Pendle Council election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Pendle Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Pendle
Borough
Council in Lancashire
, England
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
reducing the number of seats by 2. The council stayed under no overall control
.
was the largest party with 23 of the 51 seats, compared to 19 for the Liberal Democrats and 9 Conservative
s. In the early part of 2002 however the gap between Labour and the Liberal Democrats narrowed after Labour councillor
Kathleen Shore defected to the Liberal Democrats.
The whole council was being elected in 2002 for the first time since 1976 after boundary changes. These changes meant 49 seats were contested from 20 wards, with new wards of Blacko
and Higherford
, Higham
and Pendleside and Old Laund Booth
being created.
, along with 2 candidates from the Socialist Alliance
and some independents
. Several councillors stood down at the election, including Conservative group leader Roy Clarkson, Liberal Democrat former mayors Ian Gilhespy and Gill Gilhespy and Labour's Tim Ormrod, while Liberal Democrat Lord
Tony Greaves
stood for the party in Walverden ward.
Issues in the election included the handling of proposals for closing residential homes
, the proposed demolition of houses in Nelson
, Nelson, the condition of private housing in the area, the selection of the area as part of the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme
and policing.
The election saw a trial of optional postal voting
in an attempt to increase turnout
, but there were allegations that the process was being abused. The Liberal Democrats claimed that about 900 postal votes in four marginal wards were being sent to common addresses, instead of the voters own address. Having the postal vote sent to another address was not illegal, but the Liberal Democrats feared fraud and that people had signed postal ballots without understanding what they were doing. The police made an investigation after one agent for the Liberal Democrats requested it, with the allegations also being looked into by the Electoral Commission
.
Following the election Labour group leader Azhar Ali remained leader of the council, after winning a 19 to 18 vote over Liberal Democrat group leader Alan Davies at the full council meeting.
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...
. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2000
Pendle Council election, 2000
The 2000 Pendle Council election took place on 4 May 2000 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....
reducing the number of seats by 2. The council stayed under no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
.
Background
After the 2000 election 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...
was the largest party with 23 of the 51 seats, compared to 19 for the Liberal Democrats and 9 Conservative
Conservative 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...
s. In the early part of 2002 however the gap between Labour and the Liberal Democrats narrowed after Labour councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Kathleen Shore defected to the Liberal Democrats.
The whole council was being elected in 2002 for the first time since 1976 after boundary changes. These changes meant 49 seats were contested from 20 wards, with new wards of Blacko
Blacko
Blacko is a village and civil parish within the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 595.The village is on the old turnpike road to Gisburn...
and Higherford
Higherford
Higherford is a village in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England.Although it is a village in its own right and shown on maps, it is sometimes confused with its larger neighbour Barrowford. Both villages meet each other on the A682 road, which runs through them from Nelson and towards Blacko...
, Higham
Higham, Lancashire
Higham is a village in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, south of Pendle Hill. The civil parish is named "Higham with West Close Booth". The village is north-east of Padiham and about south west of Nelson along the A6068 road. At the 2001 census Higham had a population of 808 in 338...
and Pendleside and Old Laund Booth
Old Laund Booth
Old Laund Booth is one of the 20 electoral wards that form the Parliamentary constituency of Pendle, Lancashire. It is also a civil parish. The ward represents the villages of Fence and Wheatley Lane, as well as part of the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate on the outskirts of nearby Nelson, and returns...
being created.
Campaign
In total 144 candidates stood in the election with the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties standing in most wardsWards 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:...
, along with 2 candidates from the Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (England)
The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England between 1992 and 2005.In late 2005, a small group reformed with the name "Socialist Alliance", with a mutual affiliation with the larger Alliance for Green Socialism.-Origins:...
and some independents
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...
. Several councillors stood down at the election, including Conservative group leader Roy Clarkson, Liberal Democrat former mayors Ian Gilhespy and Gill Gilhespy and Labour's Tim Ormrod, while Liberal Democrat Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
Tony Greaves
Tony Greaves, Baron Greaves
Anthony Robert Greaves, Baron Greaves is a UK politician. He is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.Together with Gordon Lishman, Greaves moved the party's famous Community Politics motion...
stood for the party in Walverden ward.
Issues in the election included the handling of proposals for closing residential homes
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
, the proposed demolition of houses in Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, Nelson, the condition of private housing in the area, the selection of the area as part of the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme
Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme
The Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme was a co-operative programme in England between residents and stakeholders such as the local authority, businesses etc aimed at improving specific deprived neighbourhoods....
and policing.
The election saw a trial of optional postal voting
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
in an attempt to increase 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...
, but there were allegations that the process was being abused. The Liberal Democrats claimed that about 900 postal votes in four marginal wards were being sent to common addresses, instead of the voters own address. Having the postal vote sent to another address was not illegal, but the Liberal Democrats feared fraud and that people had signed postal ballots without understanding what they were doing. The police made an investigation after one agent for the Liberal Democrats requested it, with the allegations also being looked into by the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
.
Election result
The results saw the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties both finish on 19 seats, while the Conservatives won 11. With the number of seats having been reduced by 2, Labour lost 3 seats, the Liberal Democrats lost 1 seat and the Conservatives gained 2 seats. The closest result came in Walverden ward, where it took 8 recounts before the final result was declared, with Labour winning the second seat in the ward by 2 votes over the Liberal Democrats.Following the election Labour group leader Azhar Ali remained leader of the council, after winning a 19 to 18 vote over Liberal Democrat group leader Alan Davies at the full council meeting.