# Eden District Council elections

Eden District Council in Cumbria, England was elected every four years.
The council was established in 1974 and abolished in 2023.

## Political control

Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
| Party in control | Years |
| Independent | 1973–2007 |
| No overall control | 2007–2008 |
| Independent | 2008–2015 |
| Conservative | 2015–2019 |
| No overall control | 2019–2023 |

### Leadership

In 2002, following the Local Government Act 2000, the council adopted the "alternative arrangements" style of governance, as was permitted for authorities with under 85,000 residents. Eden's alternative arrangements were said to be unique within England for not having a single nominated leader, but instead having a group of four joint leaders, each of whom chaired one of the council's four main committees. The arrangement lasted for six years. In 2008, the council changed to a leader and cabinet model instead, with a single leader. The leaders of the council since 2002 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Four joint leaders (alternative arrangements) | Independent | 9 May 2002 | 29 May 2008 |
| Colin Nineham | Independent | 29 May 2008 | 25 Aug 2009 |
| Keith Phillips | Independent | 1 Sep 2009 | 31 Mar 2010 |
| Gordon Nicolson | Conservative | 1 Apr 2010 | 21 May 2015 |
| Kevin Beaty | Conservative | 21 May 2015 | 16 May 2019 |
| Virginia Taylor | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2019 | 31 Mar 2023 |

## Council elections

* 1973 Eden District Council election
* 1976 Eden District Council election
* 1979 Eden District Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 1983 Eden District Council election
* 1987 Eden District Council election
* 1991 Eden District Council election (District boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
* 1995 Eden District Council election
* 1999 Eden District Council election (New ward boundaries increased the number of seats by 1)
* 2003 Eden District Council election
* 2007 Eden District Council election
* 2011 Eden District Council election
* 2015 Eden District Council election
* 2019 Eden District Council election

## Results maps

* 2015 results map
* 2019 results map

## By-election results
### 1999-2003

Penrith West By-Election 26 October 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | | 100 | 36.9 | +36.9 |
| | Independent | | 89 | 32.8 | −31.4 |
| | Labour | | 82 | 30.3 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 4.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 271 | 12.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Hesket By-Election 18 April 2002 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | | 294 | 37.9 | −1.2 |
| | Conservative | | 245 | 31.6 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 237 | 30.5 | +8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 49 | 6.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 776 | 36.7 | |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Penrith North By-Election 18 April 2002 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | | 255 | 49.4 | +14.4 |
| | Conservative | | 186 | 36.0 | +12.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 175 | 33.9 | +10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 13.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 616 | 18.0 | |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### 2003-2007

Kirkby Stephen By-Election 19 June 2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Saunders | 384 | 59.5 |
| | Conservative | Barbara Dowson | 186 | 28.8 |
| | Independent | Simon Bennett | 75 | 11.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 198 | 30.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 645 | 32.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | |
Ullswater By-Election 26 June 2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Sydney Simpson | 198 | 60.2 |
| | Independent | Jean Wildish | 107 | 32.5 |
| | Labour | Christopher Bagshaw | 24 | 7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 91 | 27.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 329 | 30.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | |
Ravenstonedale By-Election 19 February 2004 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Michael Metcalfe-Gibson | 192 | 51.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Raw | 129 | 34.6 |
| | Independent | Jane Brook | 52 | 13.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 63 | 16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 373 | 52.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | |
Askham By-Election 24 February 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joan Lowis | 206 | 55.1 | +55.1 |
| | Independent | Colin Warren | 91 | 24.3 | −43.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Hughes | 77 | 20.6 | −11.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 115 | 30.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 374 | 35.5 | |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Crosby Ravensworth By-Election 8 June 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Joan Raine | 211 | 39.7 |
| | Independent | Brian Morris | 185 | 34.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Wilcox | 135 | 25.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26 | 4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 531 | 47.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | |
Orton with Tebay By-Election 3 August 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Wilcox | 165 | 50.5 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | Peter Knowles | 162 | 49.5 | +49.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 1.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 327 | 29.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Penrith Carleton By-Election 5 October 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patricia Bell | 223 | 54.1 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Vipond | 189 | 45.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 412 | 32.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | |

