Pendle Borough Council election, 2012

Map of the results of the 2012 Pendle Borough Council election. Labour in red, Conservatives in blue and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2012.

The 2012 Pendle Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.^[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

• Conservative 18
• Labour 18
• Liberal Democrats 12
• British National Party 1^[2]

Background

Before the election the Conservatives had 18 seats on the council, Labour 16, the Liberal Democrats 12, British National Party 2 and there was 1 independent.^[3] 17 seats were contested, with 2 seats available in Boulsworth after Conservative councillor George Askew resigned his seat on the council.^[4] This meant the Conservatives were defending 6 seats, Labour 5, Liberal Democrats 4 and the British National Party 1 seat.^[4]

Among those standing down at the election was the Conservative leader of the council, Mile Blomeley from Reedley ward for health reasons,^[5] as well as Conservatives Valerie Langtree from Earby ward and Mike Calvert from Boulsworth ward, independent Glenn Whitaker from Craven ward and Labour's Mohammed Khalid from Walverden ward.^[3][4] As well as candidates from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, there were 4 Green party candidates, 3 from the British National Party and 1 each from the Democratic Nationalists, English Democrats and UK Independence Party.^[4]

Election result

Labour gained seats in Reedley from the Conservatives and Vivary Bridge from the Liberal Democrats, to move level with the Conservatives on 18 seats each, while the Liberal Democrats remained on 12 seats after taking Craven ward where the only independent had stood down.^[6][7] The only other change saw one of the two British National Party councillors lose his seat to the Conservatives in Marsden ward by 37 votes.^[8] Overall turnout at the election was 37.8%.^[9]

Joe Cooney was elected as the new leader of the Conservative group on the council,^[10] and then became leader of the council, after having only been a councillor for 12 months.^[11] This came after the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats agreed a coalition to run the council with 6 Conservatives and 4 Liberal Democrats on the council executive.^[11]

Following the election the Conservative Member of parliament for Pendle, Andrew Stephenson, alleged that had been electoral fraud involving postal votes at the council election particularly pointing to the results in Reedley ward over the last two elections.^[12] 3 complaints regarding postal votes were investigated by the police, while councillors set up a working group to look at concerns.^[12]

Ward results

By-elections between 2012 and 2014

Coates

A by-election took place on 2 May 2013 after the resignation from the council of Liberal Democrat councillor Janine Throup.^[13] The seat was held for the Liberal Democrats by Claire Teall by a majority of 196 votes.^[14]

Blacko and Higherford

A by-election was held in Blacko and Higherford after Conservative councillor Shelagh Derwent was disqualified from the council after not attending meetings for 6 months.^[16] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Noel McEvoy with 370 votes, double the vote of the other 3 candidates.^[17]

References

Council elections in Lancashire
County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017
Blackburn with Darwen	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Blackpool	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1997 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015
Burnley	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Chorley	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Fylde	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
Hyndburn	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Lancaster	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
Pendle	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Preston	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Ribble Valley	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
Rossendale	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
South Ribble	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
West Lancashire	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Wyre	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
See also: Wards Boundary changes

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