# 2010 Carlisle City Council election

The 2010 Carlisle City Council election took place on 6 May 2010 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 23
* Conservative 22
* Liberal Democrats 5
* Independent 2

## Background

Before the election Labour were the largest party with 23 councillors, compared to 21 Conservatives, 7 Liberal Democrats and 1 independent. However the council was run by a coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
18 seats were being contested at the election by a total of 68 candidates. Both the Conservative and Labour parties stood in all 18 seats, while there were 10 Liberal Democrat candidates, 9 British National Party, 6 Green Party, 5 Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, 1 UK Independence Party and 1 independent. The Socialist and Trade Union candidates included 2 former Labour mayors, Craig Johnston and John Metcalfe, while the independent Robert Betton had won Botcherby on Cumbria County Council at the 2009 election and was facing the same Labour opponent, Anne Glendinning, as in 2009.

## Election result

No party won a majority, with Labour remaining the largest party on 23 seats, but the Conservatives gained a seat to move to 22 councillors. The Liberal Democrats lost 2 seats to drop to 5 councillors, while a second independent councillor was elected to the council. Overall turnout at the election was 64.5%, up from 38.1% in 2008. This was as the election took place at the same time as the general election, where Conservative John Stevenson gained Carlisle constituency from Labour by 853 votes.
Labour gained Morton from the Liberal Democrats, defeating the Liberal Democrat group leader Peter Farmer, who announced his retirement from politics after his defeat. However Labour fell 14 votes short of taking Castle from the Liberal Democrats and lost Botcherby to independent Robert Betton. Meanwhile, the Conservatives gained Dalston from the Liberal Democrats, after the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor Steven Tweedie stepped down at the election.
Following the election Reg Watson became the new leader of the Labour group on the council, as Michael Boaden had stepped down after being defeated as Labour candidate at the general election. Conservative Mike Mitchelson, who held his seat at the election, was re-elected as leader of the council, continuing the alliance with the Liberal Democrats.
Carlisle local election result 2010 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 8 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 44.4 | 39.5 | 19,430 | -1.3% |
| Labour | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 44.4 | 36.4 | 17,931 | +5.8% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 5.6 | 13.5 | 6,646 | -0.4% |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 5.6 | 2.3 | 1,119 | -3.1% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 1,588 | +3.2% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | 1,418 | -5.7% |
| TUSC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 738 | +1.5% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 326 | +0.7% |

