2008 Pendle Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow, British National Party in dark blue and independent in grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2008. Pendle UK local election 2008 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow, British National Party in dark blue and independent in grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2008.

The 2008 Pendle Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats lost overall control of the council to no overall control. [1]

Contents

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

Before the election the Liberal Democrats held control of the council with 28 seats, [3] but a loss of 4 seats would mean they lost their majority. [4] 17 seats were contested in the election, with the Liberal Democrats defending 12, the Conservatives 4 and Labour 1 seat. [3]

5 councillors stood down at the election, 2 Liberal Democrats from Bradley and Walverden wards, 2 Conservatives from Earby and Reedley and Labour's David Whalley from Vivary Bridge ward. [3] Councillors who were defending seats included the leader of the council, Liberal Democrat Alan Davies, in Boulsworth, deputy mayor Marjorie Adams in Coates ward and the chairman of the Nelson committee David Foster in Clover Hill. [3] The only candidates standing in the election not from the 3 main parties, were 4 from the British National Party and 2 independents. [3]

Campaign

The election saw complaints of voting fraud involving postal voting, leading to a police investigation [5] and the matter being raised in Parliament by the local Member of Parliament Gordon Prentice. [6] These allegations involved both the Liberal Democrat parliament candidate for Pendle constituency Afzal Anwar and Labour councillor Mohammed Tariq, after multiple postal votes were registered at their addresses. [7] Both men denied doing anything and were supported by their parties, saying everyone registered at the addresses were entitled to vote. [7] The police dropped the enquiry after concluding that there had been no wrongdoing. [8]

During the campaign the national Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg visited Pendle to support his party. [9]

Election result

The results saw the Liberal Democrats lost their majority on the council after suffering a net loss of 8 seats. [10] Defeated councillors for the Liberal Democrats included the leader of the council Alan Davies in Boulsworth, Nelson Committee chairman David Foster in Clover Hill, Shelley Franklin in Craven, Frank Wren in Brierfield and Judith Robinson in Southfield. [11] The Liberal Democrats blamed their defeats on a targeted campaign by the Conservatives, while the Conservatives said the "tide is now turning towards us". [12]

The Labour and Conservative parties both made significant gains from the Liberal Democrats. [11] However Labour did lose one seat back to the Liberal Democrats in Vivary Bridge and the Conservatives lost a seat in Marsden to the British National Party. [11] There was also a success for an independent candidate, with Glenn Whittaker taking Craven from the Liberal Democrats. [11] These results meant the Liberal Democrats held 20 seats, the Conservatives 16, Labour 10, British National Party 2 as well as 1 independent. [13] Overall turnout in the election was 41.58%. [14]

Following the election the parties held talks on control of the council with reports that an agreement between the Conservative and Labour parties to take over from the Liberal Democrats was possible. [15] However these were not successful and the new leader of the Liberal Democrats group, John David, became leader of the council at the head of a minority administration, [13] after an 18–17 vote at the council meeting. [16]

Pendle local election result 2008 [14] [17]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 631+235.340.510,911+5.9%
  Labour 551+429.423.06,183+5.3%
  Liberal Democrats 419-823.529.57,954-5.3%
  BNP 110+15.94.81,289-2.2%
  Independent 110+15.92.2602-2.1%

