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]

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]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 7 1 3 -2 58.3 50.1 5,135 +14.5%
  Independent 3 2 1 +1 25.0 14.2 1,457 -20.9%
  Liberal Democrats 2 1 0 +1 16.7 17.1 1,748 +6.8%
  Labour 0 0 0 0 0 16.4 1,681 -0.8%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 2.3 231 +0.5%

Ward results

Aire Valley with Lothersdale[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Patricia Fairbank 610 63.0 +20.7
Labour Paul Routledge 359 37.0 +26.6
Majority 251 25.9
Turnout 969 33.4 -41.1
Conservative hold Swing
Barden Fell[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Knowles-Fitton 377 72.4 -10.9
Liberal Democrats Clive Bowers 144 27.6 +10.9
Majority 233 44.7 -22.0
Turnout 521 39.8 -9.8
Conservative hold Swing
Cowling[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Adrian Green 311 60.4 -9.1
Labour Andrew Rankine 204 39.6 +9.1
Majority 107 20.8 -18.3
Turnout 515 28.9 -10.0
Conservative hold Swing
Grassington[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Foster 390 73.7 -3.4
Liberal Democrats Edward Walker 139 26.3 +3.4
Majority 251 47.4 -6.8
Turnout 529 39.9 -12.5
Conservative hold Swing
Hellifield and Long Preston[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Robert Moorby 489 51.8 +51.8
Conservative Richard Thwaite 455 48.2 -11.0
Majority 34 3.6
Turnout 944 53.5 -17.4
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Ingleton and Clapham[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Ireton 807 74.7 +16.1
Liberal Democrats Mark Christie 273 25.3 -7.4
Majority 534 49.4 +23.5
Turnout 1,080 35.2 -37.1
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Settle and Ribblebanks[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Donald Whaites 696 66.5 +24.2
Labour Christopher Baker 350 33.5 +33.5
Majority 346 33.1 +28.4
Turnout 1,046 35.6 -36.1
Conservative hold Swing
Skipton East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Eric Jaquin 480 46.7 +15.9
Conservative Pamela Heseltine 289 28.1 -16.7
Labour Christine Rose 259 25.2 +0.7
Majority 191 18.6
Turnout 1,028 37.3 -10.4
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Skipton North[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Kerwin-Davey 358 30.3 +5.1
Conservative Paul Whitaker 296 25.0 -9.8
Green Claire Nash 231 19.5 +5.2
Liberal Democrats Roland Wohlrapp 185 15.7 +2.1
Labour James Black 112 9.5 -2.6
Majority 62 5.2
Turnout 1,182 42.0 -11.1
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Skipton South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Andrew Solloway 382 54.7 -2.1
Labour Duncan Hall 179 25.6 +4.1
Conservative Nathan Harrison 83 11.9 -2.6
Liberal Democrats Maureen Greene 54 7.7 +0.6
Majority 203 29.1 -6.2
Turnout 698 24.7 -8.2
Independent hold Swing
Skipton West[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Paul English 379 36.5 +9.4
Independent Bernard Clarke 228 22.0 +4.3
Labour Peter Madeley 218 21.0 -0.8
Conservative Kelly Hayes-Head 213 20.5 -6.0
Majority 151 14.5 +13.9
Turnout 1,038 34.6 -4.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Upper Wharfedale[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Roberts 608 86.6 +13.0
Liberal Democrats Hazel Bulcock 94 13.4 -13.0
Majority 514 73.2 +25.9
Turnout 702 45.9 -16.6
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Vote 2012". BBC News Online. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Non-Metro". The Guardian. NewsBank. 5 May 2012. ISSN 0261-3077.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Candidates battle it out in Craven District Council elections". Craven Herald & Pioneer. NewsBank. 13 April 2012. ISSN 0961-1908.
  4. ^ "Tories stay in control in Harrogate". The Press. NewsBank. 4 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Tories hang onto power despite losing seats to Lib Dems and Independent". The Yorkshire Post. NewsBank. ISSN 0963-1496.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "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. NewsBank. 4 May 2012. ISSN 0961-1908.
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