Copeland Council election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Copeland Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Copeland Borough
Council in Cumbria
, England
. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party
stayed in overall control of the council.
Labour won 31 seats, compared to 19 Conservatives
and 1 independent
. However between 2007 and 2011 Labour councillor
s Brian Dixon and Sam Meteer quit the party to sit as independents.
A total of 95 candidates stood in the election for the 51 seats being contested. These were 45 Labour, 37 Conservative, 4 independent, 4 British National Party
, 3 Green Party
and 2 Liberal Democrats. Meanwhile 12 sitting councillors stood down at the election.
and Distington
. Overall turnout
at the election was 40.98%.
Labour's biggest gains came in Bransty
ward
in Whitehaven
, where they gained all 3 seats from the Conservatives. This included defeating the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Copeland
at the 2010 general election, Chris Whiteside. Labour also picked up one seat in Newtown from the Conservatives and defeated the independent, former Labour, councillor Sam Meteer in Egremont
North.
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stayed in overall control of the council.
Background
At the last election in 2007Copeland Council election, 2007
The 2007 Copeland Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Copeland Borough Council in Cumbria, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.-Election result:...
Labour won 31 seats, compared to 19 Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and 1 independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. However between 2007 and 2011 Labour councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s Brian Dixon and Sam Meteer quit the party to sit as independents.
A total of 95 candidates stood in the election for the 51 seats being contested. These were 45 Labour, 37 Conservative, 4 independent, 4 British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
, 3 Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
and 2 Liberal Democrats. Meanwhile 12 sitting councillors stood down at the election.
Election result
The results saw Labour hold control of the council after winning 34 of the 51 seats, up 5 on the situation before the election and 3 more than at the 2007 election. The Conservatives dropped 4 seats to have 15 councillors, while 2 independents were elected in ArlecdonArlecdon
Arlecdon is a village in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, near the town of Whitehaven. It has an historic Grade II listed church, first built in 1829, which contains a stained glass window dedicated to Isaac Fletcher of Frizington. In 1904 the church was remodelled, with the addition...
and Distington
Distington
Distington is a large village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, south of Workington and north-northeast of Whitehaven.Historically a part of Cumberland, the civil parish includes the nearby settlements of Common End, Gilgarran and Pica...
. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
at the election was 40.98%.
Labour's biggest gains came in Bransty
Bransty
Bransty is a suburb of Whitehaven in Cumbria, England. It is an average council estate. The centre of it, The Green, is a meeting place for children to play football and games. It contains three forests, built around North Road and South View Road and Earls Road. Bransty School is on the top half...
ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
in Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, where they gained all 3 seats from the Conservatives. This included defeating the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Copeland
Copeland (UK Parliament constituency)
Copeland is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
at the 2010 general election, Chris Whiteside. Labour also picked up one seat in Newtown from the Conservatives and defeated the independent, former Labour, councillor Sam Meteer in Egremont
Egremont, Cumbria
Egremont is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen. The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, was historically within Cumberland and has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and...
North.