# 2007 Harrogate Borough Council election

The 2007 Harrogate Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Harrogate Borough 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 25
* Liberal Democrat 23
* Independent 6

## Campaign

Before the election the Conservatives ran the council, but without a majority, with 27 seats, compared to 22 Liberal Democrats and 5 independents. 20 seats were contested in the election, with 1 of the seats being a by-election in Marston Moor ward after the resignation of the Conservative councillor. Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were defending 9 seats in the election, while independents held 2.
The election saw the British National Party contest 15 of the 20 seats, more than Labour who only contested 9 seats, and up from only 1 in 2006. The leader of the British National Party Nick Griffin visited Ripon during the campaign, with the party campaigning against migrant workers, such as those from Poland, who they said were "undercutting British workers" by working for low wages. For the first time the United Kingdom Independence Party also contested 2 seats in the election.

## Election result

The results saw no party win a majority on the council after the Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats from the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats gained Bilton and Knaresborough King James from the Conservatives, but the Conservatives remained the largest party on the council with 25 seats compared to 23 for the Liberal Democrats.
The balance on the council was held by 6 independents, after independents won all 3 seats contested in Ripon. This included gaining Ripon Spa by 171 votes from Liberal Democrat Paul Freeman, who had held the seat for 16 years. No other party won any seats, with the British National Party coming no better than third in every seat they contested, despite having 15 candidates.
Harrogate local election result 2007 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 10 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50.0 | 45.9 | 14,904 | +0.1% |
| Conservative | 7 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 35.0 | 38.0 | 12,331 | -2.4% |
| Independent | 3 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 15.0 | 8.1 | 2,640 | -1.6% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 1,386 | +3.8% |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 1,055 | -0.3% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 128 | +0.4% |

## Ward results

Bilton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Parkes | 974 | 49.4 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | Robin Adderley | 877 | 44.5 | +0.0 |
| | Labour | Joel Banner | 122 | 6.2 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 97 | 4.9 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,973 | 46.9 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Granby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret-Ann De Courcey-Bayley | 923 | 66.0 | −8.8 |
| | Conservative | David Pearson | 296 | 21.2 | +0.7 |
| | BNP | Steven Gill | 103 | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| | Labour | Tom King | 76 | 5.4 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 627 | 44.8 | −9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,398 | 31.7 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Harlow Moor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Simon Theakston | 1,057 | 62.0 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthew Webber | 567 | 33.3 | −4.9 |
| | Labour | Kevin McNerney | 81 | 4.8 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 490 | 28.7 | +5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,705 | 40.8 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
High Harrogate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Jones | 815 | 54.0 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Macare | 522 | 34.6 | −8.6 |
| | BNP | John Bray | 104 | 6.9 | +6.9 |
| | Labour | Harry Mann | 69 | 4.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 293 | 19.4 | +10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,510 | 34.5 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Hookstone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Reg Marsh | 1,202 | 65.4 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Richard Cain | 467 | 25.4 | −9.9 |
| | BNP | Frederick Johnson | 112 | 6.1 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | Patricia Foxall | 57 | 3.1 | +0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 735 | 40.0 | +13.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,838 | 41.9 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Knaresborough East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Rothwell | 621 | 45.1 | −14.3 |
| | Conservative | Chris Williams | 330 | 23.9 | −6.7 |
| | Independent | Andy Wright | 270 | 19.6 | +19.6 |
| | Labour | David Crosthwaite | 93 | 6.7 | −3.3 |
| | BNP | Belinda Holdsworth | 64 | 4.6 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 291 | 21.1 | −7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,378 | 35.4 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Knaresborough King James :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jean Burdett | 1,031 | 55.5 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative | Tim Hunter | 716 | 38.6 | −7.6 |
| | Labour | Sam Clayton | 110 | 5.9 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 315 | 17.0 | +13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,857 | 47.4 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Knaresborough Scriven Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin Hawkins | 740 | 52.5 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Nathan Smith | 496 | 35.2 | −3.1 |
| | Labour | Alan Beatham | 95 | 6.7 | −2.0 |
| | BNP | Mark Strike | 78 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 244 | 17.3 | +2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,409 | 37.0 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Low Harrogate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jean Butterfield | 862 | 54.3 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Carol Brooks | 725 | 45.7 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 137 | 8.6 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,587 | 38.3 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Marston Moor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Savage | 630 | 65.9 | −12.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gill Firth | 326 | 34.1 | +12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 304 | 31.8 | −24.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 956 | 43.8 | −12.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
New Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Trevor Chapman | 1,080 | 75.3 | +3.7 |
| | Conservative | Lorien Pilling | 211 | 14.7 | −13.7 |
| | BNP | Julie Brown | 92 | 6.4 | +6.4 |
| | UKIP | John Upex | 51 | 3.6 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 869 | 60.6 | +17.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,434 | 35.4 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Pannal :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Mike Gardner | 1,455 | 66.3 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Claire Kelley | 741 | 33.7 | +9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 714 | 32.5 | −17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,196 | 51.3 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Ripon Minster :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Sidney Hawke | 665 | 47.3 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Jones | 245 | 17.4 | +10.6 |
| | Conservative | John Topping | 203 | 14.4 | +1.9 |
| | Independent | Stanley Mackintosh | 160 | 11.4 | −17.1 |
| | BNP | Tom Linden | 134 | 9.5 | +9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 420 | 29.9 | +11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,407 | 36.1 | +2.4 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Ripon Moorside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Charles Powell | 913 | 61.4 | −27.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Stockdale | 255 | 17.2 | +17.2 |
| | Conservative | Tony Simpson | 204 | 13.7 | +2.2 |
| | BNP | Neil Smith | 114 | 7.7 | +7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 658 | 44.3 | −22.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,486 | 38.7 | +1.1 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Ripon Spa :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Peter Horton | 632 | 39.9 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Freeman | 461 | 29.1 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Palmer | 366 | 23.1 | −7.2 |
| | BNP | Michelle Shrubb | 123 | 7.8 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 171 | 10.8 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,582 | 39.4 | +1.3 |
| | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Rossett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jim Clark | 1,393 | 59.8 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Jones | 882 | 37.8 | −5.5 |
| | Labour | Michael Lawn | 56 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 511 | 21.9 | +8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,331 | 49.9 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Saltergate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Webber | 807 | 55.7 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative | Heather Adderley | 493 | 34.0 | −8.4 |
| | UKIP | Ray Kidd | 77 | 5.3 | +5.3 |
| | BNP | James Thackray | 71 | 4.9 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 314 | 21.7 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,448 | 35.2 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Starbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Granville Ward | 1,081 | 72.2 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative | Phillip Dixon | 195 | 13.0 | −0.8 |
| | BNP | Colin Banner | 146 | 9.7 | −1.0 |
| | Labour | Geoff Foxall | 76 | 5.1 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 886 | 59.1 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,498 | 35.2 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Stray :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pat Jones | 1,034 | 54.5 | −1.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nick Anderson | 811 | 42.8 | −1.4 |
| | BNP | Robert Green | 51 | 2.7 | +2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 223 | 11.8 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,896 | 44.7 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Woodfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Wren | 910 | 58.5 | −7.3 |
| | Conservative | Mary Dilworth | 231 | 14.9 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | Daniel Maguire | 220 | 14.1 | −2.6 |
| | BNP | Russell Taylor | 194 | 12.5 | +12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 679 | 43.7 | −4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,555 | 37.7 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |