Pendle Council election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Pendle Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Pendle
Borough
Council in Lancashire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
, 5 for Labour
, 3 independents
and 1 British National Party
. There was also one vacant seat after a councillor
, Mary Norcross, died in March 2007. The Liberal Democrat majority had been reduced since the 2006 election
after 3 councillors left the party to become independents.
17 seats were being contested in the election with the Liberal Democrats defending 8 seats, the Conservatives 6 and independents 3. There were a total of 64 candidates in the election, with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives contesting every seat. Other parties contesting the election including Labour with 16 candidates, 6 from the British National Party, 3 Green Party
and 2 United Kingdom Independence Party
. There were also some independent candidates, with 3 being the sitting independent, formerly Liberal Democrat, councillors.
, the environment, phone masts, refuse collection and regeneration. There was also controversy over the candidature of independent Ian Robinson in Waterside, after a Liberal Democrat councillor in the same ward
signed his nomination
papers.
The election saw a drop of about 3% in the number of voters registered to vote by post
to 7,562.
in the election was 44.6%.
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
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 Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- Liberal Democrat 27
- 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...
14 - 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...
6 - British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
1 - Vacant 1
Background
Before the election the Liberal Democrats had a majority on the council with 26 seats, compared to 13 for the ConservativesConservative 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...
, 5 for Labour
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...
, 3 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...
and 1 British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. There was also one vacant seat after a 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:...
, Mary Norcross, died in March 2007. The Liberal Democrat majority had been reduced since the 2006 election
Pendle Council election, 2006
The 2006 Pendle Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council....
after 3 councillors left the party to become independents.
17 seats were being contested in the election with the Liberal Democrats defending 8 seats, the Conservatives 6 and independents 3. There were a total of 64 candidates in the election, with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives contesting every seat. Other parties contesting the election including Labour with 16 candidates, 6 from the British National Party, 3 Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
and 2 United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
. There were also some independent candidates, with 3 being the sitting independent, formerly Liberal Democrat, councillors.
Campaign
Issues in the election included council taxCouncil tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
, the environment, phone masts, refuse collection and regeneration. There was also controversy over the candidature of independent Ian Robinson in Waterside, after a Liberal Democrat councillor in the same ward
Wards 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:...
signed his nomination
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
papers.
The election saw a drop of about 3% in the number of voters registered to vote by post
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
to 7,562.
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats stay in control of the council after regaining the 3 independent seats, but losing another 2 seats. This meant they held 27 seats and had an overall majority of 7. The Conservatives gained Boulsworth from the Liberal Democrats by 7 votes after 3 recounts to have 14 seats, while Labour went up to 6 seats after taking Bradley by 226 votes. The British National Party remained on 1 seat, after no other party won any seats in the election. 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 44.6%.