The 2007 Harrogate Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Harrogate Borough 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
Campaign
Before the election the Conservatives ran the council, but without a majority, with 27 seats, compared to 22 Liberal Democrats and 5 independents.[3] 20 seats were contested in the election, with 1 of the seats being a by-election in Marston Moor ward[4] after the resignation of the Conservative councillor.[5] Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were defending 9 seats in the election, while independents held 2.[6]
The election saw the British National Party contest 15 of the 20 seats, more than Labour who only contested 9 seats, and up from only 1 in 2006.[6] The leader of the British National Party Nick Griffin visited Ripon during the campaign, with the party campaigning against migrant workers, such as those from Poland, who they said were "undercutting British workers" by working for low wages.[6] For the first time the United Kingdom Independence Party also contested 2 seats in the election.[7]
Election result
The results saw no party win a majority on the council after the Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats from the Conservatives.[8] The Liberal Democrats gained Bilton and Knaresborough King James from the Conservatives, but the Conservatives remained the largest party on the council with 25 seats compared to 23 for the Liberal Democrats.[8]
The balance on the council was held by 6 independents, after independents won all 3 seats contested in Ripon.[8] This included gaining Ripon Spa by 171 votes from Liberal Democrat Paul Freeman, who had held the seat for 16 years.[8] No other party won any seats, with the British National Party coming no better than third in every seat they contested, despite having 15 candidates.[8]
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 10 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50.0 | 45.9 | 14,904 | +0.1% | |
Conservative | 7 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 35.0 | 38.0 | 12,331 | -2.4% | |
Independent | 3 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 15.0 | 8.1 | 2,640 | -1.6% | |
BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 1,386 | +3.8% | |
Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 1,055 | -0.3% | |
UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 128 | +0.4% | |
Ward results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Parkes | 974 | 49.4 | -3.0 | |
Conservative | Robin Adderley | 877 | 44.5 | +0.0 | |
Labour | Joel Banner | 122 | 6.2 | +3.1 | |
Majority | 97 | 4.9 | -3.0 | ||
Turnout | 1,973 | 46.9 | +5.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Margaret-Ann De Courcey-Bayley | 923 | 66.0 | -8.8 | |
Conservative | David Pearson | 296 | 21.2 | +0.7 | |
BNP | Steven Gill | 103 | 7.4 | +7.4 | |
Labour | Tom King | 76 | 5.4 | +0.7 | |
Majority | 627 | 44.8 | -9.5 | ||
Turnout | 1,398 | 31.7 | -0.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Simon Theakston | 1,057 | 62.0 | +0.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Matthew Webber | 567 | 33.3 | -4.9 | |
Labour | Kevin McNerney | 81 | 4.8 | +4.8 | |
Majority | 490 | 28.7 | +5.1 | ||
Turnout | 1,705 | 40.8 | -0.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Andrew Jones | 815 | 54.0 | +2.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Steve Macare | 522 | 34.6 | -8.6 | |
BNP | John Bray | 104 | 6.9 | +6.9 | |
Labour | Harry Mann | 69 | 4.6 | -0.3 | |
Majority | 293 | 19.4 | +10.7 | ||
Turnout | 1,510 | 34.5 | -3.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Reg Marsh | 1,202 | 65.4 | +3.8 | |
Conservative | Richard Cain | 467 | 25.4 | -9.9 | |
BNP | Frederick Johnson | 112 | 6.1 | +6.1 | |
Labour | Patricia Foxall | 57 | 3.1 | +0.0 | |
Majority | 735 | 40.0 | +13.7 | ||
Turnout | 1,838 | 41.9 | -0.5 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Keith Rothwell | 621 | 45.1 | -14.3 | |
Conservative | Chris Williams | 330 | 23.9 | -6.7 | |
Independent | Andy Wright | 270 | 19.6 | +19.6 | |
Labour | David Crosthwaite | 93 | 6.7 | -3.3 | |
BNP | Belinda Holdsworth | 64 | 4.6 | +4.6 | |
Majority | 291 | 21.1 | -7.7 | ||
Turnout | 1,378 | 35.4 | +0.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Jean Burdett | 1,031 | 55.5 | +5.6 | |
Conservative | Tim Hunter | 716 | 38.6 | -7.6 | |
Labour | Sam Clayton | 110 | 5.9 | +2.0 | |
Majority | 315 | 17.0 | +13.2 | ||
Turnout | 1,857 | 47.4 | -0.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Kevin Hawkins | 740 | 52.5 | -0.5 | |
Conservative | Nathan Smith | 496 | 35.2 | -3.1 | |
