Election results: Yvonne Clarkson ousted from Beckermet

Mike Starkie beat his Labour and Conservative rivals

One of Cumbria's longest-serving councillors has lost her seat after 34 years.

Conservative councillor Yvonne Clarkson, who represented Beckermet on Copeland Borough, lost to independent Sam Meteer.

Elsewhere, Copeland's directly-elected mayor held on to his post, with an increased majority.

Independent Mike Starkie beat his Labour and Conservative rivals with 57.4% of the vote in the first round.

Ms Clarkson attracted 264 votes, to Mr Meteer's 339.

Single vote

Labour is no longer the largest party on Carlisle City Council, having 15 seats to the Conservatives' 17.

The balance is held by four independents, one Green Party member, a Liberal Democrat, and UKIP's John Denholm who won in Currock and Upperby - beating Labour's Robert Rynn by one vote.

Elsewhere, Labour held on to its majority on Barrow Council, although it lost three seats to the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems kept control of South Lakeland Council, where the Greens gained a seat for the first time.

Labour clung on to its Copeland Council majority with 19 seats, gaining one seat compared with 2015. The Conservatives lost one seat, taking them down to nine and the Independents won seats.

The Conservatives have lost control of Eden

Allerdale Borough Council, in west Cumbria, remains under no overall control.

Independents were the biggest winners there with 19 seats - a gain of 13. The Conservatives took 15, a loss of one, while Labour secured 14, a loss of 11 seats compared with 2015.

Putting Cumbria First won one seat.

The Conservatives have lost control of Eden council.

With all seats now counted, the Tories have 14 seats, Independents and Liberal Democrats have 10 seats each, the Green Party two and Labour two.

Labour's Gemma Dinsdale is the newly-elected councillor for the Corkickle Ward.

Labour has also taken both seats on the Distington, Lowca and Parton Ward, with Dave Banks and Jackie Bowman topping the polls.

Analysis

By BBC Cumbria political correspondent Bob Cooper

In the main it was a frustrating day for Labour and the Conservatives in Cumbria as both lost ground to independents and other parties.

The Conservatives lost control in Eden and both parties lost seats - although the picture is complicated by boundary changes that saw the number of councillors cut in three of the county's districts.

Both have blamed the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit for the punishment dished out by voters.

The Liberal Democrats made gains while the Greens got their first four district councillors in Cumbria.

There was lots of success for independent candidates, while UKIP picked up a surprise seat in Carlisle.

Following his mayoral win, Mr Starkie said: "I'd like to thank the people of Copeland, who have entrusted me with another four years at the helm of this borough."

Trudy Harrison, Copeland's Conservative MP, said: "I think we always knew this was going to be a difficult election, the public are utterly fed up with us lot in Parliament faffing about over Brexit, they expect that we should have left the EU and we haven't."

Former soldier Peter Little was among the successful independents in Allerdale.

However, his victory in the Maryport South ward was met with a shout of "fascist" from Andrew Lawson, a former Labour councillor and mayor of Workington.

Mr Little, who served in the Royal Logistic Corps in Germany and Iraq for 11 years, said: "It's quite disgusting. I have never had any beliefs like that. I am left of centre. I think he should apologise."

Mr Lawson was briefly escorted out of the count and it is understood he was asked to calm down by the returning officer. He declined to comment.

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