- Source: 1997 Essex County Council election
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
== Composition of council seats before election
=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
=Division results
= Braintree
=Division results
= Brentwood
=Division results
= Castle Point
=Division results
= Chelmsford
=Division results
= Colchester
=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
=Division results
= Harlow
=Division results
= Maldon
=Division results
= Rochford
=Division results
= Tendring
=Division results
= Uttlesford
=Division results
By-elections
= Southend
=References
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Kota New York
- Matt Damon
- Clement Attlee
- 1997 Essex County Council election
- Essex County Council
- Essex County Council elections
- 2001 Essex County Council election
- Essex man
- 1997 Thurrock Council election
- 1993 Essex County Council election
- 2005 Essex County Council election
- Essex
- Essex Fells, New Jersey
