Rural West and Strensall wards reviewed
Strensall Ward
The Strensall ward is home to 8,334 residents. Average incomes are higher than the City average. 80% of residents own their home. 13% rent privately and 6% are social tenants. There are no Council homes in the area. 1.4% are out of work. Crime levels are below average. 84.2% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 21.1% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2). Source
Elections
Rural West was held by the Liberal Democrats in the last decade. The Tories have gradually increased their share of the vote since then and in 2015 secured both seats.
Retiring Councillor Helen Douglas is standing down, Helen Douglas has had a short but colourful career in local government having started off representing Clifton for Labour before making the long walk across the Council chamber to join the Tories. She is replaced as a candidate by an equally controversial choice in Sian Wiseman who represented the ward following the 2011 elections. However, she was another who left the Conservative Group preferring to sit as an Independent following a controversy involving her, family owned, development land which might have been affected by an emerging Local Plan. After sitting out the last 4 years she returns to the the Tory fold.. Sian Wiseman is well known locally but whether local electors have forgotten and forgiven her dalliance remains to be seen. The other retiring Tory Councillor Paul Doughty is seeking re-election. He also lives in the ward.
The main challenge will come from well know local LibDem candidate Tony Fisher. He is a former Councillor for the area and polled strongly when contesting the ward in 2015. He is a trenchant supporter of the Green Belt and is likely to garner a few extra votes this time round.
Prediction
1 LibDem 1 Tory
Rural West Ward
The Rural West ward is home to 7,963 residents. Average incomes are higher than the City average. 86% of residents own their home. 7% rent privately and 5% are social tenants. There are 154 Council homes in the area. 1.4% are out of work. Crime levels are below average. 86.3% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (York average 88.6%). 16.7% believe that they can influence decisions in their local area (City average 26.2). Source
Elections
Ward boundary changes mean that voting trends need to be viewed with caution.
Rural West was held by the Liberal Democrats in the last decade. The Tories have gradually increased their share of the vote since then and in 2015 secured both seats. One is held by the retiring Council Leader Ian Gillies, who is standing down after 12 years. He is replaced by an even older candidate in Robin Garland who was a feature of the local, political scene until about 30 years ago. The other seat is held by arch Brexiteer Chris Steward who lives some distance away in the Micklegate ward.
An Independent did win one seat in the ward briefly over 12 years ago. There are no Independent candidates standing this year.
The challengers will be the LibDems. Their main hope will rest with Ann Hook who lives locally. The second LibDem candidates (James Barker) holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only one of the party’s candidates who declined to say on his nomination form whether he lived in the ward..
If the predicted meltdown in Tory support actually happens, then the beneficiary is likely to be a LibDem candidate,
Prediction
1 LibDem 1 Tory