# South Lakeland District Council elections

One third of South Lakeland District Council in Cumbria, England was elected each year, followed by one year without election.
The council was established in 1974 and abolished in 2023.
Since the last boundary changes in 2008, 51 councillors had been elected from 45 wards.

## Political control

Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
| Party in control | Years |
| Independent | 1973–1979 |
| No overall control | 1979–2006 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2006–2023 |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Colin Hodgson | Conservative | 12 Sep 2001 | 16 May 2006 |
| Brendan Jameson | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2006 | 19 Mar 2012 |
| Peter Thornton | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2012 | 18 May 2016 |
| Giles Archibald | Liberal Democrats | 18 May 2016 | 19 May 2021 |
| Jonathan Brook | Liberal Democrats | 19 May 2021 | 31 Mar 2023 |

## Council elections

* 1973 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1976 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1979 South Lakeland District Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 1980 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1982 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1983 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1984 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1986 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1987 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1988 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1990 South Lakeland District Council election (District boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
* 1991 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1992 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1994 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1995 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1996 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1998 South Lakeland District Council election
* 1999 South Lakeland District Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 2000 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2002 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2003 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2004 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2006 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2007 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2008 South Lakeland District Council election (New ward boundaries reduced the number of seats by 1)
* 2010 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2011 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2012 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2014 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2015 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2016 South Lakeland District Council election
* 2018 South Lakeland District Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 2019 South Lakeland District Council election

## District result maps

* 2006 results map
* 2007 results map
* 2008 results map
* 2010 results map
* 2011 results map
* 2012 results map
* 2014 results map
* 2015 results map
* 2016 results map
* 2018 results map
* 2019 results map

## By-election results
### 1997-2001

Hawkshead By-Election 25 February 1999 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 219 | 55.7 |
| | Conservative | | 174 | 44.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 45 | 11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 393 | 37.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | |

### 2001-2005

Holker By-Election 20 September 2001 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Manning | 538 | 71.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Woddy | 218 | 28.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 320 | 42.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 756 | 50.0 | |
| | Conservative gain from Independent | Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Low Furness and Swarthmoor By-Election 11 October 2001 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Tyson | 508 | 51.7 | +9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Metcalfe | 475 | 48.3 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33 | 3.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 983 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Crake Valley By-Election 10 March 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Betty Spendlove | 423 | 57.0 | −8.9 |
| | Conservative | Walter Phillipson | 277 | 37.3 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Susan Page | 42 | 5.7 | +5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 146 | 19.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 742 | 50.1 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Ulverston South By-Election 10 March 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Brian Wilkinson | 202 | 62.9 | −3.4 |
| | Labour | Bharath Rajan | 94 | 29.3 | −4.4 |
| | Green | William Shaw | 25 | 7.8 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 108 | 33.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 321 | 23.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 2009-2015

Lyth Valley 4 November 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Holmes | 474 | 49.5 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jane Hall | 451 | 47.1 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | Marilyn Molloy | 32 | 3.3 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23 | 2.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 957 | 48.73 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
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 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 573 | 33.63 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Windermere Bowness North, 29 August 2013 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Jones | 431 | 60.9 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | Ian Keeling | 248 | 35.0 | +5.1 |
| | Labour | Rae Cross | 29 | 4.1 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 183 | 25.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 708 | 42.75 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Levens, 17 October 2013 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Annie Rawlinson | 569 | 57.0 | +1.2 |
| | Conservative | Brian Rendell | 430 | 43.0 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 139 | 14.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 999 | 58.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Windermere Town, 2 October 2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dyan Jones | 416 | 64.0 | −5.9 |
| | Conservative | Sandra Lilley | 184 | 28.3 | +13.1 |
| | Green | Gwen Harrison | 50 | 7.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 333 | 58.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 650 | 39.42 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### 2015-2021

Windermere Bowness North, 13 October 2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Jarvis | 441 | 60.1 | +11.1 |
| | Conservative | Martin Hall | 256 | 34.9 | −4.1 |
| | Green | Kate Threadgold | 37 | 5.0 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 185 | 25.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 740 | 45.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Ambleside & Grasmere, 4 May 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vicky Hughes | 695 | 50.9 | −13.4 |
| | Conservative | Tim Brown | 502 | 36.7 | +14.0 |
| | Labour | Alison Gilchrist | 87 | 6.4 | −0.1 |
| | Green | Chris Rowley | 82 | 6.0 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 193 | 41.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,372 | 46.76 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Arnside and Milnthorpe, 20 December 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Chaffey | 1,319 | 59.4 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Rachel Ashburner | 709 | 31.9 | −1.7 |
| | Green | Jill Abel | 125 | 5.6 | −7.4 |
| | Labour | Kate Love | 68 | 3.1 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 610 | 27.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,221 | 44.2 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Broughton & Coniston, 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Heather Troughton | 1,317 | 51.9 | +11.4 |
| | Conservative | Matt Brereton | 977 | 38.5 | +0.3 |
| | Green | Lynette Gilligan | 136 | 5.4 | −2.4 |
| | Labour | Paul Martin | 108 | 4.3 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 340 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Furness Peninsula, 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ben Cooper | 939 | 45.7 | +9.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Loraine Birchall | 790 | 38.4 | −7.1 |
| | Labour | Sharon Webster | 216 | 10.5 | +0.2 |
| | Green | Peter Howlett | 111 | 5.4 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 149 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Grange, 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pete Endsor | 1,427 | 60.2 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Aron Taylor | 627 | 26.4 | −1.7 |
| | Green | Robin Le Mare | 163 | 6.9 | −1.6 |
| | Labour | Ben Barker | 155 | 6.5 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 800 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Kendal Rural, 6 May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ali Jama | 1,206 | 52.1 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative | Luke Gudgeon | 794 | 34.3 | +2.3 |
| | Green | Frances Richardson | 239 | 10.3 | −3.3 |
| | Labour | Hanna Burke | 74 | 3.2 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 412 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Grange, 12 August 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Fiona Hanlon | 1,336 | 66.2 | +8.5 |
| | Conservative | Steve Chambers | 541 | 26.8 | −1.3 |
| | Green | Robin Le Mare | 85 | 4.2 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Patricia Wright | 56 | 2.8 | −2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 800 | 33.8 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,022 | 42.9 | −8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Kendal North, 23 September 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Cornthwaite | 622 | 46.9 | +12.2 |
| | Green | Liz Hendry | 527 | 39.8 | +9.9 |
| | Conservative | Aron Taylor | 122 | 9.2 | −14.6 |
| | Labour | Virginia Branney | 54 | 4.1 | −11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 95 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |