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