## Ward results

Belah :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gareth Ellis | 1,961 | 57.7 | −8.9 |
| | Labour | Graham Bartlett | 1,438 | 42.3 | +18.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 15.4 | −27.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,399 | 70.5 | +32.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Belle Vue :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jessica Riddle | 1,209 | 42.9 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | Paul Nedved | 970 | 34.4 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Deborah Clode | 447 | 15.9 | +5.8 |
| | BNP | Stephen Bingham | 126 | 4.5 | −5.1 |
| | Green | Hazel Bowmaker | 67 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 239 | 8.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,819 | 60.1 | +24.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Botcherby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Robert Betton | 1,119 | 44.4 | +22.2 |
| | Labour | Anne Glendinning | 822 | 32.6 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative | Hannah Dolan | 443 | 17.6 | −13.8 |
| | BNP | Karl Chappell | 134 | 5.3 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 297 | 11.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,518 | 55.0 | +24.2 |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Brampton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mike Mitchelson | 1,266 | 54.5 | −20.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Eltherington | 535 | 23.0 | +23.0 |
| | Labour | Jamie Hendry | 522 | 22.5 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 731 | 31.5 | −18.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,323 | 65.6 | +30.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Castle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Olwyn Luckley | 816 | 35.0 | −9.3 |
| | Labour | Willie Whalen | 802 | 34.4 | +10.8 |
| | Conservative | David Horley | 553 | 23.7 | +7.5 |
| | Green | Stephen Graham | 161 | 6.9 | +6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 0.6 | −20.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,332 | 53.8 | +24.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Currock :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Heather Bradley | 1,263 | 50.0 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Mark Hodgson | 635 | 25.2 | +6.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Terence Jones | 371 | 14.7 | +8.1 |
| | BNP | Ben Whittingham | 167 | 6.6 | −21.5 |
| | TUSC | Brent Kennedy | 88 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 628 | 24.9 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,524 | 55.2 | +21.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Dalston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Craig | 1,715 | 47.5 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Wyllie | 1,241 | 34.3 | −15.9 |
| | Labour | Grant Warwick | 658 | 18.2 | +8.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 474 | 13.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,614 | 74.7 | +27.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Denton Holme :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Atkinson | 1,530 | 55.5 | +12.0 |
| | Conservative | Barbara Eden | 842 | 30.5 | +6.4 |
| | TUSC | John Metcalfe | 253 | 9.2 | +9.2 |
| | BNP | Glen Gardner | 133 | 4.8 | −7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 688 | 24.9 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,758 | 58.5 | +26.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Harraby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dave Weedall | 1,495 | 50.3 | +8.6 |
| | Conservative | Virginia Marriner | 966 | 32.5 | +1.2 |
| | BNP | David Fraser | 258 | 8.7 | −7.9 |
| | Green | Arthur Paynter | 185 | 6.2 | +6.2 |
| | TUSC | Martin Robertshaw | 71 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 529 | 17.8 | +7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,975 | 61.5 | +27.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Irthing :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Syd Bowman | 710 | 58.1 | −21.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Eltherington | 306 | 25.0 | +25.0 |
| | Labour | Beth Furneaux | 206 | 16.9 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 404 | 33.1 | −25.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,222 | 75.6 | +38.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Longtown and Rockcliffe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ray Bloxham | 935 | 43.7 | −20.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Highmore | 800 | 37.4 | +37.4 |
| | Labour | Helen Horne | 281 | 13.1 | −22.9 |
| | BNP | Chris Davidson | 124 | 5.8 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 135 | 6.3 | −21.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,140 | 64.0 | +32.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Morton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Colin Stothard | 1,180 | 37.5 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Farmer | 1,105 | 35.1 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Michael Randall | 546 | 17.4 | +6.6 |
| | BNP | Gillian Forrester | 164 | 5.2 | −15.5 |
| | TUSC | Tony Brown | 150 | 4.8 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 2.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,145 | 66.3 | +19.1 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
St. Aidans :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anne Quilter | 1,194 | 44.4 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Stewart Blake | 794 | 29.5 | +0.6 |
| | Green | John Reardon | 550 | 20.5 | +20.5 |
| | BNP | Tony Carvell | 149 | 5.5 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 400 | 14.9 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,687 | 58.2 | +24.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Stanwix Rural :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Marilyn Bowman | 1,583 | 60.7 | −17.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Sanderson | 550 | 21.1 | +21.1 |
| | Labour | Niall Hendry | 477 | 18.3 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,033 | 39.6 | −15.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,610 | 71.6 | +33.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Stanwix Urban :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Mallinson | 1,935 | 53.5 | −7.7 |
| | Labour | Paul Thurn | 1,231 | 34.0 | +7.7 |
| | Green | Dallas Brewis | 452 | 12.5 | +12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 704 | 19.5 | −15.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,618 | 76.1 | +35.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Upperby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Wilson | 1,176 | 50.9 | |
| | Conservative | Georgina Clarke | 496 | 21.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Osler | 475 | 20.6 | |
| | BNP | Ashleigh Tomlinson | 163 | 7.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 680 | 29.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,310 | 56.3 | +20.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wetheral :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Neville Lishman | 1,727 | 60.7 | −17.8 |
| | Labour | Roger Horne | 794 | 27.9 | +6.4 |
| | UKIP | Geoff Round | 326 | 11.5 | +11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 933 | 32.8 | −24.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,847 | 76.5 | +32.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Yewdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Steven Bowditch | 1,653 | 49.3 | +7.8 |
| | Conservative | Kate Rowley | 1,353 | 40.3 | −3.2 |
| | TUSC | Craig Johnston | 176 | 5.2 | +5.2 |
| | Green | Ian Brewis | 173 | 5.2 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 300 | 8.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,355 | 69.9 | +25.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2010 and 2011

A by-election was held on 16 September 2010 for Stanwix Urban, after John Stevenson resigned from the council on being elected as a Member of Parliament. The seat was held for the Conservatives by Paul Nedved with a majority of 400 over Labour.
Stanwix Urban by-election 16 September 2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Nedved | 888 | 57.0 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | Jackie Franklin | 488 | 31.3 | −2.7 |
| | Green | Hazel Bowmaker | 96 | 6.2 | −6.3 |
| | English Democrat | Adam Pearson | 85 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 400 | 25.7 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,557 | 32.0 | −44.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |