THE Conservatives won two of the three by-elections at last week’s local elections with the third taken back by the Independent councillor who was expelled from the seat last year for not attending meetings during the coronavirus lockdown. Conservative, David Staveley, who already sits on Craven District Council, where he is chairman of the Select Committee, won the Ribblesdale division seat of North Yorkshire County Council, the seat previously occupied by his ‘friend and mentor’, the late Cllr Richard Welch. His fellow Conservative, Robert Ogden, was voted onto Cllr Welch’s old Penyghent seat of Craven District Council, while David Pighills, Independent, reclaimed his old Barden Fell seat on the district council.
Local elections ELECTIONS for the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, along with any county and district by-elections and parish council elections, will take place in Craven on Thursday May 6. Craven District Council elections postponed from May 2020 and County Council elections were also scheduled to be held, but have now been deferred while the Government consults on proposals to reorganise local government in North Yorkshire. There are also likely to be by-elections for the Ribblesdale division of North Yorkshire County Council, and the Craven District Council ward of Penyghent, following the death last year of Cllr Richard Welch; and also for the Barden Fell ward of Craven District Council, after Cllr Pighills was expelled from the council last year for not attending meetings.