2007 Craven District Council election explained

The 2007 Craven District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Craven District Council in North Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Before the election the council was run by an alliance between the 11 independents and the 6 Liberal Democrats, while the 13 Conservative councillors were in opposition.[3] 10 seats were contested at the election with the Conservatives needing to make at least 2 gains to take control.[4]

Candidates at the election included Conservative candidates in every ward, while there were no candidates from the Labour party.[3] The British National Party meanwhile stood their first candidate in an election for Craven council in Skipton South.[3]

Election result

There was no change to the party balance on the council, after the Conservatives gained a seat from an independent, but also lost a seat to another independent candidate.[5] The Conservative gain came in Skipton South, where they defeated the vice-chairman of the council, Mike Hill, while they lost Bentham to an independent by 5 votes after 3 recounts.[6]

By-elections between 2007 and 2008

A by-election was held in Cowling on 12 July 2007 after independent councillor John Alderson resigned from the council after moving away from the area.[7] The seat was gained for the Conservatives by Jan Ackroyd with a majority of 215 votes over Craven Ratepayers' Action Group candidate Alan Perrow.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: Craven. 4 May 2007. BBC News Online. 14 March 2015.
  2. News: Results - Election 2007. 5 May 2007. The Times. NewsBank. 83. 0140-0460.
  3. News: BNP field first candidate in Skipton election. 4 April 2007. West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  4. News: Conservatives need two seats to win Craven council. 3 May 2007. West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  5. News: Local Elections: Legal threat in postal votes row. 5 May 2007. The Yorkshire Post. NewsBank. 0963-1496.
  6. News: Conservatives fail to take Craven council. 4 May 2007. West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  7. News: Tories win council seat. 19 July 2007. West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.