# 2023 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election

The 2023 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. It took place on the same day as other local elections. Seventeen members of the council were elected, one from each of the wards. This set of seats were last up for election in 2019.
Labour retained its majority on the council, making two gains in Darwen.

## Background

The 17 seats being contested were held prior to the election as follows:
* Labour: 12 defences (25 other seats)
* Conservative: 4 defences (9 other seats)
* Liberal Democrat: 1 defence (0 other seats)

## Summary
### Election result

2023 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Labour | 14 | 2 | 82.4 | 25 | 39 | 76.5 | 17,949 | 63.0 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | 3 | 1 | 17.6 | 9 | 12 | 23.5 | 8,633 | 30.3 | –2.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1,440 | 5.1 | +1.8 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 255 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 153 | 0.5 | –3.6 |
| | ADF | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 56 | 0.2 | N/A |

### Councillors standing down

| Councillor | Ward | First elected | Party | Party | Date announced |
| Paul Browne | Darwen East | 2019 | | Liberal Democrats | 28 March 2023 |
| Zainab Rawat | Shear Brow and Corporation Park | 2019 | | Labour | 28 March 2023 |

## Ward results

Comparisons for the purpose of determining a gain, hold or loss of a seat, is to the last time these specific seats were up for election in 2019. An asterisk indicates the incumbent councillor (*).
The Statement of Persons Nominated details the candidates standing in each ward. It was released on 5 April 2023.

### Audley & Queen's Park

Audley & Queen's Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Salim Sidat* | 1,213 | 67.1 | +27.6 |
| | Conservative | Amin Kapida | 333 | 18.4 | +5.7 |
| | Independent | Mahmood Tariq | 139 | 7.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rameez Mukadam | 109 | 6.0 | N/A |
| | Independent | Ahsan Bhatti | 14 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 9 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 880 | 48.7 | +40.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,817 | 28.4 | –4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 11.0 | |

### Bastwell & Daisyfield

Bastwell & Daisyfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Shaukat Hussain* | 1,666 | 80.4 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | Ismail Ibrahim Bapu Patel | 406 | 19.6 | –4.0 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 9 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,260 | 60.8 | +8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,081 | 35.2 | –2.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 4.0 | |

### Billinge & Beardwood

Billinge & Beardwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jackie Floyd* | 1,303 | 62.0 | –2.7 |
| | Conservative | Imtiaz Ali | 687 | 32.7 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tahir Mahmood | 110 | 5.2 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 13 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 616 | 29.3 | –7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,113 | 34.2 | –3.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 3.9 | |

### Blackburn Central

Blackburn Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mahfooz Hussain* | 1,043 | 76.4 | +8.9 |
| | Conservative | Ghulam Sabir | 220 | 16.1 | –4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Siama Bhatti | 103 | 7.5 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 10 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 823 | 60.3 | +13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,376 | 22.1 | –3.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 6.5 | |

### Blackburn South & Lower Darwen

Blackburn South & Lower Darwen :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Slater* | 839 | 56.0 | –4.0 |
| | Labour | Liz Johnson | 659 | 44.0 | +4.0 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 8 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 180 | 12.0 | –8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,506 | 26.3 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 4.0 | |

### Blackburn South East

Blackburn South East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Vicky Ellen McGurk* | 722 | 73.4 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative | Henry Arnold | 262 | 26.6 | –0.3 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 20 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 460 | 46.8 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,004 | 16.7 | –1.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.3 | |

### Darwen East

Darwen East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Matt Gibson | 828 | 59.1 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Davies | 351 | 25.1 | –1.8 |
| | Conservative | Ryan Slater | 222 | 15.8 | –2.7 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 6 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 477 | 34.0 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,407 | 21.9 | –3.7 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | 3.2 | |

### Darwen South

Darwen South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anthony Nicholas Shaw | 848 | 45.3 | +7.0 |
| | Conservative | Lilian Salton* | 764 | 40.8 | –5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Huggill | 204 | 10.9 | –4.8 |
| | ADF | David Stephen Wilson-Parr | 56 | 3.0 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 2 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 84 | 4.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,874 | 28.8 | –1.5 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 6.2 | |

### Darwen West

Darwen West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Stephanie Rose Brookfield* | 1,196 | 62.8 | –2.9 |
| | Conservative | Janine Crook | 596 | 31.3 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Connor Plumley | 113 | 5.9 | +2.3 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 15 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 600 | 31.5 | –3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,920 | 30.8 | –3.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 1.8 | |

### Ewood

Ewood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Casey* | 740 | 58.2 | –2.2 |
| | Conservative | Rick Moore | 532 | 41.8 | +2.2 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 11 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 208 | 16.4 | –4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,283 | 20.8 | –2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 2.2 | |

### Little Harwood & Whitebirk

Little Harwood & Whitebirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mustafa Ali Desai* | 1,222 | 80.3 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Arshad Mahmood | 203 | 13.3 | –15.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ahmed Miah | 97 | 6.4 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 12 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,019 | 67.0 | +24.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,534 | 25.3 | –6.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 12.3 | |

### Livesey with Pleasington

Livesey with Pleasington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul David Marrow* | 1,360 | 67.5 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Michael John Jackson | 655 | 32.5 | –1.5 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 11 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 705 | 35.0 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,026 | 31.5 | –1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 1.5 | |

### Mill Hill & Moorgate

Mill Hill & Moorgate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Damian Talbot* | 765 | 68.1 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative | Les Cade | 259 | 23.0 | –14.5 |
| | Green | Robin Field | 100 | 8.9 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 6 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 506 | 45.1 | +20.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,130 | 20.2 | –2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 10.1 | |

### Roe Lee

Roe Lee :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phil Riley* | 1,182 | 67.4 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | Carl Lever | 418 | 23.8 | –10.3 |
| | Green | Paul Morley | 155 | 8.8 | N/A |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 13 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 764 | 43.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,768 | 27.8 | –5.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 5.9 | |

### Shear Brow & Corporation Park

Shear Brow & Corporation Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Salma Patel | 1,536 | 90.5 | –0.4 |
| | Conservative | Zak Hussain | 161 | 9.5 | +0.4 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 18 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,375 | 81.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,715 | 27.9 | –5.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.4 | |

### Wensley Fold

Wensley Fold :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Quesir Mahmood* | 1,621 | 90.1 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Marrow | 179 | 9.9 | –1.1 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 14 | — | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,442 | 80.2 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,814 | 30.2 | –1.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 1.1 | |

### West Pennine

West Pennine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jean Rigby* | 1,192 | 51.9 | –4.4 |
| | Labour | Liam Dobson | 750 | 32.7 | +0.1 |
| | Spoilt Ballots | — | 11 | — | — |
| | Liberal Democrats | John East | 353 | 15.4 | +4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 442 | 19.2 | –4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,306 | 37.4 | –1.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 2.3 | |