# 2008 Burnley Borough Council election

Elections to Burnley Borough Council in Lancashire, England were held on 1 May 2008. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrat party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.
Police launched an investigation on the day of the election into a fake Liberal Democrat leaflet which was distributed in Rosegrove and Gannow wards. Following the election the Labour group leader Andy Tatchell was replaced by Julie Cooper.
After the election, the composition of the council was
* Liberal Democrat 23
* Labour 12
* Conservative 6
* British National Party 4

## Election result

Burnley Local Election Result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 9 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 60.0 | 37.3 | 9,156 | +3.1 |
| Labour | 3 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 20.0 | 27.8 | 6,833 | +0.5 |
| Conservative | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 18.9 | 4,648 | +3.5 |
| BNP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 | 14.9 | 3,650 | -2.6 |
| England First | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 254 | -2.1 |

## Ward results

Bank Hall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Julie Cooper | 621 | 43.5 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Asif Raja | 571 | 40.0 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Paul Coates | 237 | 16.6 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 50 | 3.5 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,429 | 33.9 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Briercliffe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Lishman | 912 | 55.5 | −3.2 |
| | BNP | Patricia Thomson | 326 | 19.9 | −8.2 |
| | Conservative | Susan Nutter | 219 | 13.3 | +7.0 |
| | Labour | Laurence Embley | 185 | 11.3 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 586 | 35.6 | +5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,642 | 35.7 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Brunshaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda White | 633 | 37.2 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | David Halsall | 451 | 26.5 | −1.5 |
| | BNP | Paul McDevitt | 384 | 22.6 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Coates | 233 | 13.7 | +6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 182 | 10.7 | +0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,701 | 34.1 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Cliviger with Worsthorne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Heys | 923 | 45.6 | +7.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paula Riley | 486 | 24.0 | +14.4 |
| | England First | Steven Smith | 254 | 12.5 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Brenda Lambert | 214 | 10.6 | +0.4 |
| | BNP | Ben Smalley | 149 | 7.4 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 437 | 21.6 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,026 | 46.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Coalclough with Deerplay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charles Bullas | 953 | 66.6 | −13.3 |
| | BNP | Scott Atkinson | 274 | 19.1 | +19.1 |
| | Labour | Joanne Whitaker | 205 | 14.3 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 679 | 47.5 | −12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,432 | 35.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Daneshouse with Stoneyholme :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Malik | 1,234 | 52.4 | +12.4 |
| | Labour | Shah Hussain | 1,123 | 47.6 | −12.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 111 | 4.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,357 | 60.4 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Gannow :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Justin Birtwistle | 544 | 33.7 | +0.7 |
| | BNP | John Cave | 473 | 29.3 | +0.8 |
| | Labour | Mark Townsend | 386 | 23.9 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | Sharon Everitt | 212 | 13.1 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 4.4 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,615 | 36.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Gawthorpe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Andy Tatchell | 727 | 50.0 | −3.1 |
| | BNP | Christopher Vanns | 289 | 19.9 | −5.3 |
| | Conservative | Barry Robinson | 284 | 19.5 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Denise Embra | 154 | 10.6 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 438 | 30.1 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,454 | 31.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Hapton with Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | BNP | Sharon Wilkinson | 674 | 38.6 | +0.9 |
| | Labour | Jean Cunningham | 586 | 33.6 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative | Alan Marsden | 323 | 18.5 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vincent McCrae | 162 | 9.3 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 78 | 5.0 | −2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,745 | 37.5 | |
| | BNP hold | BNP hold | Swing | | |
Lanehead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bill Brindle | 852 | 56.1 | +13.5 |
| | Labour | Peter Kenyon | 357 | 23.5 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | Michael Raistrick | 309 | 20.4 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 495 | 32.6 | +14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,518 | 33.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Queensgate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bill Bennett | 740 | 47.2 | +15.7 |
| | Labour | Abid Sharif | 571 | 36.4 | +8.6 |
| | Conservative | Brent Whittam | 256 | 16.3 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 169 | 10.8 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,567 | 37.1 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Rosegrove with Lowerhouse :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lynne Briggs | 637 | 40.2 | +11.9 |
| | BNP | John Rowe | 491 | 31.0 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | Marion Smith | 293 | 18.5 | −12.2 |
| | Conservative | Peter Raistrick | 164 | 10.3 | +0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 146 | 9.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,585 | 33.6 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Rosehill with Burnley Wood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Karen Heseltine | 742 | 52.6 | +17.1 |
| | Labour | Colette Bailey | 353 | 25.0 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | David Tierney | 316 | 22.4 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 389 | 27.6 | +21.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,411 | 31.4 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Trinity :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tony Lambert | 497 | 42.4 | +2.6 |
| | BNP | David Shapcott | 283 | 24.2 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martyn Hurt | 244 | 20.8 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Picton | 147 | 12.6 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 214 | 18.2 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,171 | 30.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Whittlefield with Ightenhill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Doyle | 1,025 | 54.3 | +0.8 |
| | BNP | Joan Shapcott | 307 | 16.3 | +0.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael McHugh | 292 | 15.5 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Angela Donovan | 264 | 14.0 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 718 | 38.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,888 | 38.7 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |