Key Masham by-election to be held tomorrow: Meet the candidates

Voters in the Masham and Fountains division will go to the polls tomorrow to choose their next councillor.

The North Yorkshire County Council by-election follows the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November.

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is the Countess of Swinton, is taking on the Conservative Brooke Hull.

The seat will become part of the new unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, from April 1. It is a large, rural division that includes Kirkby Malzeard, Galphay, Grantley, Sawley, Cundall, Dishforth, Melmerby and North Stainley as well as Masham.

Following last May’s local elections, the Conservatives’ control of the 90-member authority was significantly dented.

They now hold 47 seats, with 43 belonging to opposition parties so they currently have a slender majority of just four in Northallerton, adding extra importance to tomorrow’s by-election. A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

Last May’s election in the division saw Ms Atkinson win 1,076 votes, followed by Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who stood as an independent, with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper received 620 votes.

To find out locations of polling booths visit here.

Brooke Hull — Conservative Party

Brooke Hull lives in Burnt Yates and is employed by the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party Association.

Her husband is Nathan Hull, the Conservative county councillor for the Washburn and Birstwith division, and they have five children together.

Ms Hull said family was at the heart of her decision to stand.

She said:

“I have a large family, we live in the area and we want it to continue to be a great place to live. That’s a priority. Its all local, local, local really.”

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The 89 politicans that currently make up the council in Northallerton are overwhelmingly older males. Ms Hull hopes that by standing she can inspire younger women into politics.

She said:

“That’s why I stood, to be that example and role model. To say, you know what, it’s ok, get involved.”

Nationally, the Conservative Party is having a difficult time but Ms Hull said she believes voters will put those issues to one side and focus on things that matter to them. She said:

“At the end of the day you’ve got to let your voters know who they’re voting for, not just a party or a person, they’ve got to know what you stand for.”

For her, the key issues in the division include making sure young people can afford to live in the villages in which they grew up, tackling rural crime, supporting farmers and protecting the environment.

She added:

“They all matter to me and are on my doorstep.”

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister — Liberal Democrats

Ms Cunliffe-Lister has lived in Masham for 23 years and owns and runs the 20,000-acre Swinton Estate with her husband, which includes a luxury hotel and spa.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister believes she made a big impression during last year’s election but in order to win she needed to represent a party. She said the Liberal Democrats shared her “ethos and priorities.”

She hopes to give the rural division a strong voice on the new council. She believes the area has been neglected on Harrogate Borough Council, which will be abolished in less than two months’ time. 

Ms Cunliffe-Lister added:

“Masham is a long way from Harrogate and we’re sometimes left to our own devices. People feel like their votes are taken for granted up here.”

She said the key issues for people in the division are feelings of isolation due to unreliable public transport, the state of the roads and motorists speeding through villages. She backs the 20’s Plenty campaign in areas where the community wants it.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister also believes the new council needs to ensure the environment is at the top of its agenda.

“I really feel the environment needs to be given more of a priority at county council. There’s a lot of lip service. We need to stop talking about it and act.”

Additional reporting by Stuart Minting, Local Democracy Reporter

Crucial Masham by-election result ‘too close to call’

The Conservative Party’s decades-long grip on power in North Yorkshire could be weakened to just two seats as activists canvassing ahead of a by-election next week say the result is “too close to call”.

Liberal Democrats and Conservatives who have been braving wintry weather to door-knock residents across the Masham and Fountains division said they believe Westminster politics and ongoing unrest in the Tory party could impact on the February 9 poll.

The by-election follows the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November and will see Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is the Countess of Swinton, take on Conservative candidate mother-of-five Brooke Hull.

Following last May’s elections, the Conservatives’ control of the 90-member authority was significantly dented, with 47 seats. The party has held sway over the North Yorkshire authority for more than two decades.

The election has been limited to two candidates after the Green Party made an informal agreement with the Liberal Democrats to step aside to give Ms Cunliffe-Lister improved odds.

Last May’s election in the division saw Ms Atkinson win 1,076 votes, followed by Ms Cunliffe-Lister, who stood as an independent, with 738 vote and. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper who received 620 votes.

With just over a week until the residents of the rural Masham and Fountains division go to the polls, the leaders of both parties on the council described their candidates as “excellent”.

The Tories have claimed the countess is less representative of the population than their candidate, while Liberal Democrats have countered mother-of-five Ms Hull has made no reference to her party in her election leaflet, despite being the constituency party’s campaign manager.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister said it appeared that her rival was trying to “create a little bit of distance between her and the party she represents”, before rejecting Conservative activists’ claims that as the owner of the 20,000-acre Swinton Park Estate she was less representative of residents than Ms Hull.

