After more than a decade of Conservative control in Harrogate, the announcement of last week’s election results was a momentous moment for the Liberal Democrats.

Previously, the Lib Dems had just two district seats on North Yorkshire County Council.

Now they have 10 compared to nine for the Conservatives in what marks a big swing of power and public mood.

Not only that, but the Lib Dems look set to remain the biggest party in Harrogate for at least five years as the next local elections are not until 2027.

It is important to remember that North Yorkshire on the whole is still a Conservative majority after the party won 47 of the 90 available seats across the county.

But if the new North Yorkshire Council gets the local decision-making powers that have previously been discussed, the Lib Dems will very much be in Harrogate’s driving seat for years to come.

Speaking on Friday, Lib Dem leader Pat Marsh – who was elected as councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone – said the party was “thrilled” with the election results which she said reflected a belief that Harrogate had “lost its way” under Tory control.

Her long-serving Lib Dem colleague Philip Broadbank has now said the party’s focus will be on making sure decision-making powers over areas including planning and education are filtered down to a local level.

Cllr Broadbank said:

“The first and most immediate thing to get right is the decision-making arrangements in the new council and devolving power as much as possible to local areas.

“We will work to ensure our area gets a fair share of the funding promised by devolution and that our town centres receive the investment needed to encourage people to shop and meet for leisure.

“The next five years will give everyone a challenge to plan for long-term changes and find new ways of creating the investment that will be needed.”

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Cllr Broadbank, who won the Fairfax and Starbeck division, also said “no time should be lost” in pursuing the creation of a Harrogate Town Council which could require a local referendum.

Setting out his party’s other priorities for the new council, Cllr Broadbank said:

“We need to ensure that any savings that are found in the reorganisation are invested in our roads, footpaths, social and adult care, and public transport systems.

“We also need to encourage people to walk or cycle more when travelling short distances.

“Over the next few years there will need to be much more emphasis on enhancing and improving environmental initiatives.”

The new councillors elected last week will serve one year on North Yorkshire County Council, before a four-year term on the new North Yorkshire Council which launches in April 2023.

At this point, the existing county, district and borough councils – including Harrogate – will be abolished.

Campaigners believe it is extremely unlikely a local authority being established to shape and run North Yorkshire’s public services in the 21st century will reflect its population as less than a third of those running to represent communities are women.

An analysis of the 310 candidates running to serve a five-year term on North Yorkshire Council from next month has found just 90 are women.

All the main parties contesting the election are fielding significantly fewer women candidates than men, a situation which is also replicated by the independent candidates as a group.

Of its 90 candidates the Conservatives are fielding 20 women. The Liberal Democrats have 13 female candidates out of 48, while the Green Party has 18 women out of 50 candidates. The Labour Party has selected 19 women out of the 67 candidates it has put forward.

In some areas of the county the gender imbalance is more pronounced than others. Of the 33 candidates in the Craven area just six, or 18%, are women.

While the gender imbalance of the candidates roughly reflects the 26% of female councillors currently elected to North Yorkshire County Council, some other nearby local authorities have significantly higher proportions of women. More than 50% of Leeds City councillors are women.

Frances Scott, founder of the 50:50 Parliament, a group dedicated to enabling women to progress in politics, said with a low proportion of female candidates across all the parties for the North Yorkshire poll “it seems well nigh on impossible that the elected body will be truly reflective of the population”.

She said society needed to question why people from a group of half of North Yorkshire’s population were unable or not choosing to participate in the election.

She said:

“It’s partly about the selection committees not choosing women. We tend to choose in our own image and what we have seen before as the image of a politician. All these things are changing, but not quickly enough.”

Ms Scott added while some women were not prepared to put up with “having stones thrown”, legislation was needed to enable parents to support each other. She said: “If we are going to engage the brightest and the best to run the country we need to make sure the institutions are ones that will attract the brightest and best.

“In order to succeed in politics you need to have the support of your family and we need men to be supportive of women going into these roles.”

Many party officials privately admit changing what has traditionally been seen as a “boys’ club” at County Hall could take years as it would mean changing voters’ perception of the type of person that would be a suitable community representative.

However, all political groups said the main reason for a low proportion of female candidates in the election was a lack of women coming forward.

A spokesman for the Conservative Whitby and Scarborough group said its selection policy was “absolutely gender neutral” and out of the women who had come forward to be candidates in its area only one had not been selected.

He said:

“We can only put forward female candidates if female candidates apply.”

A Liberal Democrat spokeswoman said the Richmond constituency party had noted women were facing more practical and emotional barriers to becoming councillors than men, with many already juggling family and work commitments.

A Labour Party spokesman for the area added the gender imbalance was partly being perpetuated because established councillors, most of whom are men, were more likely to be selected due to their experience. He said the party was in favour of policies which boosted candidates from under-represented groups.

