# 2006 Carlisle City Council election

The 2006 Carlisle City 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:
* Labour 24
* Conservative 19
* Liberal Democrats 8
* Independent 1

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives 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 councillors, 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.

## 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 turnout 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 22 May. This came after the Liberal Democrats backed the Conservatives and Liberal Democrat Peter Farmer was elected mayor by the same margin.
Carlisle local election result 2006 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47.4 | 35.6 | 9,629 | -2.4% |
| Conservative | 7 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 36.8 | 40.7 | 11,009 | -0.4% |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 15.8 | 13.7 | 3,694 | -2.0% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 | 2,237 | +3.8% |
| English Democrat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 247 | +0.9% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 222 | 0.0% |

## Ward results

Belah :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sandra Fisher | 976 | 54.3 | −16.3 |
| | Labour | Grant Warwick | 435 | 24.2 | −5.2 |
| | English Democrat | Stephen Gash | 247 | 13.8 | +13.8 |
| | Independent | Charmain Hunt | 138 | 7.7 | +7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 541 | 30.1 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,796 | 37.9 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Belle Vue :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jessica Riddle | 601 | 43.4 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | John Mallinson | 582 | 42.0 | +1.2 |
| | Independent | Linda Hargreaves | 202 | 14.6 | +14.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19 | 1.4 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,385 | 32.6 | −9.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Botcherby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anne Glendinning | 602 | 55.5 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Theresa Cartner | 314 | 29.0 | −13.5 |
| | Independent | Edna Croft | 168 | 15.5 | +15.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 288 | 26.6 | +11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,084 | 24.3 | −8.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Brampton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Mitchelson | 990 | 77.8 | +15.5 |
| | Labour | Alex Faulds | 282 | 22.2 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 708 | 55.7 | +14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,272 | 36.7 | −6.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Castle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Olwyn Luckley | 632 | 54.0 | −8.9 |
| | Labour | Ann Warwick | 321 | 27.4 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative | George Bain | 149 | 12.7 | +12.7 |
| | Independent | Donald Patterson | 69 | 5.9 | +5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 311 | 26.6 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,171 | 28.3 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Currock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Heather Bradley | 663 | 56.2 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | Shaidat Danmole-Ellis | 221 | 18.7 | −7.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marjorie Richardson | 151 | 12.8 | −3.1 |
| | Independent | Fiona Robson | 144 | 12.2 | +12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 442 | 37.5 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,179 | 27.5 | −7.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Dalston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steven Tweedie | 891 | 44.3 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Lucy Crookdale | 874 | 43.5 | +0.0 |
| | Labour | Ross Warwick | 246 | 12.2 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17 | 0.8 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,011 | 43.3 | −10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Denton Holme :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Atkinson | 780 | 60.2 | −5.0 |
| | Conservative | Patricia Vasey | 329 | 25.4 | −9.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Tootle | 166 | 12.8 | +12.8 |
| | Independent | Lynn Barlow | 21 | 1.6 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 451 | 34.8 | +4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,296 | 28.4 | −7.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Harraby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Weedall | 802 | 55.5 | +7.9 |
| | Conservative | Nicola Clarke | 643 | 44.5 | +9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 159 | 11.0 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,445 | 31.2 | −6.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Longtown and Rockliffe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Raynor Bloxham | 635 | 60.7 | −1.5 |
| | Labour | Robert Dodds | 357 | 34.1 | −3.7 |
| | Independent | Andrew Blythe | 54 | 5.2 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 278 | 26.6 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,046 | 32.1 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Morton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Farmer | 961 | 49.0 | −6.6 |
| | Labour | John Bell | 837 | 42.6 | −1.8 |
| | Independent | Philip Weir | 165 | 8.4 | +8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 124 | 6.3 | −4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,963 | 41.2 | −5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
St Aidans :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anne Quilter | 669 | 49.1 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | Lawrence Fisher | 421 | 30.9 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Olive Hall | 193 | 14.2 | +14.2 |
| | Independent | Colin Paisley | 80 | 5.9 | +5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 248 | 18.2 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,363 | 31.1 | −7.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Stanwix Rural (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Marilyn Bowman | 908 | | |
| | Conservative | James Bainbridge | 747 | | |
| | Independent | Craig Nicholson | 475 | | |
| | Labour | John Hale | 203 | | |
| | Independent | Kathryn Bowstead | 176 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,509 | 39.4 | +9.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Stanwix Urban :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Mallinson | 1,116 | 58.4 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Steven Bowditch | 510 | 26.7 | −10.6 |
| | Independent | Richard Hunt | 286 | 15.0 | +15.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 606 | 31.7 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,912 | 40.7 | −10.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Upperby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Wilson | 665 | | |
| | Labour | John Reardon | 634 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Osler | 373 | | |
| | Conservative | Michael Clarke | 322 | | |
| | Independent | Haydn Charlesworth | 165 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,159 | 31.9 | −6.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wetheral :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Neville Lishman | 1,032 | 65.6 | −8.1 |
| | Labour | Roger Horne | 225 | 14.3 | −12.0 |
| | Green | Lynn Bates | 222 | 14.1 | +14.1 |
| | Independent | Iain Wilson | 94 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 807 | 51.3 | +4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,573 | 43.2 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Yewdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Stothard | 797 | 42.5 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | Gareth Ellis | 750 | 40.0 | −9.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eileen Aldersey | 327 | 17.4 | +17.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 47 | 2.5 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,874 | 38.2 | −4.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |