# 2007 Pendle Borough Council election

The 2007 Pendle Borough 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
* Liberal Democrat 27
* Conservative 14
* Labour 6
* British National Party 1
* Vacant 1

## Background

Before the election the Liberal Democrats had a majority on the council with 26 seats, compared to 13 for the Conservatives, 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.

## Campaign

Issues in the election included council tax, 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.

## 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 turnout in the election was 44.6%.
Pendle local election result 2007 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 9 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 52.9 | 34.8 | 8,650 | -5.8% |
| Conservative | 7 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 41.2 | 34.6 | 8,600 | +8.6% |
| Labour | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 5.9 | 17.7 | 4,399 | -5.3% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 1,737 | -3.4% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 | 4.3 | 1,065 | +4.3% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 303 | +1.2% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 133 | +0.5% |

## Ward results

Barrowford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Linda Crossley | 1,087 | 66.9 | +21.7 |
| | Labour | Susan Nike | 411 | 25.3 | +14.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Derek Mann | 126 | 7.8 | −35.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 676 | 41.6 | +39.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,624 | 41.6 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Blacko and Higherford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Shelagh Derwent | 566 | 79.8 | −4.6 |
| | Labour | John Pope | 80 | 11.3 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Darren Reynolds | 63 | 8.9 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 486 | 68.5 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 709 | 49.5 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Boulsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Violet Vaughan | 647 | 36.9 | +5.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Robertson | 640 | 36.5 | −0.5 |
| | BNP | Jane Mulligan | 271 | 15.5 | −9.7 |
| | Labour | Jillian Allanson | 121 | 6.9 | +0.2 |
| | Green | Leah Jamieson | 74 | 4.2 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7 | 0.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,753 | 43.4 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Bradley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Nadeem Younis | 1,026 | 44.0 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Munir | 800 | 34.3 | −8.2 |
| | Conservative | Victoria Landriau | 344 | 14.7 | +3.1 |
| | Green | Christine Stables | 164 | 7.0 | +7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 226 | 9.7 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,334 | 51.1 | +3.1 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Brierfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nawaz Ahmed | 943 | 49.7 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative | Ann Jackson | 537 | 28.3 | −1.6 |
| | Labour | Robert Allen | 416 | 21.9 | −8.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 406 | 21.4 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,896 | 50.6 | +8.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Clover Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Bird | 570 | 32.8 | −11.4 |
| | Labour | Eileen Ansar | 415 | 23.9 | +2.1 |
| | BNP | Trevor Dawson | 336 | 19.3 | −5.3 |
| | Conservative | Timothy Eyre | 208 | 12.0 | +2.6 |
| | Independent | Kate Shore | 163 | 9.4 | +9.4 |
| | UKIP | John Banks | 45 | 2.6 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 155 | 8.9 | −10.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,737 | 45.5 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Coates :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Allan Buck | 745 | 49.7 | −14.9 |
| | Independent | Jennifer Purcell | 410 | 27.4 | +27.4 |
| | Conservative | Beverley Harrison | 205 | 13.7 | −8.0 |
| | Labour | Ian Tweedie | 139 | 9.3 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 335 | 22.3 | −20.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,499 | 37.5 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Craven :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Bell | 736 | 46.9 | −3.4 |
| | Independent | Marlene Hill-Crane | 428 | 27.3 | +27.3 |
| | Conservative | Sandra Sargeant | 405 | 25.8 | +9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 308 | 19.6 | −5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,569 | 38.0 | −6.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Earby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Morris Horsfield | 1,264 | 69.1 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jackie Taylforth | 324 | 17.7 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | James Metcalfe | 240 | 13.1 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 940 | 51.4 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,828 | 40.9 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Foulridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Carol Belshaw | 342 | 56.1 | −5.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Cole | 132 | 21.6 | +7.7 |
| | UKIP | Graham Cannon | 88 | 14.4 | +14.4 |
| | Labour | Frank Allanson | 48 | 7.9 | −16.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 210 | 34.4 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 610 | 44.7 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Higham and Pendleside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Starkie | 520 | 62.4 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Boylan | 264 | 31.7 | −7.5 |
| | Labour | Robert Oliver | 49 | 5.9 | −3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 256 | 30.7 | +18.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 833 | 60.9 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Horsfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Kerrigan | 651 | 43.7 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Smith Benson | 314 | 21.1 | +9.0 |
| | BNP | Geoffrey Whitehead | 295 | 19.8 | −9.0 |
| | Labour | David Foat | 231 | 15.5 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 337 | 22.6 | +8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,491 | 37.6 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Old Laund Booth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John David | 462 | 66.0 | −14.1 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Belshaw | 212 | 30.3 | +10.4 |
| | Labour | Anthony Hargreaves | 26 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 250 | 35.7 | −24.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 700 | 58.1 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Reedley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Tonia Barton | 1,222 | 63.6 | |
| | Labour | Saad Khaliq | 380 | 19.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Abdul Malik | 320 | 16.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 842 | 43.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,922 | 47.1 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Southfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sonia Robinson | 634 | 40.6 | +0.6 |
| | Labour | Sheila Wicks | 364 | 23.3 | −19.6 |
| | Conservative | Paul McKenna | 282 | 18.1 | +1.0 |
| | BNP | Judith Preston | 280 | 17.9 | +17.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 270 | 17.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,560 | 38.7 | +16.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Vivary Bridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Howard Thomas | 641 | 45.9 | |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Riley | 274 | 19.6 | |
| | BNP | Veronica Cullen | 272 | 19.5 | |
| | Labour | Tony Martin | 211 | 15.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 367 | 26.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,398 | 34.8 | −3.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Waterside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Graham Roach | 599 | 42.1 | −16.4 |
| | BNP | Adam Grant | 283 | 19.9 | +19.9 |
| | Labour | Gerry McCabe | 242 | 17.0 | −9.4 |
| | Conservative | Peter Hill | 171 | 12.0 | −3.0 |
| | Green | Anastasia Hartley-Fish | 65 | 4.6 | +4.6 |
| | Independent | Ian Robinson | 64 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 316 | 22.2 | −9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,424 | 38.2 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Liberal Democrats gain from Independent | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2007 and 2008

A by-election took place on 28 June 2007 after the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Mary Norcross. Twenty-six-year-old Shelley Franklin held the seat for the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 372 votes over the Conservatives.
Craven By-Election 28 June 2007 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shelley Franklin | 632 | 43.7 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | Sandra Sargeant | 260 | 18.0 | −7.8 |
| | Independent | Jennifer Purcell | 241 | 16.7 | −10.6 |
| | BNP | Geoffrey Whitehead | 237 | 16.4 | +16.4 |
| | Labour | Ian Tweedie | 76 | 5.3 | +5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 25.7 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,446 | 34.7 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |