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 1Total79
Composition of council seats before election Party Seats 34 32 31 1Total79
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.
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.
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.
However in May 1999 Alison Enkel (Brentwood Rural) resigned from the Conservatives. This following a by election loss to Labour a year before gave control of the council back to the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.
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.
Division results by local authority
Basildon
+Basildon District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Labour 5 35,336 39.9 –1.3Conservative 5 1 33,144 37.4 +0.2Liberal Democrats 0 1 20,021 22.6 +1.5Socialist Alliance 0 120 0.1 N/ATotal1088,62170.7+32.9
Division results
Braintree
+District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Labour 4 26,705 37.2 –3.0Conservative 2 26,812 37.3 +2.1Liberal Democrats 1 15,388 21.4 –0.7Green 0 2,909 4.1 +1.5Total771,81474.6+35.6
Division results
Brentwood
+Brentwood District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 4 18,258 43.8 +7.9Liberal Democrats 1 4 15,046 36.1 –15.5Labour 0 7,965 19.1 +9.4Green 0 400 1.0 –1.9Total541,66974.9+34.5
Division results
Castle Point
+Castle Point District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 2 21,761 45.1 +11.8Labour 2 1 19,413 40.3 +6.1Liberal Democrats 0 1 6,957 14.4 –18.0Socialist Alliance 0 100 0.2 N/ATotal648,23170.9+33.2
Division results
Chelmsford
+Chelmsford District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 1 35,355 39.0 +1.8Liberal Democrats 4 1 31,366 34.6 –8.6Labour 1 20,208 22.3 +3.5Green 0 2,320 2.6 +1.8Independent 0 1,383 1.5 N/ATotal990,63274.6+34.4
Division results
Colchester
+Colchester District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 5 27,697 33.7 –10.6Conservative 3 28,144 34.2 +2.2Labour 1 23,875 29.0 +6.7Independent 0 2,147 2.6 N/AGreen 0 367 0.4 –1.0Total982,23070.1+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 SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 5 1 29,056 43.3 +2.2Labour 1 1 19,769 29.4 –1.4Liberal Democrats 1 13,296 19.8 –7.5Loughton Residents 1 1 5,040 7.5 N/ATotal867,16172.1+39.3
Division results
Harlow
+Harlow District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Labour 5 22,591 53.9 +2.0Conservative 0 12,189 29.1 –2.0Liberal Democrats 0 6,696 16.0 –1.0Green 0 420 1.0 N/ATotal541,89673.9+34.4
Division results
Maldon
+Maldon District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 3 13,532 42.5 –5.1Labour 0 7,856 24.7 –1.4Liberal Democrats 0 7,531 23.6 +12.9Independent 0 1,597 5.0 +1.0Green 0 1,351 4.2 –7.4Total331,86774.0+41.5
Division results
Rochford
+Rochford District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 2 1 18,023 40.8 +8.2Liberal Democrats 2 1 13,756 31.1 –15.2Labour 1 12,425 28.1 +7.1Total544,20473.1+37.3
Division results
Tendring
+Tendring District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 26,250 35.7 +1.9Labour 3 2 27,694 37.6 +5.2Liberal Democrats 1 1 18,048 24.5 –2.1Independent 0 1 1,598 2.2 –5.0Total873,59070.5+34.4
Division results
Uttlesford
+Uttlesford District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 4 3 17,507 43.8 +3.0Liberal Democrats 0 3 13,380 33.5 –10.2Labour 0 8,211 20.5 +4.9Independent 0 653 1.6 N/AGreen 0 212 0.5 N/ATotal439,96375.5+35.1
Division results
By-elections
Southend
References