The battle for Carlisle

Carlisle City Council is a Conservative led council - but currently reliant on minority Lib Dem coalition partners. A  third of the seats are up for election on May 6. The Council has embarked on cost cutting of is bureaucracy reducing the number of senior managers from 19 to eight.

In the General Election the Carlisle constituency is a key contest - it is our 92nd target seat. The Conservative candidate, John Stevenson is a Carlisle councillor and local solicitor. He would make a very effective MP - ot least due to his research compiling a dossier of unnecessary legislation on such issues as health and safety. He has proposed the Government save money by relocating a Government Department to Carlisle.

The constituency's new boundaries means it consists of the following wards: Belah, Belle Vue, Botcherby,  Burgh, Castle, Currock, Dalston, Denton Holme, Harraby, Morton, St Aidans, Stanwix Urban, Upperby, Wetheral, and Yewdale. On the last Council electon results held two years ago (plus Burgh Ward which was last contested three years ago) the Conservatives won six wards, Labour four and the Lib Dems three. So that is encouraging. I suspect the Lib Dem vote will get squeezed a bit in the General Election - where will it go?