2012 Craven District Council election

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Map of the results of the 2012 Craven District Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in light grey and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2012. Craven UK local election 2012 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2012 Craven District Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in light grey and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2012.

The 2012 Craven District Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Craven District Council in North Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was as follows:

Background

Before the election the Conservatives controlled the council with 30 seats, compared to 9 independents and 3 Liberal Democrats. [3] The Conservative leader of the council, Chris Knowles-Fitton, was among the councillors to defend their seats, standing in Barden Fell ward, while in Ingleton and Clapham, the sitting independent councillor David Ireton stood at the election as a Conservative. [3] Meanwhile, the Conservative councillor for Hellifield and Long Preston for the past 13 years, Helen Firth, resigned from the council in March 2012 to leave that seat vacant before the election. [3]

Election result

The number of Conservative councillors was reduced by 2 to 16, but they retained a majority of 2 seats over the 10 independents and 4 Liberal Democrats. [4]

Independents gained 2 seats from the Conservatives after John Kerwin-Davy took Skipton North from the Conservatives, while Chris Moorby won by 34 votes the seat in Hellifeild and Long Preston vacated by Conservative Helen Firth. [3] [5] However the Conservatives picked up a seat in Ingleton and Clapham as David Ireton won the seat as a Conservative, after previously being an independent councillor for the same seat. [3] [6] Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats also gained up a seat from the Conservatives in Skipton East, where Eric Jaquin took the seat from Pam Heseltine. [7]

Craven local election result 2012 [2] [6]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 713-258.350.15,135+14.5%
  Independent 321+125.014.21,457-20.9%
  Liberal Democrats 210+116.717.11,748+6.8%
  Labour 0000016.41,681-0.8%
  Green 000002.3231+0.5%

Ward results

Aire Valley with Lothersdale [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Patricia Fairbank61063.0+20.7
Labour Paul Routledge 35937.0+26.6
Majority25125.9
Turnout 96933.4−41.1
Conservative hold Swing
Barden Fell [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Christopher Knowles-Fitton37772.4−10.9
Liberal Democrats Clive Bowers14427.6+10.9
Majority23344.7−22.0
Turnout 52139.8−9.8
Conservative hold Swing
Cowling [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Adrian Green31160.4−9.1
Labour Andrew Rankine20439.6+9.1
Majority10720.8−18.3
Turnout 51528.9−10.0
Conservative hold Swing
Grassington [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Foster39073.7−3.4
Liberal Democrats Edward Walker13926.3+3.4
Majority25147.4−6.8
Turnout 52939.9−12.5
Conservative hold Swing
Hellifield and Long Preston [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Robert Moorby48951.8+51.8
Conservative Richard Thwaite45548.2−11.0
Majority343.6
Turnout 94453.5−17.4
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Ingleton and Clapham [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Ireton80774.7+16.1
Liberal Democrats Mark Christie27325.3−7.4
Majority53449.4+23.5
Turnout 1,08035.2−37.1
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Settle and Ribblebanks [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Donald Whaites69666.5+24.2
Labour Christopher Baker35033.5+33.5
Majority34633.1+28.4
Turnout 1,04635.6−36.1
Conservative hold Swing
Skipton East [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Eric Jaquin48046.7+15.9
Conservative Pamela Heseltine28928.1−16.7
Labour Christine Rose25925.2+0.7
Majority19118.6
Turnout 1,02837.3−10.4
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Skipton North [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent John Kerwin-Davey35830.3+5.1
Conservative Paul Whitaker29625.0−9.8
Green Claire Nash23119.5+5.2
Liberal Democrats Roland Wohlrapp18515.7+2.1
Labour James Black1129.5−2.6
Majority625.2
Turnout 1,18242.0−11.1
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Skipton South [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Andrew Solloway38254.7−2.1
Labour Duncan Hall17925.6+4.1
Conservative Nathan Harrison8311.9−2.6
Liberal Democrats Maureen Greene547.7+0.6
Majority20329.1−6.2
Turnout 69824.7−8.2
Independent hold Swing
Skipton West [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Paul English37936.5+9.4
Independent Bernard Clarke22822.0+4.3
Labour Peter Madeley21821.0−0.8
Conservative Kelly Hayes-Head21320.5−6.0
Majority15114.5+13.9
Turnout 1,03834.6−4.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Upper Wharfedale [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Roberts60886.6+13.0
Liberal Democrats Hazel Bulcock9413.4−13.0
Majority51473.2+25.9
Turnout 70245.9−16.6
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. "Vote 2012". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Non-Metro". The Guardian. 5 May 2012. ISSN   0261-3077 via NewsBank.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Candidates battle it out in Craven District Council elections". Craven Herald & Pioneer . 13 April 2012. ISSN   0961-1908 via NewsBank.
  4. "Tories stay in control in Harrogate". The Press . 4 May 2012 via NewsBank.
  5. "Tories hang onto power despite losing seats to Lib Dems and Independent". The Yorkshire Post . ISSN   0963-1496 via NewsBank.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Declaration of result of poll". Craven District Council. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. "Tories lose two seats in Skipton". Craven Herald & Pioneer . 4 May 2012. ISSN   0961-1908 via NewsBank.