2002 Pendle Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2002 Pendle Borough Council election. Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red and Conservatives in blue. Pendle UK local election 2002 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2002 Pendle Borough Council election. Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red and Conservatives in blue.

The 2002 Pendle Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000 reducing the number of seats by 2. [1] The council stayed under no overall control. [2]

Contents

Background

After the 2000 election Labour was the largest party with 23 of the 51 seats, compared to 19 for the Liberal Democrats and 9 Conservatives. [3] In the early part of 2002 however the gap between Labour and the Liberal Democrats narrowed after Labour councillor Kathleen Shore defected to the Liberal Democrats. [3]

The whole council was being elected in 2002 for the first time since 1976 after boundary changes. [4] These changes meant 49 seats were contested from 20 wards, with new wards of Blacko and Higherford, Higham and Pendleside and Old Laund Booth being created. [3]

Campaign

In total 144 candidates stood in the election [3] with the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties standing in most wards, along with 2 candidates from the Socialist Alliance and some independents. [4] Several councillors stood down at the election, including Conservative group leader Roy Clarkson, Liberal Democrat former mayors Ian Gilhespy and Gill Gilhespy and Labour's Tim Ormrod, while Liberal Democrat Lord Tony Greaves stood for the party in Walverden ward. [4]

Issues in the election included the handling of proposals for closing residential homes, the proposed demolition of houses in Nelson, the condition of private housing in the area, the selection of the area as part of the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme and policing. [3]

The election saw a trial of optional postal voting in an attempt to increase turnout, but there were allegations that the process was being abused. [5] The Liberal Democrats claimed that about 900 postal votes in four marginal wards were being sent to common addresses, instead of the voters own address. [6] Having the postal vote sent to another address was not illegal, but the Liberal Democrats feared fraud and that people had signed postal ballots without understanding what they were doing. [6] The police made an investigation after one agent for the Liberal Democrats requested it, [6] with the allegations also being looked into by the Electoral Commission. [7]

Election result

The results saw the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties both finish on 19 seats, while the Conservatives won 11. [8] With the number of seats having been reduced by 2, Labour lost 3 seats, the Liberal Democrats lost 1 seat and the Conservatives gained 2 seats. [8] The closest result came in Walverden ward, where it took 8 recounts before the final result was declared, with Labour winning the second seat in the ward by 2 votes over the Liberal Democrats. [8]

Following the election Labour group leader Azhar Ali remained leader of the council, after winning a 19 to 18 vote over Liberal Democrat group leader Alan Davies at the full council meeting. [9]

Pendle local election result 2002 [10] [11]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Liberal Democrats 19-138.838.627,067+6.1%
  Labour 19-338.832.522,761-3.9%
  Conservative 11+222.427.719,411-2.5%
  Independent 0000.8536-0.1%
  Socialist Alliance 0000.5316+0.5%