Ward results

Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election with ward names. Pendle 2008 election map.png
Map of the results of the 2008 Pendle Borough Council election with ward names.
Barrowford [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Anthony Beckett1,13667.3+0.4
Labour Susan Nike41124.4−0.9
Liberal Democrats Michael Bradshaw1408.3+0.5
Majority72543.0+1.4
Turnout 1,68742.4+0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Boulsworth [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Calvert1,189
Conservative George Askew1,006
Liberal Democrats Alan Davies663
Liberal Democrats David Robertson618
Labour Gerard McCabe133
Labour John Pope69
Turnout 3,67848.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Bradley [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mohammad Sakib94654.1+10.1
Liberal Democrats Jamil Mohammed47427.1−7.2
Conservative Zahid Chaudry32918.8+4.1
Majority47227.0+17.3
Turnout 1,74939.3−11.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Brierfield [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Naeem Ashraf86347.2+25.3
Conservative Ann Jackson63234.6+6.3
Liberal Democrats Francis Wren33218.2−31.5
Majority23112.6
Turnout 1,82749.7−0.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Clover Hill [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Eileen Ansar62437.7+13.8
Liberal Democrats David Foster53332.2−0.6
Conservative Timothy Eyre49630.0+18.0
Majority915.5
Turnout 1,65343.4−2.1
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Coates [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Marjorie Adams66545.5−4.2
Conservative Keith Bailey63743.6+29.9
Labour William Skinner15810.8+1.5
Majority281.9−20.4
Turnout 1,46035.7−1.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Craven [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Glenn Whittaker55932.6+5.3
Liberal Democrats Shelley Franklin43725.5−21.4
Conservative Sandra Bunn42724.9−0.9
BNP Geoffrey Whitehead23513.7+13.7
Labour Robert Oliver563.3+3.3
Majority1227.1
Turnout 1,71448.9+10.9
Independent gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Earby [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Valerie Langtree1,24869.5+0.4
Liberal Democrats Jacqueline Taylforth32518.1+0.4
Labour David Foat22312.4−0.7
Majority92351.4+0.0
Turnout 1,79639.0−1.9
Conservative hold Swing
Horsfield [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Smith Benson67049.2+28.1
Liberal Democrats Dorothy Lord50737.2−6.5
Labour Anthony Hargreaves18513.6−1.9
Majority16312.0
Turnout 1,36234.3−3.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Marsden [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BNP Adam Grant41239.1+0.8
Conservative Gary Rowland33932.2+16.0
Labour Dorothy Ormrod22121.0−10.0
Liberal Democrats Mark Upward827.8−6.7
Majority736.9−0.5
Turnout 1,05441.1−1.6
BNP gain from Conservative Swing
Reedley [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Blomeley1,25071.1+7.5
Labour Robert Allen28516.2−3.6
Liberal Democrats Mubashir Ali22412.7−3.9
Majority96554.9+11.1
Turnout 1,75942.8−4.3
Conservative hold Swing
Southfield [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Sheila Wicks54736.6+13.3
Conservative Paul McKenna48732.6+14.5
Liberal Democrats Judith Robinson46230.9−9.7
Majority604.0
Turnout 1,49637.1−1.6
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Vivary Bridge [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Glennda Clegg49035.6−10.3
Conservative Geoffrey Riley39328.5+8.9
BNP Veronica Cullen30522.1+2.6
Labour Ian Tweedie18913.7−1.4
Majority977.0−19.3
Turnout 1,37733.8−1.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Walverden [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mohammed Khalid61044.0−6.9
Liberal Democrats Asghar Ali40028.9−8.3
Conservative Barbara King37627.1+15.3
Majority21015.2+1.5
Turnout 1,38651.6+0.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Waterside [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Anthony Greaves 49239.9−2.2
BNP Helen Mulligan33727.3+7.4
Conservative James Ilott21117.1+5.1
Labour Anthony Martin15112.2−4.8
Independent Ian Robinson433.5−1.0
Majority15512.6−9.6
Turnout 1,23433.1−5.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Whitefield [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Nadeem Ahmed1,11065.0+21.3
Labour Mohammad Tariq51230.0−21.7
Conservative Victoria Landriau855.0+0.4
Majority59835.0
Turnout 1,70764.9−6.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ "Pendle". BBC News. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "National: Full election results". The Guardian. 3 May 2008. p. 45.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "May local elections – candidates announced". Burnley Express . 7 April 2008.
  4. ↑ Moseley, Tom (25 April 2008). "Pendle council elections preview". Lancashire Telegraph . Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "Police probe into Pendle vote fraud allegations". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  6. ↑ Turner, Kate (23 April 2008). "Nelson house 'with 27 voters' brought up in Parliament". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  7. 1 2 Magill, Peter (11 April 2008). "27 voters at would-be MP's home". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  8. ↑ Magill, Peter (28 April 2008). "Pendle Lib Dem MP candidate police probe dropped". Lancashire Telegraph . Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  9. ↑ MAgill, Peter (16 April 2008). "Lib Dem leader visiting Burnley and Pendle". Lancashire Telegraph . Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, Russell (2 May 2008). "Lib Dems refuse to admit defeat in Liverpool after Clegg's first ballot test". The Times. London. p. 27.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Pendle 'hung council' – local election results". Burnley Express . 2 May 2008.
  12. ↑ Hussain, Samrana (2 May 2008). "Pendle election results: Lib Dems lose overall control". Burnley and Pendle Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Liberal Democrats to continue running Pendle Council". Burnley Express . 16 May 2008.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Election Results". Pendle Borough Council. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  15. ↑ "Labour and Conservatives in talks over Pendle power-sharing". Lancashire Telegraph . 2 May 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  16. ↑ Hussain, Samrana (17 May 2008). "Lib Dems hang on to Pendle thanks to majority of one". Lancashire Telegraph . Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  17. ↑ "Results". The Times. London. 3 May 2008. p. 14.
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