### 2007-2011

Morland By-Election 17 April 2008 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Michael Tonkin | 198 | 52.1 | +7.1 |
| | Conservative | Joan Savage | 108 | 28.4 | −26.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Turner | 74 | 19.5 | +19.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 90 | 23.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 380 | 38.1 | |
| | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Penrith West By-Election 8 October 2009 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elissa Robinson | 387 | 51.7 | +51.7 |
| | Conservative | David Whipp | 157 | 21.0 | −17.6 |
| | BNP | Alistair Barbour | 102 | 13.6 | +13.6 |
| | Independent | Rebecca Taylor | 58 | 7.8 | −37.5 |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Rockliffe-King | 26 | 3.5 | −12.7 |
| | Green | Alan Marsden | 18 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 230 | 30.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 748 | 31.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |

### 2015-2019

Alston Moor by-election 4 August 2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Sheriff | 302 | 54.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Stephen Harrison | 251 | 45.4 | +15.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 51 | 9.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 556 | 34 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor David Hymers.
Alston Moor by-election 20 July 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lizzie Sharp | 407 | 55.8 | n/a |
| | Conservative | Jim Clapp | 253 | 34.7 | +5.1 |
| | Independent | Holly Ho | 57 | 7.8 | n/a |
| | Green | Richard O'Brien | 13 | 1.8 | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 154 | 21.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 730 | 43.8 | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Thomas Sheriff.
Penrith North by-election 16 November 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Rudhall | 422 | 45.2 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | John Forrester | 291 | 31.2 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Karen Lockney | 155 | 16.6 | −8.5 |
| | Green | Douglas Lawson | 65 | 7.0 | +7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 131 | 14.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 933 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Hartside by-election 18 February 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robin Orchard | 175 | 52.9 | −3.8 |
| | Independent | Susan Castle-Clarke | 98 | 29.6 | −13.7 |
| | Green | Richard Henry | 58 | 17.5 | +17.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 77 | 23.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 331 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 2019-2023

Penrith South by-election 5 September 2019 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Helen Fearon | 222 | 46.3 | +7.6 |
| | Independent | Lee Quinn | 189 | 39.4 | −8.7 |
| | Labour | Dave Knaggs | 46 | 9.6 | −7.7 |
| | Putting Cumbria First | Kerryanne Wilde | 23 | 4.8 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33 | 6.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 480 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Shap by-election 14 November 2019 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil McCall | 184 | 48.5 | +17.2 |
| | Conservative | Sean Quinn | 128 | 33.8 | −17.3 |
| | Putting Cumbria First | Kerryanne Wilde | 67 | 17.7 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56 | 14.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 379 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Hartside by-election 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raymond Briggs | 194 | 45.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Susan Castle-Clarke | 101 | 23.5 | N/A |
| | Labour | Dave Knaggs | 94 | 21.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | Nikita Parks | 41 | 9.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 93 | 21.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 430 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Skelton by-election 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Atkinson | 302 | 54.4 | −5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Burgin | 131 | 23.6 | −16.2 |
| | Green | Belinda Lloyd | 81 | 14.6 | +14.6 |
| | Labour | Hilary Snell | 41 | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 171 | 30.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 555 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Penrith West by-election 30 September 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Burgin | 173 | 43.5 | −7.6 |
| | Conservative | Dale Normington | 87 | 21.9 | −6.8 |
| | Independent | Jeff Thomson | 51 | 12.8 | +12.8 |
| | Labour | Dave Knaggs | 40 | 10.1 | −17.7 |
| | Putting Cumbria First | Jonathan Davies | 28 | 7.0 | +7.0 |
| | Green | Richard O'Brien | 19 | 4.8 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 86 | 21.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 398 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |