# 2011 South Lakeland District Council election

The 2011 South Lakeland District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of South Lakeland District Council in Cumbria, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Liberal Democrat 32
* Conservative 18
* Labour 1

## Background

19 seats were contested at the election over 18 wards. 2 of these were by-elections, in Levens and in 1 of the 2 seats being fought in Ambleside and Grasmere. Both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives stood in every seat, while Labour put up 8 candidates and the Green Party 2 candidates.

## Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats keep their majority on the council after losing 1 seat to the Conservatives. The only change came in Windermere Applethwaite and Troutbeck, with the Conservatives taking the seat by 12 votes after several recounts. This left the Liberal Democrats on 32 seats, compared to 18 for the Conservatives and 1 for Labour. Overall turnout in the election was 56.16%.
| Party | Party | Previous council | New council | +/- |
| | Liberal Democrats | 33 | 32 | 1 |
| | Conservatives | 17 | 18 | 1 |
| | Labour | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | Total | 51 | 51 | |
| Working majority | Working majority | 15 | 13 | |
South Lakeland Local Election Result 2011 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 12 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 63.2 | 51.9 | 12,028 | -8.2% |
| Conservative | 7 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 36.8 | 43.6 | 10,123 | +10.0% |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 | 881 | -1.7% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 162 | -0.1% |

## Ward results

Ambleside & Grasmere (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vivienne Rees* | 941 | 56.6 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Heidi Halliday | 811 | 48.8 | −12.9 |
| | Conservative | Raymond Lane | 592 | 35.6 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Neil Salisbury | 516 | 31.0 | −0.8 |
| | Labour | Marilyn Molloy | 159 | 9.6 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 219 | 13.2 | −20.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,662 | 49.3 | +6.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Arnside & Beetham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Stewart* | 1,279 | 58.1 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | Gordon Fairclough | 786 | 35.7 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | Jim Barker | 137 | 6.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 493 | 22.4 | +2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,202 | 62.5 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Broughton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joss Curwen* | 750 | 75.8 | +12.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary McClure | 239 | 24.2 | −12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 511 | 51.7 | +24.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 989 | 54.1 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Burneside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Holland | 526 | 62.8 | −11.9 |
| | Conservative | Colin Bell | 250 | 29.9 | +4.6 |
| | Labour | Lois Sparling | 61 | 7.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 276 | 33.0 | −16.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 837 | 53.1 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Burton & Holme :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Brian Cooper* | 939 | 52.3 | −2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vic Brown | 857 | 47.7 | +12.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 82 | 4.6 | −14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,796 | 59.8 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Cartmel & Grange West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary Wilson* | 604 | 65.4 | ±0.0 |
| | Conservative | Ian Curwen | 319 | 34.6 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 285 | 30.9 | ±0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 923 | 59.4 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Grange North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Gardiner | 594 | 58.1 | −4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara McCaffrey | 428 | 41.9 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 166 | 16.2 | −9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,022 | 56.4 | +7.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Grange South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Tom Harvey* | 529 | 53.8 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dorothy Lownds | 454 | 46.2 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 7.6 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 983 | 64.5 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Holker :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gill Gardner | 516 | 55.4 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative | Trevor Wilson | 415 | 44.6 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 101 | 10.8 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 931 | 58.1 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Levens (by-election) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary Orr | 667 | 55.7 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | Grenville Evans | 472 | 39.4 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | Tony Rothwell | 58 | 4.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 195 | 16.3 | −12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,197 | 70.2 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Low Furness :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Airey* | 437 | 65.3 | +13.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Beecham | 132 | 19.7 | −23.1 |
| | Green | Jo-anna Duncalf | 100 | 14.9 | +9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 305 | 45.6 | +36.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 669 | 47.0 | −7.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Mid Furness :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janet Willis | 694 | 41.7 | −21.0 |
| | Conservative | Doreen Fell | 648 | 38.9 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Colin Pickthall | 262 | 15.7 | +10.0 |
| | Green | Chris Loynes | 62 | 3.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 46 | 2.8 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,666 | 52.4 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Sedbergh & Kirkby Lonsdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Evelyn Westwood | 1,424 | 51.8 | +5.3 |
| | Conservative | Jules Drummond-Hay | 1,323 | 48.2 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 101 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,747 | 57.6 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Whinfell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Thornton* | 512 | 63.1 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | Mel Mackie | 300 | 36.9 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 212 | 26.1 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 812 | 54.3 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Windermere Applethwaite & Troutbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ben Berry | 480 | 50.6 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jo Stephenson* | 468 | 49.4 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 948 | 58.6 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Windermere Bowness North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hilary Stephenson* | 608 | 65.0 | −9.2 |
| | Conservative | Michael Nicholson | 280 | 29.9 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | Kathleen Cross | 47 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 328 | 35.1 | −13.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 935 | 57.0 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Windermere Bowness South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Williams* | 376 | 50.1 | −15.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Rooke | 331 | 44.1 | +9.3 |
| | Labour | Rae Cross | 43 | 5.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 45 | 6.0 | −24.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 750 | 44.9 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Windermere Town :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sandra Britton | 537 | 69.9 | −12.5 |
| | Conservative | Stephen Hall | 117 | 15.2 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | Penny Henderson | 114 | 14.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 420 | 54.7 | −10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 768 | 46.4 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

## By-Elections

Windermere Town, 9 February 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jo Stephenson | 418 | 72.9 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative | Sandra Lilley | 85 | 14.8 | −0.4 |
| | Labour | Penny Henderson | 50 | 8.7 | −6.1 |
| | UKIP | Robert Gibson | 20 | 3.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 333 | 58.1 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 573 | 33.63 | −12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |