Pendle Borough Council provides district-level services for the Borough of Pendle, in Lancashire, in North West England. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. The whole borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

History The borough and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.

In March 2013, Brian Cookson retired from his position as Executive Director for Regeneration, a post he had held for nine years, in parallel with that of President of British Cycling from 2007 onwards. He subsequently became the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for sports cycling from 2013-2017.

In June 2017, a Conservative councilor, Rosemary Carroll, was suspended after sending a racist post on social media comparing Asians to dogs. This controversy expanded after the local elections in 2018, when the councilor was readmitted into the Conservative Party, allowing the Conservative party to gain a majority on the council. The Pendle Labour party accused the Pendle Conservative Party of condoning racism after the reinstatement. The Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler, called upon the Conservative Party Chairman, Brandon Lewis, to issue a statement saying that the councillor in question would not be part of the Conservative group on the council. This followed a statement from Lewis congratulating the Pendle Conservatives on winning a majority on the council.

In April 2024, all of Labour's 11 borough councillors in Pendle, including the leader of the council, quit the party.

Political control The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: (Put "Pendle" in search box to see specific results.)

Party in control Years 1974–1976 1976–1979 1979–1987 1987–1990 1990–1991 1991–1994 1994–1995 1995–1999 1999–2004 2004–2008 2008–2018 2018–2019 2019–2021 2021–2023 2023–present

Leadership The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Pendle. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:

Councillor Party From To Mike Blomeley 20 May 2010 May 2012 Joe Cooney May 2012 2015 Mohammed Iqbal May 2015 May 2018 Paul White 17 May 2018 May 2019 Mohammed Iqbal 16 May 2019 May 2021 Nadeem Ahmed 20 May 2021 May 2023Asjad Mahmood 18 May 2023 1 Apr 2024 1 Apr 2024 May 2025 David Whipp 15 May 2025 May 2026Asjad Mahmood May 2026

Composition Following the 2026 election, the composition of the council was:

Eleven of the independent councillors sit as the "Pendle Community Independents" group, which forms the council's administration with the Liberal Democrats. The other two independents form the "Pendle's True Independents" group. The next election is scheduled for 2027.

Premises The council meets at Nelson Town Hall on Market Street in the centre of Nelson, which had been completed in 1881 for the old Nelson Local Board, predecessor of the Nelson Borough Council created in 1890. It has its main administrative offices in a modern building at Number One Market Street, opposite the town hall.

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries took effect in 2021 the council has comprised 33 councillors representing 12 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council being elected each time for a four-year term. Lancashire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.

Wider politics The Pendle constituency was represented in Parliament by the Conservative Member of Parliament, Andrew Stephenson, from 2010-2024.

From the 2024 General Election, the constituency no longer covers the same area as the borough and is now represented by two MPs, Jonathan Hinder the Labour member for Pendle and Clitheroe and Oliver David Ryan the MP for Burnley, whose constituency includes parts of Reedley and Brierfield, which are in Pendle.

References