Labour | Alan Beatham | 95 | 6.7 | -2.0 | |
BNP | Mark Strike | 78 | 5.5 | +5.5 | |
Majority | 244 | 17.3 | +2.7 | ||
Turnout | 1,409 | 37.0 | -1.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jean Butterfield | 862 | 54.3 | -0.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Carol Brooks | 725 | 45.7 | +0.7 | |
Majority | 137 | 8.6 | -1.4 | ||
Turnout | 1,587 | 38.3 | +1.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Savage | 630 | 65.9 | -12.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Gill Firth | 326 | 34.1 | +12.2 | |
Majority | 304 | 31.8 | -24.5 | ||
Turnout | 956 | 43.8 | -12.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Trevor Chapman | 1,080 | 75.3 | +3.7 | |
Conservative | Lorien Pilling | 211 | 14.7 | -13.7 | |
BNP | Julie Brown | 92 | 6.4 | +6.4 | |
UKIP | John Upex | 51 | 3.6 | +3.6 | |
Majority | 869 | 60.6 | +17.4 | ||
Turnout | 1,434 | 35.4 | +1.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Mike Gardner | 1,455 | 66.3 | -7.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Claire Kelley | 741 | 33.7 | +9.7 | |
Majority | 714 | 32.5 | -17.2 | ||
Turnout | 2,196 | 51.3 | +1.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Sidney Hawke | 665 | 47.3 | +0.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Steve Jones | 245 | 17.4 | +10.6 | |
Conservative | John Topping | 203 | 14.4 | +1.9 | |
Independent | Stanley Mackintosh | 160 | 11.4 | -17.1 | |
BNP | Tom Linden | 134 | 9.5 | +9.5 | |
Majority | 420 | 29.9 | +11.3 | ||
Turnout | 1,407 | 36.1 | +2.4 | ||
Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Charles Powell | 913 | 61.4 | -27.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | John Stockdale | 255 | 17.2 | +17.2 | |
Conservative | Tony Simpson | 204 | 13.7 | +2.2 | |
BNP | Neil Smith | 114 | 7.7 | +7.7 | |
Majority | 658 | 44.3 | -22.8 | ||
Turnout | 1,486 | 38.7 | +1.1 | ||
Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Peter Horton | 632 | 39.9 | -5.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Paul Freeman | 461 | 29.1 | +4.6 | |
Conservative | Andrew Palmer | 366 | 23.1 | -7.2 | |
BNP | Michelle Shrubb | 123 | 7.8 | +7.8 | |
Majority | 171 | 10.8 | -4.2 | ||
Turnout | 1,582 | 39.4 | +1.3 | ||
Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jim Clark | 1,393 | 59.8 | +3.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | James Jones | 882 | 37.8 | -5.5 | |
Labour | Michael Lawn | 56 | 2.4 | +2.4 | |
Majority | 511 | 21.9 | +8.4 | ||
Turnout | 2,331 | 49.9 | -0.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Webber | 807 | 55.7 | +2.9 | |
Conservative | Heather Adderley | 493 | 34.0 | -8.4 | |
UKIP | Ray Kidd | 77 | 5.3 | +5.3 | |
BNP | James Thackray | 71 | 4.9 | +4.9 | |
Majority | 314 | 21.7 | +11.4 | ||
Turnout | 1,448 | 35.2 | -3.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Granville Ward | 1,081 | 72.2 | +7.7 | |
Conservative | Phillip Dixon | 195 | 13.0 | -0.8 | |
BNP | Colin Banner | 146 | 9.7 | -1.0 | |
Labour | Geoff Foxall | 76 | 5.1 | +0.5 | |
Majority | 886 | 59.1 | +8.5 | ||
Turnout | 1,498 | 35.2 | -0.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Pat Jones | 1,034 | 54.5 | -1.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Nick Anderson | 811 | 42.8 | -1.4 | |
BNP | Robert Green | 51 | 2.7 | +2.7 | |
Majority | 223 | 11.8 | +0.3 | ||
Turnout | 1,896 | 44.7 | -0.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | John Wren | 910 | 58.5 | -7.3 | |
Conservative | Mary Dilworth | 231 | 14.9 | -2.7 | |
Labour | Daniel Maguire | 220 | 14.1 | -2.6 | |
BNP | Russell Taylor | 194 | 12.5 | +12.5 | |
Majority | 679 | 43.7 | -4.5 | ||
Turnout | 1,555 | 37.7 | +0.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ↑ "Harrogate". BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- 1 2 "Local and Mayoral elections 2007" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
- ↑ "Far-right party targets Ripon voters". Harrogate Advertiser. 5 April 2007.
- ↑ "Council election candidates announced". Harrogate Advertiser. 4 April 2007.
- ↑ "Rival candidates in battle to win". Harrogate Advertiser. 20 April 2007.
- 1 2 3 "BNP advances on Middle England to exploit 'fear' of Polish migrants". The Times. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ↑ "UKIP ready for polls attack on Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Independents hold sway at Ripon". Yorkshire Post. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "District Council election" (PDF). Harrogate Borough Council. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Harrogate Borough Council Elections 2007 results". Harrogate Advertiser. 11 May 2007.