Craven District Council in North Yorkshire, England was established in 1974 and abolished in 2023. One third of councillors were elected each year, followed by one year when there was an election to North Yorkshire County Council instead. Since the last boundary changes in 2002, 30 councillors had been elected from 19 wards.[1]
Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[2]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 19731976 | ||
| 19761986 | ||
| 19861996 | ||
| 19961998 | ||
| 19981999 | ||
| 19992001 | ||
| 20012010 | ||
| 20102023 | ||
The leaders of the council since 2000 have been:[3]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Knowles-Fitton[4] | 2000 | 2002 | ||
| Carl Lis[5] | 2002 | 20 May 2008 | ||
| Chris Knowles-Fitton | 20 May 2008 | Oct 2014 | ||
| Richard Foster | 2014 | 31 Mar 2023 | ||
Summary of the council composition after recent council elections, click on the year for full details of each election. Boundary changes took place for the 2002 election, leading to the whole council being elected in that year and reducing the number of seats by four.[6]
| Year | Conservative | Independent | Liberal Democrats | Labour | UKIP | Green | Vacant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988[9] | 12 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1990[10] | 12 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1991[11] | 12 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992[12] | 13 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | District boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same[13] |
| 1994[14] | 11 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1995[15] | 6 | 6 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996[16] | 6 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998[17] | 13 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1999[18] | 19 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000[19] | 18 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries[20] [21] |
| 2003[22] | 11 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004[23] | 13 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006[24] | 13 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007[25] | 13 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008[26] | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010[27] | 18 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011[28] | 18 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012[29] | 16 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Some new ward boundaries[30] [31] |
| 2016 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections;[32] full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.
| By-election | Date | Incumbent party | Winning party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helifield | 20 March 1997 | ||||
| Sutton | 20 March 1997 | ||||
| Skipton South West | 1 May 1997 | ||||
| Skipton West | 30 October 1997 | ||||
| Skipton East by-election | 9 March 2000 | ||||
| Skipton South by-election | 7 June 2001 | ||||
| Bentham by-election | 13 November 2003 | ||||
| Upper Wharfedale by-election | 2 March 2006 | ||||
| Cowling by-election | 12 July 2007 | ||||
| Skipton West by-election | 2 July 2014 | ||||
| Embsay-with-Eastby by-election | 31 March 2016 | ||||
| Aire Valley with Lothersdale by-election | 4 May 2017 | ||||
| Barden Fell by-election | 6 May 2021 | ||||
| Penyghent by-election | 6 May 2021 | ||||