ON MAY 1, one-third of the 30 seats on Craven District Council will be up for election.

The authority has been controlled by a group of Independent and Liberal Democrat members, but the election could change that as six Conservatives, three Independents and one Lib Dem are standing.

Although two of the wards will be uncontested, they will both remain in Independent control and will not alter the outcome of the election.

There are currently 13 Conservative councillors, eight Independents and nine Liberal Democrats.

There are two candidates for the Bentham ward:

The sitting Conservative councillor is Gerald Hurtley, 47, of Low Bentham, who has been

the member for the ward for five years.

Mr Hurtley, who works as a forestry contractor, is proud of the work he undertook while chairman of the regeneration and development committee for two years.

That work included helping to secure £100,000 for Bentham's market town initiative, as well as a range of smaller grants for sports clubs and small groups.

Because Bentham is 30 miles from the council's base at Skipton, Mr Hurtley believes it is important to help the townspeople not to feel overlooked.

Mr Hurtley said the Conservatives wanted to see a zero Council Tax increase for this financial year, and he would be campaigning on that issue, while seeking to maintain council services.

He faces a challenge from Manuel Camacho, 59, who is standing as an Independent.

He stood last year for the Bentham ward and is now trying again.

After serving in the Armed Forces, he spent the majority of his working life in both large and small manufacturing companies before moving to Ingleton, where he and his wife developed a successful guest house business.

They have now retired and live in Bentham.

His particular concerns include local needs affordable housing to enable young people to remain within the community, traffic calming within Burton-in-Lonsdale, and the need for an amenity tip closer than Settle.

April 11, 2003 11:00