Tories gain majority after taking seats from coalition colleagues

The Tories now have a comfortable majority of 14 seats after gaining five seats from the Liberal Democrats and two from Independent councillors in the elections. It leaves them with 34 seats on the council compared to the Liberal Democrats on 17, Independents on two and one Liberal seat.

Yesterday’s result caps a bad year for the Liberal Democrats in the area after Conservative Andrew Jones was elected MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough in the 2010 General Election.

The seat had been held by the Liberal Democrats for 13 years.

The Conservatives will select a new leader of the council today as the previous leader, Mike Gardner, was deselected last year after pictures emerged of him dressed as Hitler at a fancy dress party.

Mr Gardner stood as an Independent in the Pannal ward in the election but lost his seat.

Coun Don Mackenzie, who is tipped as one of the main leadership candidates, told the Yorkshire Post last night: “We have worked very hard for this and with the result in Harrogate and Knaresborough we managed to deliver all of our best expectations.

“We now have a very comfortable majority.

“I’m sure that the Liberal Democrats will be back but it has been a bad year for them.

“I’m sure the Liberal Democrats will blame the national situation and will probably blame their leader.”

Geoff Webber, 66, was one of the Liberal Democrats to lose his seat, in Saltergate, after serving on the council for 17 years.

He told the Yorkshire Post he would not be standing again.

“These things happen in politics”, he said.

“The national situation is the reason for it but I still support coalition and the principles that we entered into it with.”

The Conservatives did have a small majority of two following last year’s elections but that disappeared after Coun John Savage defected to the Liberal Party, Mike Gardner was deselected and Bob Nash resigned earlier this year.

Both Mr Gardner’s and Mr Nash’s seats were held by the Conservatives yesterday.