Carlisle Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Carlisle Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Carlisle
District
Council in Cumbria
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
ran the council with 20 seats and the backing of the 7 Liberal Democrats
. Labour
was in opposition despite being the largest group on the council with 24 seats and needed 3 gains to take control.
19 of the 52 seats on the council were being elected, with extra seats contested in Stanwix
Rural and Upperby
wards
after the sitting councillor
s, Conservative Edward Firth and Labour's Caroline Watson, stood down. Labour were defending 9 seats, compared to 8 for the Conservatives and 2 Liberal Democrats. Candidates at the election included 11 independents
standing to protest against the demolition of the Warwick Road cinema
and the first candidate from the English Democrats Party
in Belah
ward.
Before the election top Labour targets were reported as being Morton and Castle from the Liberal Democrats and Belah from the Conservatives. The Conservatives were targeting Yewdale from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats aimed to take Dalston
from the Conservatives.
at the election was 34.6%, down from 42.6% at the 2004 election
.
Following the election Michael Boaden became the new leader of the Labour group, after challenging the previous leader Heather Bradley. However Conservative Mike Mitchelson remained as council leader after being re-elected by 26 votes to 25 at the annual council meeting on the 22 May. This came after the Liberal Democrats backed the Conservatives and Liberal Democrat Peter Farmer was elected mayor by the same margin.
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
24 - ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
19 - Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
8 - IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
1
Background
Before the election the ConservativesConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
ran the council with 20 seats and the backing of the 7 Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
was in opposition despite being the largest group on the council with 24 seats and needed 3 gains to take control.
19 of the 52 seats on the council were being elected, with extra seats contested in Stanwix
Stanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
Rural and Upperby
Upperby
Upperby is a suburb of Carlisle, in the City of Carlisle district, in the English county of Cumbria.- Location :It is a few miles to the south-east of the city centre of Carlisle and is near the River Petteril.- Features :...
wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
after the sitting councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s, Conservative Edward Firth and Labour's Caroline Watson, stood down. Labour were defending 9 seats, compared to 8 for the Conservatives and 2 Liberal Democrats. Candidates at the election included 11 independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
standing to protest against the demolition of the Warwick Road cinema
Cinema
Cinema may refer to:* Film, motion pictures or movies* Filmmaking, the process of making a film* Movie theater, a building in which films are shown* Cinema or Bommalattam, a Tamil film...
and the first candidate from the English Democrats Party
English Democrats Party
The English Democrats are an English federalist political party, committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament. Whilst not supporting English Independence, the English Democrats consider themselves the English...
in Belah
Belah
For the Biblical character, see List of minor Biblical figures#Bela.For the chiefly Australian tree of the genus Casuarina, see Beefwood.Belah is a suburb of Carlisle in the City of Carlisle district, in the county of Cumbria, England....
ward.
Before the election top Labour targets were reported as being Morton and Castle from the Liberal Democrats and Belah from the Conservatives. The Conservatives were targeting Yewdale from Labour, while the Liberal Democrats aimed to take Dalston
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
from the Conservatives.
Election result
Labour remained the largest party on the council with 24 councillors after only one seat changed hands. The Liberal Democrats gained Dalston from the Conservatives, to go up to 8 seats, while the Conservatives dropped to 19 and there remained 1 independent. Overall turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
at the election was 34.6%, down from 42.6% at the 2004 election
Carlisle Council election, 2004
The 2004 Carlisle Council election took place on 10 June 2004 to elect members of Carlisle District Council in Cumbria, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control....
.
Following the election Michael Boaden became the new leader of the Labour group, after challenging the previous leader Heather Bradley. However Conservative Mike Mitchelson remained as council leader after being re-elected by 26 votes to 25 at the annual council meeting on the 22 May. This came after the Liberal Democrats backed the Conservatives and Liberal Democrat Peter Farmer was elected mayor by the same margin.