2024 Burnley Borough Council election

2024 Burnley Borough Council election
2 May 2024 (2024-05-02)
15 out of 45 seats to Burnley Borough Council
23 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party Third party
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Mark Townsend [a] Alan Hosker
Party Labour Independent Conservative
Leader's seat Brunshaw Hapton with Park
Seats before 11 12 8
Seats after 15 10 8
Seat change Increase 4 Decrease 2 Steady
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Howard Baker Scott Cunliffe
Party Liberal Democrats Green
Leader's seat Coalclough with Deerplay Cliviger with Worsthorne
Seats before 7 7
Seats after 7 5
Seat change Steady Decrease 2
The winner of each seat in the 2024 Burnley Borough Council Election
Leader before election

Afrasiab Anwar
Independent
No overall control

 Leader after election

Afrasiab Anwar
Independent
No overall control

The 2024 Burnley Borough Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom on the same day. One-third of the 45 members of Burnley Borough Council in Lancashire were elected.

Summary

Prior to the election, the council was under no overall control. Following the previous election in 2023, a minority Labour administration had been running the council.[1] However, in October 2023, eleven councillors left the Labour Party over the party's stance on the Gaza war. They then sat as a group of independent councillors called the 'Burnley Independent Group', which formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and Green Party, which together held a majority of the seats on the council.[2][3]

The 2024 election saw the Labour Party regain some of the seats they had held at the 2023 election. However, they were unable to secure a majority of the seats, and the council remained under no overall control. The coalition of the Burnley Independent Group, Liberal Democrats and Greens continued to form the council's administration after the election, albeit as a minority administration having lost the majority it had held prior to the election.[4]

Previous council composition

After 2023 election Before 2024 election[5] After 2024 election
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 21 Labour 11 Labour 15
Independent 0 Independent 12 Independent 10
Conservative 7 Conservative 8 Conservative 8
Liberal Democrats 7 Liberal Democrats 7 Liberal Democrats 7
Green 7 Green 7 Green 5
BAPIP 3 BAPIP 0 BAPIP Dissolved

Changes between the 2023 and 2024 elections

  • August 2023: BAPIP dissolved - Charlie Briggs, Neil Mottershead and Mark Payne sit as independents[6]
  • September 2023: Charlie Briggs (independent) joins Labour;[7] Andy Fewings (Green) resigns - by-election held October 2023
  • October 2023: Afrasiab Anwar, Saeed Chaudhary, Shah Hussain, Mohammed Ishtiaq, Nussrat Kazmi, Syeda Kazmi, Arif Khan, Lubna Khan, Sehrish Lone, Asif Raja, and Christine Sollis leave Labour to sit as independents;[b][8] Alexander Hall (Green) wins by-election[9]
  • February 2024: Neil Mottershead (independent) joins Conservatives[10]

Results

Borough of Burnley Council's composition after the 2024 local elections
2024 Burnley Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 6 Increase 4 40.0 9 15 33.3 6,345 32.4 -9.8
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 3 Steady 20.0 5 8 17.8 5,159 26.3 +3.8
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 3 Decrease 2 20.0 7 10 22.2 4,292 21.9 +16.8
  Liberal Democrats {{{candidates}}} 2 Steady 13.3 5 7 15.6 1,804 9.2 -4.3
  Green {{{candidates}}} 1 Decrease 2 6.7 4 5 11.1 1,981 10.1 -6.6

Ward results

The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Burnley Borough Council following the close of nominations.[11] The ward electorates and turnout percentages are reported in a compiled summary of the election results.[12] An asterisk denotes an incumbent councillor seeking re-election.

Bank Hall

Bank Hall[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Lubna Khan* 737 55.0 N/A
Labour Hannah Till 456 34.0 −40.1
Conservative Susan Nutter 147 11.0 +0.6
Majority 281
Turnout 32.1
Registered electors 4,224
Independent gain from Labour Swing

Lubna Khan was elected in 2021 as a Labour councillor.

Briercliffe

Briercliffe[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Margaret Lishman* 497 41.1 −8.5
Labour Pete Coles 468 38.7 +10.0
Conservative Richard Sagar 182 15.1 −2.6
Green Julie Hurt 61 5.0 +1.0
Majority 29
Turnout 28.6
Registered electors 4,270
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Brunshaw

Brunshaw[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Shaun Sproule 520 50.6 +5.3
Green Andrew Newhouse 268 26.1 −14.6
Conservative Claire Ingham 209 20.4 +6.4
Independent Mubashar Lone 30 2.9 N/A
Majority 252
Turnout 23.1
Registered electors 4,495
Labour gain from Green Swing

Cliviger with Worsthorne

Cliviger with Worsthorne[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ivor Emo 955 54.7 +12.7
Green Scott Cunliffe* 575 32.9 −11.2
Labour Carol Lukey 161 9.2 +0.9
Liberal Democrats Gorgyanna Kenzington 55 3.2 −2.4
Majority 380
Turnout 40.9
Registered electors 4,298
Conservative gain from Green Swing

Coal Clough with Deerplay

Coal Clough with Deerplay[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jacqueline Inckle* 450 40.4 −6.6
Labour Jeff Slee 380 34.1 +11.2
Conservative Tom Watson 210 18.8 −1.7
Green Anna Hewitt 75 6.7 −2.9
Majority 70
Turnout 28.8
Registered electors 3,891
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Daneshouse with Stoneyholme

Daneshouse with Stoneyholme[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Saeed Chaudhary* 1,143 54.8 N/A
Liberal Democrats Ikram Rafiq 375 18.0 +1.6
Conservative Mohammed Saleh 340 16.3 +12.7
Labour James Harrison 227 10.9 −65.6
Majority 768
Turnout 43.4
Registered electors 4,853
Independent gain from Labour Swing

Saeed Chaudhary was elected in 2021 as a Labour councillor.