A Richmond constituency Green Party spokeswoman added:

“We have a policy of pushing women forward, but as a small party it’s more a matter of finding who is willing to stand.”

Election day has arrived and Harrogate residents are heading to the polls in what will be one of the most challenging ballots ever held due to pandemic restrictions.

There are just two top roles up for grabs – North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) and Bilton and Nidd Gorge county councillor.

The PFCC election was originally meant to take place this time last year but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak which has meant Conservative Julia Mulligan has stayed in the post for an extra year.

Ms Mulligan has held the role since it was created in 2012 and there are four candidates in the race to replace her including Philip Allott (Conservatives), James Barker (Liberal Democrats), Alison Hume (Labour) and Keith Tordoff (Independent).

Meanwhile, and unlike most areas, there are no full elections being held for all county councillor seats on North Yorkshire County Council.

This is because of government plans to end the county’s two-tier councils to make way for unitary local government, with elections to a new structure due to take place in May 2022.

There are, however, votes being taken for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat which has been left vacant since the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber in March.

There are six candidates contesting to take the seat including Matt Scott (Conservatives), Andrew Kempston-Parkes (Liberal Democrats), Tyler Reeton (Labour), Arnold Warneken (Green Party), John Hall (Yorkshire Party) and Harvey Alexander (Independent).

There are also no elections to Harrogate Borough Council but the authority is in charge of collecting votes and has announced a number of changes will be in place due to Covid-19.

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Voters at polling stations can expect one-way systems, social distancing, plastic screens and PPE for election staff. They must also bring their own pen or pencil, wear a face covering and sanitise their hands when entering and leaving.

Anyone who is unable to go along in person because they are self-isolating can apply for a proxy vote up until 5pm on polling day.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive at Harrogate Borough Council and local returning officer for the PFCC election, added:

“You do not need your poll card to vote, however, we encourage voters to bring it with them to make the process quicker and more efficient.
“Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 6 May. If you have opted to vote by post you must return your postal ballot pack by 10pm. You can hand it in at any polling station if you don’t have time to return it by post.
“Please also check the information on your polling card, as your polling station might have changed since the last elections.”

A number of polling stations across the Harrogate district have temporarily and permanently moved locations because of coronavirus restrictions.

The following have moved temporarily:
· All Saints Church School has moved to Sicklinghall Village Hall
· Baldersby Mission Room has moved to Rainton Village Hall
· Lofthouse Memorial Hall has moved to Middlesmoor Village Hall
· St Mary’s Church at Dunsforth has moved to Boroughbridge Methodist Church
· St Michael’s all Angels Church at Wilsill has moved to Broadbelt Hall, Glasshouses
· The Inn at South Stainley has moved to Markington Village Hall
· The Kitchen, Asenby Hall has moved to Rainton Village Hall
· Woodside, Carters Lane has moved to Askwith Village Hall
· Nun Monkton Primary School has moved to Kirk Hammerton Village Hall
· St George’s Social Club has moved to Marks Church Hall
The following three polling stations have also permanently moved;
· North Rigton Primary School has moved to St John’s Church, North Rigton
· The Hydro has moved to Jennyfield Evangelical Church, Grantley Drive
· Citizens Advice Bureau has moved to The Wesley Centre, Oxford Street

Voters must be 18 or over on the day of the election.

They must also be registered at an address in the area where they want to vote, be a British citizen, an Irish or EU citizen or an eligible Commonwealth citizen and not legally excluded from voting.

The election winners are expected to be announced on Friday 7 May. For more information go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/voting-elections

Campaigners in North Yorkshire are calling for a change to the voting system ahead of a shake-up of local government.

Make Votes Matter, a national pressure group that campaigns to abolish first-past-the-post voting, said the forthcoming overhaul of councils would be an “ideal opportunity” to alter the system.

The Government is currently consulting on the biggest change to local councils in the county since 1974.

It has proposals to scrap North Yorkshire County Council and the seven districts and replace them with either one or two new councils.

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Louise Mauborgne, spokesperson for the North Yorkshire group of Make Votes Matter, said the current voting system was unfair.

She added that elections for the new county authorities would be better with proportional representation or single transferable vote.

Ms Mauborgne said:

“First past the post means huge numbers of votes don’t count. Forty three per cent voted Conservative in 2019; what happened to the rest of the votes? Nothing.

“The unfair voting system means often people do not bother to vote because they think their vote will not mean anything.

“It can also lead to a lack of trust in authority and disengagement with national or local government. Votes are cast in protest or tactically rather than honestly for policies they really want.”

Voters could be heading to the ballot box as early as May 2023, under the new local government make-up in the county.

The government’s consultation on the reorganisation closes on Monday April 19. You can have your say here.