Tories win by-election to strengthen grip on North Yorkshire Council

The Conservatives have strengthened their grip on North Yorkshire Council with a by-election win.

Egg farmer David Hugill took the Hutton Rudby and Osmotherley division yesterday with 48 per cent of the vote.

Liberal Democrat Duncan Russell, a former army major, was second with 38 per cent and Green Party candidate Allan Mortimer received 12 per cent of the votes.

Yorkshire Party candidate Lee Derrick got about one per cent in the by-election, in which 39 per cent of the 5,077 electorate turned out.

Last night’s official results.

The result, which appeared to come as a huge relief to party members attending the count at Northallerton Civic Centre, means the decades-long Conservative control of County Hall, with half of the 90 elected members, is re-established.

The Tories have shored up support this year by entering into an agreement with three independent councillors, including Ripon Minster and Moorside Cllr Andrew Williams.

Mr Hugill had been a Tory councillor for part of the division for many years, but lost out in a party selection to fellow Conservative Hambleton District councillor Bridget Fortune ahead of the May 2022 election, which saw him lose by 249 votes to Mrs Fortune.

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The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Cllr Fortune, amid allegations over her treatment by some members of the party.

Senior council officers are still considering a complaint over an incident in the council chamber in May, in which Lower Wensleydale councillor and Conservative whip Tom Jones was said to have tried to prevent Cllr Fortune from voting.

Leading North Yorkshire Conservatives, including North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les and the party’s mayoral candidate Cllr Keane Duncan warmly congratulated Mr Hugill on his victory after the late-night count.

In his acceptance speech, Cllr Hugill said the campaign had “been dominated by so-called Tory in-fighting” and called for it to be ended.