Ward results

Barrowford (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Allan Vickerman840
Conservative Anthony Beckett761
Conservative Linda Crossley742
Liberal Democrats Michael Simpson667
Liberal Democrats Kay Coates658
Conservative Jonathan Eyre615
Labour Susan Nike359
Labour Anthony Hargreaves275
Labour Robert Oliver262
Turnout 5,17947.7
Blacko and Higherford [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Shelagh Derwent56981.8
Labour Helen Ingham679.6
Liberal Democrats Christel Abbiss608.6
Majority50272.1
Turnout 69652.0
Boulsworth (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Josephine Belbin901
Liberal Democrats Alan Davies831
Liberal Democrats David Robertson828
Conservative Michael Calvert392
Conservative James Farnell305
Conservative Harold Ryder299
Labour Deborah Gray241
Labour Robert Parsons241
Labour Martin Wilson205
Turnout 4,24341.2
Bradley (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mohammed Iqbal1,052
Labour Frederick Hartley1,047
Labour Mohammad Nasim995
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Munir885
Liberal Democrats Sonia Robinson861
Liberal Democrats David Stopforth800
Conservative Eric King155
Conservative Frank Chadwick153
Conservative Edward Myers132
Turnout 6,08052.1
Brierfield (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Frank Clifford845
Labour Pauline Allen840
Labour Abdul Jabbar838
Conservative Peter Jackson818
Conservative Hussnain Ashraf804
Conservative Francis Wren796
Liberal Democrats William Lawrence227
Liberal Democrats Khalid Mehmood147
Liberal Democrats Iain Carlos145
Turnout 5,46056.2
Clover Hill (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Colin Waite675
Labour Neil Akrigg640
Liberal Democrats Kathleen Shore596
Labour Mohammed Ansar577
Liberal Democrats David Foster545
Liberal Democrats Nadeem Malik444
Conservative Audrey Emmott330
Conservative Marian Taylor300
Conservative Ann Jackson286
Turnout 4,39343.4
Coates (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Margaret Bell1,082
Liberal Democrats Marjorie Adams1,020
Liberal Democrats Allan Buck989
Labour Paul Hanson383
Conservative David Poole185
Conservative Joyce Myers179
Turnout 3,83839.8
Craven (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats David Whipp1,056
Liberal Democrats Mary Norcross973
Liberal Democrats Marlene Hill-Crane879
Labour Frank Neal622
Conservative Keith Harrison254
Conservative Barbara Davison239
Conservative Beverley Harrison235
Turnout 4,25843.2
Earby (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Christopher Tennant939
Conservative Rosemary Carroll861
Conservative Morris Horsfield861
Liberal Democrats Doris Haigh795
Liberal Democrats Timothy Haigh748
Liberal Democrats Claire Day689
Labour William Skinner278
Labour Ruth Wilkinson236
Turnout 5,40745.4
Foulridge [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Carol Belshaw35254.7
Labour Jillian Smith18829.2
Liberal Democrats Michelle Birtwell10416.1
Majority16425.5
Turnout 64447.5
Higham and Pendleside [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Nutter56776.7
Labour Sheila Wicks17223.3
Majority39553.5
Turnout 73953.7
Horsfield (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Sharon Davies618
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Lord593
Liberal Democrats Ann Kerrigan566
Labour Paul Broughton423
Labour David Johns406
Labour Keith Hutson356
Independent Peter Nowland301
Conservative Janet Riley207
Conservative Alexandra Thompson192
Conservative Donald Myers162
Turnout 3,82436.3
Marsden (2) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Dorothy Ormrod473
Labour Gary Rowland455
Independent Leonard Atkinson235
Conservative Michael Landriau232
Conservative Victoria Landriau201
Liberal Democrats David French100
Liberal Democrats Doris Stanworth80
Turnout 1,77638.2
Old Laund Booth [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats John David63984.6
Conservative Clive Bevan11615.4
Majority52369.3
Turnout 75562.7
Reedley (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Pauline McCormick1,255
Conservative Willie Clegg1,155
Conservative Tonia Barton1,071
Labour Robert Allen681
Labour Mohammed Hanif599
Labour Anthony Martin559
Liberal Democrats Victoria Greaves258
Liberal Democrats Frances Myers215
Liberal Democrats Alison Whipp198
Turnout 5,99156.2
Southfield (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sheena Dunn787
Labour Mohammad Latif681
Labour Azhar Ali673
Conservative Peter Wildman350
Conservative Jack Marshall344
Liberal Democrats Martin Thornton310
Liberal Democrats Rukhsar Ahmed193
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Ashraf159
Conservative Javed Nasim158
Turnout 3,65537.5
Vivary Bridge (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats David Clegg617
Labour David Whalley608
Labour Frank Allanson510
Labour David Foat502
Liberal Democrats Robert Jackson479
Conservative Smith Benson290
Conservative Ian Porter281
Conservative Geoffrey Riley249
Socialist Alliance Kevin Bean149
Turnout 3,68535.6
Walverden (2) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour George Adam566
Labour Judith Robinson546
Liberal Democrats Qadeer Ahmed544
Liberal Democrats Anthony Greaves 478
Conservative Barbara King186
Conservative Ann Tattersall165
Turnout 2,48552.0
Waterside (3) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Edwina Sargeant626
Labour Anne Doult499
Liberal Democrats Ian Robinson492
Labour Ian Tweedie442
Liberal Democrats Adrian Statham437
Labour Ann Moulton431
Conservative Eric Jackson168
Socialist Alliance Richard MacSween167
Conservative Richard Wood165
Conservative Adrian Mitchell151
Turnout 3,57836.7
Whitefield (2) [8] [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Mahboob Ahmed900
Labour Asjad Mahmood846
Liberal Democrats Abdul Malik795
Labour Mohammad Arshad680
Conservative Michelle Ainsworth105
Conservative Ijaz Ahmed79
Turnout 3,40570.1

References

  1. ↑ "Pendle". BBC News. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Full results". Financial Times. 4 May 2002. p. 7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pendle (Labour controlled, all seats available)". Lancashire Telegraph . 2 May 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "How they will line up on May 2". Lancashire Telegraph . 10 April 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  5. ↑ Hencke, David; Ward, Lucy (22 April 2002). "Countdown to May 2: Fraud alert in postal vote experiment: Efforts to counter apathy involve a risk, parties maintain". The Guardian . p. 10.
  6. 1 2 3 "Postal voting pushes up turnout in local trials". Financial Times . 1 May 2002. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Waugh, Paul (25 May 2002). "Politics: Police investigate postal vote complaints". The Independent . p. 8.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Parties tie for council leadership". Lancashire Telegraph . 3 May 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "Leader holds on to post by single vote". Lancashire Telegraph . 18 May 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Election results". Pendle Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "Election results; Local Election". The Times. 4 May 2002. p. 16.
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