2004 Craven District Council election

The 2004 Craven District Council election took place on 10 June 2004 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]

Map of the results of the 2004 Craven District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and independents in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2004.

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

Background

After the last election in 2003, the Conservatives had 11 seats, compared to 10 for independents and 9 Liberal Democrats.[3] However, in November 2003 an independent candidate gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats at a by-election in Bentham.[4]

At the 2004 election two long serving councillors stood down, Beth Graham from Settle and Ribblesbanks ward, who had been a councillor since 1976, and Peter Walbank of Grassington ward.[5] Candidates at the election included the first Labour Party candidate for a few years, James Black in Skipton South, while the Green Party also stood a candidate in Aire Valley with Lothersdale.[5]

Election result

The Conservatives gained 2 seats at the election to have 13 councillors, compared to 11 independents and 6 Liberal Democrats.[6] Overall turnout at the election reached 50% after being held with all postal voting, only 9% below the turnout nationally at the 2001 general election, with the high turnout leading to a delay in the counting of the results.[7]

Craven local election result 2004[2][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 6 2 0 +2 54.5 41.6 5,549 -4.1%
  Liberal Democrats 3 0 2 -2 27.3 29.9 3,982 +5.6%
  Independent 2 0 0 0 18.2 24.9 3,318 -5.1%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 2.1 285 +2.1%
  Labour 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 204 +1.5%

Ward results
Aire Valley with Lothersdale[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Patricia Fairbank 725 52.7
Liberal Democrats John Manley 365 26.5
Green John Akroyd 285 20.7
Majority 360 26.2
Turnout 1,375 51.7 +14.5
Conservative hold Swing
Barden Fell[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Knowles-Fitton 414 51.2 -13.0
Independent Cecil Hammond 302 37.3 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Darren Moorby 93 11.5 +11.5
Majority 112 13.9 -14.5
Turnout 809 59.9 +2.7
Conservative hold Swing
Cowling[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Alderson 374 45.1
Independent Alan Perrow 316 38.1
Conservative Geoffrey Dunn 140 16.9
Majority 58 7.0
Turnout 830 50.1
Independent hold Swing
Grassington[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Foster 616 73.2
Liberal Democrats Andrew Rankine 225 26.8
Majority 391 46.5
Turnout 841 65.4
Conservative hold Swing
Ingleton and Clapham[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent David Ireton 1,403 81.9
Conservative Alex Bentley 310 18.1
Majority 1,093 63.8
Turnout 1,713 56.9
Independent hold Swing
Settle and Ribblebanks[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Donald Whaites 740 50.5
Liberal Democrats Ronald Graveson 726 49.5
Majority 14 1.0
Turnout 1,466 53.3 +14.2
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Skipton East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Eric Jaquin 728 51.1 +24.3
Conservative Christopher Harbron 697 48.9 +17.4
Majority 31 2.2
Turnout 1,425 52.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Skipton North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Whitaker 679 41.7 -14.7
Liberal Democrats Michael Doyle 549 33.7 -9.9
Independent John Kerwin-Davey 399 24.5 +24.5
Majority 130 8.0 -4.9
Turnout 1,627 59.7
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Skipton South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Andrew Solloway 501 44.8 +44.8
Conservative Kenneth Creek 224 20.0 +4.7
Labour James Black 204 18.2 +18.2
Independent Dennis Hall 190 17.0 -40.5
Majority 277 24.8
Turnout 1,119 41.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Skipton West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Paul English 795 65.3 -1.7
Conservative Norman Spence 423 34.7 +1.7
Majority 372 30.5 -3.5
Turnout 1,218 43.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Upper Wharfedale[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Sayer 581 63.5 +5.1
Independent Kenneth Luty 334 36.5 +8.2
Majority 247 27.0 -3.1
Turnout 915 61.1 +7.9
Conservative hold Swing

By-elections between 2004 and 2006
Upper Wharfedale by-election 2 March 2006[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Julia Mulligan 394 54.7 -8.8
Independent 326 45.3 +8.8
Majority 68 9.4 -17.6
Turnout 720 47.0 -14.1
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "Craven council". BBC News Online. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. "Ballot box - Elections". The Times. NewsBank. 12 June 2004. p. 26.
  3. "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. "Independents win in byelection polls". Press Association. The Guardian. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  5. "Long-serving councillors retire". West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank. 14 May 2004.
  6. White, Clive (18 June 2004). "Election shock as BNP moves in". West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  7. Hetherington, Peter (11 June 2004). "Elections 2004: Councils report big rise in turnout in areas voting only by post: Regions Surge forces delay in count". The Guardian. NewsBank.
  8. "District Council election" (PDF). Craven District Council. Political Science Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  9. "Labour makes surprise byelection gain". Press Association. The Guardian. 3 March 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  10. Williamson, Howard (6 December 2006). "Leeds woman is Tories' first female candidate". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
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