Pendle Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
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 the election, the composition of the council was
, 7 for Labour
and 1 seat was vacant. 18 of the 49 seats on the council were contested in the election, with 2 seats available in Reedley and Vivary Bridge wards
. Candidates in the election came from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, as well as 7 from the British National Party
.
saying he was "very pleased" and hoped "we can go on and progress in the future". However the other parties expressed concern over the success for the British National Party. Meanwhile among the other successful candidates in the election was Liberal Democrat Naseem Shabnam, who became the first Asian woman councillor in Pendle after being elected in Brierfield ward. Overall turnout
in the election was 43.03%.
Later in May Mohammed Iqbal was elected as the new leader of the Labour group on the council, after the previous leader Frank Clifford stood down at the election. Also towards the end of the month, councillor Marlene Hill-Crane quit the Liberal Democrats to sit as an independent
, due to a dispute over the regeneration of a former school.
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 30
- 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...
13 - 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...
5 - 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
Background
Before the election the Liberal Democrats held a majority with 29 seats, compared to 11 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...
, 7 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...
and 1 seat was vacant. 18 of the 49 seats on the council were contested in the election, with 2 seats available in Reedley and Vivary Bridge wards
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:...
. Candidates in the election came from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, as well as 7 from the 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...
.
Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats retain a majority on the council, while the British National Party won a first seat on the council. Brian Parker gained Marsden for the British National Party from Labour by 80 votes, with the leader of the British National Party Nick GriffinNick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
saying he was "very pleased" and hoped "we can go on and progress in the future". However the other parties expressed concern over the success for the British National Party. Meanwhile among the other successful candidates in the election was Liberal Democrat Naseem Shabnam, who became the first Asian woman councillor in Pendle after being elected in Brierfield ward. Overall turnout
Voter 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 43.03%.
Later in May Mohammed Iqbal was elected as the new leader of the Labour group on the council, after the previous leader Frank Clifford stood down at the election. Also towards the end of the month, councillor Marlene Hill-Crane quit the Liberal Democrats to sit as an independent
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...
, due to a dispute over the regeneration of a former school.