Majority			133	9.4	7.5
Turnout			1,407	29.4	2.7
	Conservative gain from Epping Residents Association		Swing

Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Bateman	607	51.4	16.1
	Liberal Democrats	Evelyn Spong	574	48.6	7.1
Majority			33	2.8	17.6
Turnout			1,181	27.1	6.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Loughton Forest

Loughton Forest

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	Leslie Harris	543	50.5	18.3
	Conservative	Stephen Metcalfe	359	33.4	14.2
	Labour	Jennifer Hart	142	13.2	1.2
	Liberal Democrats	Lucille Thompson	31	2.9	N/A
Majority			184	17.1	17.6
Turnout			1,075	34.0	0.7
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Loughton Roding

Loughton Roding

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Stephen Murray	981	69.9	2.8
	Loughton Residents	Leonard Parsons	207	14.7	N/A
	Conservative	Justine Greening	152	10.8	9.5
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Netherclift	64	4.6	8.0
Majority			774	55.2	9.5
Turnout			1,404	33.4	3.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Loughton St. John's

Loughton St John's

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	Dorothy Paddon	625	53.9	3.4
	Conservative	Colin Finn	282	24.3	7.8
	Labour	Lionel Murray	252	21.7	0.3
Majority			343	29.6	11.2
Turnout			1,159	27.5	6.9
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Loughton St. Mary's

Loughton St Mary's

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Loughton Residents	Ronald Heath	613	59.7	1.0
	Conservative	Roseanne Serrelli	240	23.4	1.4
	Labour	Thomas Owen	174	16.9	2.4
Majority			373	36.3	0.4
Turnout			1,027	30.6	1.8
	Loughton Residents hold		Swing

Nazeing

Nazeing

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael Welch	626	63.9	40.0
	Labour	Desmond Clifton	354	36.1	18.7
Majority			272	27.8	25.7
Turnout			980	26.5	18.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

North Weald Bassett

North Weald Bassett

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anne Grigg	780	64.4	26.2
	Labour	John Childs	431	35.6	2.5
Majority			349	28.8	26.7
Turnout			1,211	26.8	18.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Theydon Bois

Theydon Bois

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Padfield	634	62.9	37.0
	Liberal Democrats	Monica Richardson	259	25.7	15.5
	Labour	Ian Standfast	115	11.4	8.7
Majority			375	37.2	19.2
Turnout			1,008	32.0	2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey East

Waltham Abbey East

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Roy Brownjohn	804	51.6	3.9
	Labour	John Langer	651	41.8	3.1
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Hutchings	102	6.6	0.8
Majority			153	9.8	7.0
Turnout			1,557	26.9	7.2
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Waltham Abbey Paternoster

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Barckley Sumner	502	58.2	2.0
	Conservative	Glenn Harper	319	37.0	6.7
	Liberal Democrats	Anthony Whitehouse	41	4.8	N/A
Majority			183	21.2	8.8
Turnout			862	24.8	10.8
	Labour hold		Swing

Waltham Abbey West

Waltham Abbey West

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Philip Pennell	569	53.1	10.1
	Conservative	Harold Taylor	416	38.8	2.0
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Whitehouse	87	8.1	N/A
Majority			153	14.3	12.8
Turnout			1,072	25.7	7.0
	Labour hold		Swing

References

• "Council poll results", The Guardian 9 May 1998 page 16
• Ward results