THE first batch of results from yesterday’s Pendle Council elections have seen the Liberal Democrats gain the seat vacated by the Independents in Craven Ward and the Conservatives gain Marsden from the BNP, while six other seats have remained unchanged.
In Craven, Kenneth Hartley topped the poll with 615 votes ahead of Suzanne Langtree (Conservative, 376), David Johns (Labour, 220) and Dorothy Baxter (193).
Thomas Cooney’s 391 votes were enough to defeat Coun. Adam Grant in Marsden , with Labour’s Azhar Ali (298) third.
Deputy Mayor-elect Coun. Smith Benson (Conservative) comfortably retained Horsfield Ward in Colne, polling 515 votes, with James Kerrigan (Lib Dem, 386) edging out Anthony Hargreaves (Labour, 375) for second and third.
The Conservatives also held Barrowford with Coun. Tony Beckett gaining 918 votes, Labour’s Sue Nike polling 609.
In Brierfield, Labour candidate Coun. Naeem Ashraf had a majority of 582 over the Conservatives’ Jack Gregory, polling 1,102 votes to 520 respectively.
And in Cloverhill, Coun. Eileen Ansar (Labour, 848) had a majority of 567 over Conservative Janice Taylor (281), with the British National Party candidate Veronica Cullen (149) finishing third ahead of Philip Berry (Lib Dem, 108).
Labour had a majority of 651 in Southfield where Coun. Sheila Wicks (847) saw off the challenge of Abubaker Anwar (Lib Dem, 196) and Paul Pratt (Con, 190).
The Lib Dems held Coates as Coun. Marjorie Adams (726) defeated Conservative Keith Bailey (372) and Labour’s Christopher McKimm (218).
And Labour held Bradley as Mohammed Sakib polled 1,178 voted, ahead of Shoaib Ahmed (Lib Dem, 700),
Timothy Eyre (Conservative, 147) and Stuart Oxbrow (Green, 118).