Candidates in the election included a Save Westmorland Hospital Group, opposed to any reduced services at Westmorland General Hospital.[3] Meanwhile, councillors who stood down at the election included cabinet member Bob Barker and long time independent Elizabeth Braithwaite.[3]
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats win a majority on the council after gaining 9 seats, 6 from Labour, 2 from the Conservatives and 1 from an independent.[4] This gave the Liberal Democrats 31 seats and was the first time that a political party had won a majority on the council.[4] The 6 Liberal Democrat gains from Labour were all in Kendal, as well as 1 of the 2 gains from the Conservatives.[5] The other 2 seats they gained were Sedbergh from the Conservatives and Lakes Grasmere, where the independent councillor had stepped down at the election.[5]