# 2003 Craven District Council election

The 2003 Craven District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Craven District Council in North Yorkshire, 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:
* Conservative 11
* Independent 10
* Liberal Democrats 9

## Background

Before the election the Conservatives were the largest group with 13 seats, while there 9 Liberal Democrats and 8 independents. However the council was controlled by an alliance between independents and Liberal Democrats.
10 of the 30 seats on the council were elected in 2003, with the Conservatives defending 6, independents 3 and the Liberal Democrats defended 1 seat. Two of the three independents were re-elected without opposition.

## Election result

Independents gained 2 seats from the Conservatives to mean there were 10 independent councillors on the council. The independent gains from the Conservatives came in Skipton East where Mike Hill was elected, and in West Craven where Robert Mason gained a seat. Meanwhile, another independent, Robert Heseltine, regained a seat on the council 3 years after having been forced to resign his seat due to being convicted of falsifying accounts, after defeating the sitting independent councillor Frances Cook by 217 votes in Skipton South.
Despite losing 2 seats the Conservatives remained the largest group on the council with 11 councillors, after holding another 4 seats. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats stayed on 9 seats, after holding the only seat they had been defending in Skipton West.
Craven local election result 2003 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Independent | 5 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 50.0 | 30.0 | 2,020 | -0.9% |
| Conservative | 4 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 40.0 | 45.7 | 3,079 | +5.6% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 24.3 | 1,633 | -3.8% |

## Ward results

Bentham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Gerald Hurtley | 521 | 51.5 |
| | Independent | Manuel Camacho | 490 | 48.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 31 | 3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,011 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Embsay with Eastby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Quinn | 404 | 67.0 |
| | Independent | Dennis Hall | 199 | 33.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 205 | 34.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 603 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Gargrave and Malhamdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Crawford | 596 | 58.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Wood | 422 | 41.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 174 | 17.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,018 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Glusburn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Roger Nicholson | unopposed | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Skipton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Michael Hill | 423 | 41.7 |
| | Conservative | Pamela Heseltine | 320 | 31.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Darren Moorby | 272 | 26.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 103 | 10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,015 | |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | |
Skipton North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Marcia Turner | 604 | 56.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Rankine | 466 | 43.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 138 | 12.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,070 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Skipton South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Robert Heseltine | 412 | 57.5 |
| | Independent | Frances Cook | 195 | 27.2 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Creek | 110 | 15.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 217 | 30.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 717 | |
| | Independent gain from Independent | Independent gain from Independent | Swing | |
Skipton West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pauline English | 473 | 67.0 |
| | Conservative | Paul Whitaker | 233 | 33.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 240 | 34.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 706 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | |
Sutton-in-Craven :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Kenneth Hart | unopposed | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
West Craven :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Robert Mason | 301 | 50.8 | +16.2 |
| | Conservative | John Binns | 291 | 49.2 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 1.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 592 | | |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2003 and 2004

A by-election was held in Bentham on 13 November 2003 after the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor John Pilkington on his being charged by police with child pornography. The seat was gained by an independent Manuel Camacho with a majority of 107 votes over Conservative John Jackson.
Bentham by-election 13 November 2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Manuel Camacho | 474 | 56.4 | +7.9 |
| | Conservative | John Jackson | 367 | 43.6 | −7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 107 | 12.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 841 | 29.6 | |
| | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |