Tories expect to seize power

Less than five years ago they were in deep depression as they were down to just five seats, the same number as Labour in what has always been a traditionally strong Conservative area.

Now they are quietly confident about taking overall control of Craven on May 6 when 14 seats are up for grabs.

The Conservatives need a net gain of five seats (or four assuming the continued support in the council chamber of independent member Robert Heseltine).

They have already won two without trying as the Conservatives are the only ones to field a candidate in the Skipton Central and Cowling wards - a major surprise as both were held by their political opponents, who have given up the seats without a fight.

Labour, buoyant not so long ago with talk of record membership and its best ever performance since Craven was formed in 1974, is fielding just one candidate - Janet Gordon, who defends her seat in Skipton South. If she loses, Labour will be without a representative on the council for the first time.

There is some surprise that the party has no candidate for the traditional Labour stronghold of Skipton East.

It used to have two Labour councillors for the ward but Janet Gott has since joined the independent camp while Janet Oxley has stood down due to ill health. Labour's failure to field a candidate for the two vacant seats in Skipton East means that two Conservatives will be taking on Mrs Gott and Liberal Democrat Andrew Wood.

"We are fielding 14 candidates for 14 seats and we are hoping to take control of the council," said Ken Houghton, Conservative agent for the Skipton constituency. "We are more than a little surprised that Labour is fielding just one candidate but we know we will still have to work very hard indeed to gain control of the council."

A key battleground is likely to be Skipton North. Once Conservative held, the Liberal Democrats won both seats through Mike Doyle and Eric Jaquin in the mid-1990s. However, Dennis Hall regained one seat for the Conservatives when Mr Doyle came up for election last year and now the party has its sights on unseating Mr Jaquin.

Another seat where the Conservatives may regain lost ground is West Craven, which was seized by the Liberal Democrats five years ago.

Mike Doyle, who is co-ordinating the Liberal Democrat campaign in Skipton said it was noticeable generally that people prefer to work for voluntary organisations than for the council.

He said that Liberal Democrat candidates had a vision for the future of Craven which was facing change whether it liked it or not as traditional industries had gone and tourism was saturated while the Conservative approach was one of managing genteel decline. He added that Liberal Democrats saw the election as a referendum on what sort of Skipton and Craven the voters wanted.

However, South Craven could be one area which trips up the Conservative hopes. There is a strong tradition of independence in this part of the district, dating back to the days when husband and wife team Roger and Margaret Nicholson represented Glusburn.

Ian Bannister defends the Glusburn seats for the Conservatives against independent candidate Philip Barrett, who represented the seat until he stood down five years ago.

And in the South Craven ward Stephen Place, independent, is bidding to defy Conservative candidate Val Harrison.

The wards going to the polls, candidates and the result last time are:

Skipton East (two vacancies)

David Breckon (Cons)

Janet Cryer (Cons)

Janet Gott* (Ind)

Andrew Wood (Lib Dem)

(1995: Lab 870, Cons 363)

Skipton South

Kathleen Beresford (Cons)

Polly English (Lib Dem)

Janet Gordon* (Lab)

(1995: Lab 344, Cons 212, Lib Dems 158)

Skipton South West

Paul English (Lib Dem)

Adrian Green (Cons)

Andrew Rankine* (Ind)

(1995: Ind returned unopposed)

Skipton North

Eric Jaquin* (Lib Dem)

Paul Whitaker (Cons)

(1995: Lib Dems 467, Lab 435)

Skipton West

Michael Doyle (Lib Dem)

Marcia Turner* (Cons)

(1995: Lib Dems 359, Cons 340 - Cons gained seat in by-election)

Aire Valley

Mark Wheeler (Lib Dem)

William York (Cons)

(1995: Ind 603, Cons 456)

Embsay-with-Eastby

Gwendalyn Jessop (Lib Dem)

Shelagh Marshall* (Cons)

(1995: Cons returned unopposed)

Ribbleside

Helen Firth (Cons)

Roland Howorth (Lib Dem)

(1995: Lib Dems 205, Ind 55)

West Craven

John Binns (Cons)

Raymond Jessop (Lib Dem)

(1995 Lib Dems 329, Cons 273)

Glusburn

Ian Bannister* (Cons)

Philip Barrett (Ind)

(1995: Ind returned unopposed, Cons won later by-election)

Sutton

Valerie Harrison (Cons)

Stephen Place* (Lib Dem)

(1995: Lab 399, Ind 390, Cons 251. Lib Dems won later by-election)

Skipton Central

Pam Heseltine (Cons)

Sole candidate - Cons gain from Lib Dem

(1995: Lib Dems 228, Cons 180, Ind 128)

Cowling

Janet Ackroyd (Cons)

Sole candidate - Cons gain from Lab

(By-election, no contest in 1995)

PARISH elections will take place in two Craven communities. Seats are being contested in three wards of Skipton Town Council and both wards of Sutton Parish Council. Polling will take place alongside the district council elections on May 6.

A further election will have to be called in Thornton-in-Craven where there was just one candidate - Bryan Bailey - for five vacancies. That means the village does not have a quorum to co-opt further members so the whole process will have to be gone through again.

The full candidates for the disputed councils are:

Skipton

Central ward (three vacancies, contested): John Binns (Con), Brook Street; Pamela Heseltine (Con), Gargrave Road; Edwin John Spencer (Ind), Ermysted Street; Hazel Audrey Thornton (Con), Brougham Street.

East ward (three vacancies, uncontested): Elizabeth Campbell (Lib Dem), Shortbank Road; Paul Barrymore Greaves (Ind), Moorview Way.

North ward (three vacancies, uncontested): Dennis Hall (Con), Regent Drive; Enid Mary Turnock (Con), Gargrave Road; Paul Howard Whitaker (Con), Grassington Road.

South ward (three vacancies, uncontested): Kathleen Beryl Beresford (Con), Burnside Avenue; Pauline English (Lib Dem), Burnside Avenue; Allan Ripley (Lab), Brooklands Terrace.

South West ward (three vacancies, contested): Paul Albert English (Lib Dem), Burnside Avenue; Adrian Green (Con), Fellside Grange, Eastby; Christopher James Harbron (Con), Long Meadow; Andrew Stewart Rankine (Ind), Aireview Terrace.

West ward (three vacancies, contested): Beryl Binns (Con), Brook Street; Richard Vincent Colley (Con), Gargrave Road; Michael Paul Doyle (Lib Dem), Bright Street; Marcia Turner (Con), Grassington Road.

Sutton

Sutton ward (five vacancies, contested): John Spencer Horsfall, Croft Hill; Andrew Leslie Jackson (Craven Representative of the Animal Population), Earls View; Stephen David Morrell, The Hawthorns; Michael Wordsworth Simmons (Ind), Park Lane; Christopher Lekh Suri (Ind), Black Bull; Roy Wilkinson, Park Row.

Sutton Mill ward (five vacancies, contested): Kenneth Hart, Meadow Lea; Betty Hawkins, Victoria Street; Michael Charles Herpe, Park Avenue; Stephen Spencer Place, Main Street; Barbara Ann Smith, Park Drive; James William Todd, Scott Close.

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