The former solicitor said:

“I wouldn’t say I came from a privileged background, my parents were schoolteachers.

“We borrowed a huge amount of money from the bank to buy back the old family home and spent 23 years building it into a really successful business, going from zero to a £6m turnover. We’ve created 150 jobs. To me none of that smacks of privilege.”

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She forecast a close result in the election, adding:

“There are a lot of people on the doorstep who are very fed up with the way things are and might have voted Conservative in the past, but now either won’t vote at all or will vote for a fresh start.

“I’m also picking up on people who aren’t particularly persuaded by any party but know me because I’ve been in the area a long time, have raised a family here and have a reputation for getting things done.”

Ms Hull dismissed claims that she was trying to dissociate herself from the Conservative Party. She said the omission of the party’s name on one of her leaflets had been an oversight. She said:

“I think people know I am a Conservative candidate, I say that at the door. It’s also about trying to get younger, normal women into politics, that’s all I am.  For me it’s all about local, local, local. I have a large family and we want this area to continue to be a great place to live.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to let your voters know who they’re voting for, not just a party or a person, they’ve got to know what you stand for. Margaret had done so much work around the area and you have got to hope that counts for something.”

Green Party steps aside for upcoming Masham by-election

The Green Party will not stand in the crucial Masham and Fountains by-election to give the Liberal Democrats a better chance of beating the Conservatives.

The North Yorkshire County Council by-election will take place on February 9 and is being held following the death of long-serving Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson.

The Harrogate and District Green Party said it had selected a “superb local candidate” to fight the seat, but following discussions with the Lib Dems it will instead step aside and “allow the progressive vote to go forward under one ticket”.

The winning councillor will sit on the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 and the result will be significant for the balance of power in Northallerton.

With the seat currently vacant, the Conservatives have control of the council with 46 councillors but they have a slender majority over opposition party councillors and independents.

A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

A Green Party spokesperson said due to the first-past-the-post voting system, putting forward a candidate would give the Conservatives a greater chance of winning.

The spokesperson said:

“It is our view that the Conservative Party is causing irreparable damage both locally and nationally, and the current imperative is to weaken their position as much as possible.

“Consequently, we have decided to engage in grown up politics and to stand to one side to allow the Liberal Democrats a clear run to topple the Conservatives. This on the grounds that in this division, we believe the Liberal Democrats are in the best position to achieve this goal.

“The Harrogate and District Green Party reaffirms its commitment to serving our local communities as best we can and furthering the cause of the environment at all times. As ever, we call upon all progressives parties to do likewise, and return this nation to the people.”

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Brooke Hull will be the candidate for the Conservative Party and Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Hull is campaign manager for the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party and is the wife of Conservative councillor for Washburn and Birstwith division, Nathan Hull.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister is a former lawyer and is the owner of the Swinton Estate.

When the seat was last contested in May 2022, the Cllr Atkinson was elected with 1,076 votes.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister stood as an independent and came second with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper came third with 620 votes.

Conservatives select candidate for crucial Masham and Fountains by-election

The Conservative Party has picked its candidate for the upcoming North Yorkshire County Council by-election for the Masham and Fountains division.

The by-election follows the death of long-serving Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson in November.

Last month the Stray Ferret revealed Felicity Cunliffe-Lister will stand for the Liberal Democrats.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service now understands Brooke Hull will be the candidate for the Conservatives.

The candidates have not been officially confirmed yet as nominations close on January 13. Voters in the division, which includes the villages of Kirkby Malzeard, will go to the polls on February 9.

The winning councillor will sit on the new North Yorkshire Council from April 1 and the result will be significant for the balance of power in Northallerton.

The Conservatives currently control the council with 47 councillors, giving them a majority of four. A Liberal Democrat victory would reduce the Tories’ majority to just two.

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Ms Hull is campaign manager for the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Party and is the wife of Conservative councillor for Washburn and Birstwith division, Nathan Hull. They have five children together and live in Burnt Yates.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister, a former lawyer, is the owner of Swinton Estate.

When the seat was last contested in May 2022, Cllr Atkinson was elected with 1,076 votes.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister stood as an independent and came second with 738 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate Judith Hooper was third with 620 votes.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked both the Skipton and Ripon Labour Party and the Green Party if they will be nominating candidates but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.