In 1974 the County Borough of Burnley, the Urban District of Padiham and part of the Burnley Rural District were joined together to form the present Burnley Borough Council. The Borough has a population of 91,130 and is split into 16 Wards. The voters in each Ward elect three Councillors to serve on the Council.
Elections take place every year, to elect one-third of the council.
Burnley Borough Council is one of 12 District Councils in Lancashire. It sends six Councillors to serve on Lancashire County Council. Elections take place every four years. However, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool became unitary authorities from April 1998. At present, all services are provided by either Lancashire County Council or Burnley Borough Council.