Burnley Council election, 1999
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Burnley Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Burnley
District
Council in Lancashire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
. Labour were the only party to contest all 17 seats, with the other candidates coming from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives
and independents
. A record nine independents stood in the election in which they were defending seats in Lowerhouse, Queensgate and Rosehill, in all of which councillor
s had previously defected from Labour.
The election saw controversy in Daneshouse ward where a policy enquiry was launched after complaints of voters being assigned proxy votes without their permission. Out of an electorate of 4,158, over 1,100 had proxy votes with an estimate that 775 would be for Liberal Democrats as against 375 for Labour. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Mozaquir Ali, said he would call for the election to be re-run if he lost, as a council electoral officer had given him incorrect advice on the eligibility of some proxy votes. The situation in Daneshouse partly led to the government reviewing the law on proxy votes to ensure they were not misused to guarantee votes. Meanwhile the police enquiry would last for nearly a year but eventually decided no action should be taken.
The police were again asked to investigate due to claims in an independent candidate's leaflet. Labour said that the claim that they reduced rates on their own party offices was misleading and in contravention of the Representation of the People Act 1983
.
in the election was 28%.
The hard fought contest in Danehouse ward saw the Liberal Democrat Mozaquir Ali win the election by 216 over Saeed Akhtar Chaudhary from Labour. Turnout in the ward was a record 70% substantially higher than in the rest of Burnley. On the day after the election fighting broke out in Danehouse ward between supporters of Labour and the Liberal Democrats with the police needed to separate the two groups, while the Labour candidate and his son were hit by a vehicle.
Burnley (borough)
Burnley is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a non-metropolitan district and borough. It has an area of and a population of , and is named for its largest town, Burnley. The borough is bounded by Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Pendle, Rossendale — all in Lancashire...
District
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
Council in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
31 - Liberal Democrat 9
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
5 - ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
3
Campaign
Seventeen seats were contested in the election, with two vacancies in Rosehill wardWards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
. Labour were the only party to contest all 17 seats, with the other candidates coming from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. A record nine independents stood in the election in which they were defending seats in Lowerhouse, Queensgate and Rosehill, in all of which councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s had previously defected from Labour.
The election saw controversy in Daneshouse ward where a policy enquiry was launched after complaints of voters being assigned proxy votes without their permission. Out of an electorate of 4,158, over 1,100 had proxy votes with an estimate that 775 would be for Liberal Democrats as against 375 for Labour. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Mozaquir Ali, said he would call for the election to be re-run if he lost, as a council electoral officer had given him incorrect advice on the eligibility of some proxy votes. The situation in Daneshouse partly led to the government reviewing the law on proxy votes to ensure they were not misused to guarantee votes. Meanwhile the police enquiry would last for nearly a year but eventually decided no action should be taken.
The police were again asked to investigate due to claims in an independent candidate's leaflet. Labour said that the claim that they reduced rates on their own party offices was misleading and in contravention of the Representation of the People Act 1983
Representation of the People Act 1983
The Representation of the People Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It changed the British electoral process in the following ways:* Amended the Representation of the People Act 1969....
.
Election result
The results of the election saw all four groups on the council remain at the same number of seats, with Labour keeping their majority on the council. The only seat changes came in Brunshaw where the independent took a seat from Labour and in Lanehead where Labour took a seat back. Overall turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 28%.
The hard fought contest in Danehouse ward saw the Liberal Democrat Mozaquir Ali win the election by 216 over Saeed Akhtar Chaudhary from Labour. Turnout in the ward was a record 70% substantially higher than in the rest of Burnley. On the day after the election fighting broke out in Danehouse ward between supporters of Labour and the Liberal Democrats with the police needed to separate the two groups, while the Labour candidate and his son were hit by a vehicle.