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.