University student takes her seat at Lancaster City Council after recent by-elections

Robert Macdonald

14 May 2024 at 7:52 am·2-min read

A university student has taken her seat at Lancaster City Council while another new councillor is due to arrive following two recent by-elections in the district.

Lancaster University student Isabella Metcalf-Riener won the Castle ward by-election in Lancaster a few weeks ago and was formally welcomed at the latest full council meeting. She is studying on a post-graduate course at Lancaster University and her election continues a history of university student and staff involvement with Lancaster's political life.

A Green Party councillor, Isabella, known as Izzy, was welcomed by the outgoing Mayor of Lancaster, Coun Roger Dennison, and given a round of applause by other councillors. In the Lancaster Castle ward by-election, she gained 524 votes, which was 65 per cent of all votes. Labour candidate Emily Charlotte Jones gained 212 votes, representing 26 per cent. Conservative Daniel Kirk had 43 votes or five per cent. And Lib-Dem Cormac Evans had 27 votes, representing three per cent.

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Isabella joins two other Green councillors for the Castle ward, Dave Brookes and Paul Stubbins. Meanwhile the Carnforth and Milhead by-election this month saw Labour candidate Jackson Stubbs elected with 644 votes.

In second place was Conservative candidate Peter Yates, who had 454 votes. The Green Party's Emily Heath received 194 votes. Lib-Dem Lynda Dagdeviren had 69 votes. Lancaster City Council remains controlled by a cross-party administration with Labour, Green and Lib-Dem councilors. Labour followed by the Greens have the largest number of councillors.

University students and staff have been elected as Lancaster councillors in different council wards over the years for a range of parties including the Greens, Labour and Conservatives. Lancaster University's presence, both at the campus and also its wider links across the district, were recognised in a review of city council wards, boundaries and the numbers of councillors in 2022. After feedback and discussion, the Local Government Boundary Commission decided to keep a distinct University ward. However changes were made to the number of councillor there., along with other ward changes elsewhere.

Lancaster also has the University of Cumbria campus. It too has links to local politics with, for example, Erica Lewis, a former city council leader and still a Labour county councillor, working there. She also studied at Lancaster University in the past.

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