THE council in one of the safest Conservative parliamentary seats in the country could have an independent leader, after the party’s local support dropped.
Richmondshire District Council, in North Yorkshire, continues to have no party in overall control.
The Conservatives lost two seats – dropping from 16 to 14 – with the number of independent councillors climbing to 16, two short of a majority.
The Liberal Democrats also lost two seats.
Tory group leader Fleur Butler, who was re-elected to her Leyburn seat, put her party’s losses down to animosity towards the coalition and public spending cuts.
This picture was reversed in Ryedale, firmly in Conservative hands for the first time in its 38-year history. The Tories swept to a convincing overall majority, securing 20 of the authority’s 30 seats.
Among the successful Tories was one of their youngest candidates yet, 19-year-old student Luke Ives, who also works as a part-time barman and finance controller.
“I didn’t expect to win. It was a shock, but I’m delighted with the result,” he said.
In Hambleton, the Conservative group retained its firm grip on the council, with 39 seats out of 44.
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