Gannow

Gannow[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gemma Haigh 590 59.4 +22.6
Conservative Rhys Williams 269 27.1 +17.8
Green Lewis Bridges 71 7.1 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Kathryn Haworth 47 4.7 N/A
Independent Khalil Pascall 17 1.7 N/A
Majority 321
Turnout 22.8
Registered electors 4,429
Labour gain from BAPIP Swing

Gawthorpe

Gawthorpe[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Barbara Dole 658 60.8 −4.6
Conservative Karen Ingham* 424 39.2 +11.2
Majority 234
Turnout 25.3
Registered electors 4,338
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Hapton with Park

Hapton with Park[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Hosker* 765 61.1 +6.0
Labour Elaine Cotterell 380 30.3 −5.6
Green Sarah Hall 108 8.6 −0.4
Majority 385
Turnout 26.2
Registered electors 4,804
Conservative hold Swing

Lanehead

Lanehead[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andy Waddington 715 42.4 −8.1
Independent Asif Raja* 712 42.2 N/A
Conservative Abdul Shahid 261 15.5 −11.3
Majority 3
Turnout 37.3
Registered electors 4,577
Labour hold Swing

Asif Raja was elected in 2021 as a Labour councillor.

Queensgate

Queensgate[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Aurangzeb Ali 1,184 69.2 N/A
Labour Keith Till 343 20.0 −48.7
Conservative Bailey Webster 184 10.8 −2.2
Majority 841
Turnout 40.1
Registered electors 4,323
Independent gain from Labour Swing

Rosegrove with Lowerhouse

Rosegrove with Lowerhouse[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ashley Brown 395 37.4 −7.5
Conservative Abbey Hartley 286 27.1 +12.5
Independent Bea Foster 283 26.8 N/A
Green Chris Bridges 91 8.6 +3.4
Majority 109
Turnout 21.7
Registered electors 4,854
Labour hold Swing

Rosehill with Burnley Wood

Rosehill with Burnley Wood[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Horrocks* 467 41.2 +2.8
Liberal Democrats Russell Neal 380 33.5 −3.9
Conservative Simon Bonney 195 17.2 +3.8
Green Fi Hornby 92 8.1 +2.7
Majority 87
Turnout 25.7
Registered electors 4,453
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

This seat was gained by Labour in a by-election in November 2022.[14]

Trinity

Trinity[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Martyn Hurt* 396 52.0 −12.0
Labour Tony Martin 280 36.8 +9.8
Conservative Dale Ferrier 85 11.2 +2.2
Majority 116
Turnout 19.0
Registered electors 4,025
Green hold Swing

Whittlefield with Ightenhill

Whittlefield with Ightenhill[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Don Whitaker* 647 46.8 +4.9
Labour Liam Walsh 305 22.1 +6.0
Green Duncan Reed 244 17.7 −14.0
Independent David Roper 139 10.1 N/A
Independent Mitchell Cryer 47 3.4 −2.6
Majority 342
Turnout 30.5
Registered electors 4,554
Conservative hold Swing

By-elections

Lanehead

Lanehead by-election: 4 November 2025[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Shiraz Ahmed 706 44.4 +2.2
Reform Gavin Theaker 510 32.1 N/A
Labour Millie Towers 262 16.5 –25.9
Conservative Dale Ferrier 61 3.8 –11.7
Green Affan Burki 50 3.1 N/A
Majority 196 12.3 N/A
Turnout 1,594 34.0
Registered electors 4,687
Independent gain from Labour

The Lanehead by-election was triggered by the resignation of councillor Fiona Wild, who stepped down after a Facebook post in which she described the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk as "good riddance".[16]

Queensgate

Queensgate by-election: 4 November 2025[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Musharaf Parvez 679 55.7 –13.5
Reform Victoria Fletcher 240 19.7 N/A
Labour Dylan Rea 133 10.9 –9.1
Green Janet Hall 71 5.8 N/A
Independent Javad Mokhammad 52 4.3 N/A
Conservative Susan Nutter 43 3.5 –7.3
Majority 439 36.0 N/A
Turnout 1,221 27.2
Registered electors 4,483
Independent gain from Labour

The Queensgate by-election was triggered by the resignation of independent councillor Syeda Kazmi.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Ten of the eleven independents prior to the election sat together as the 'Burnley Independent Group', led by Afrasiab Anwar.
  2. ↑ Sit as part of the Burnley Independent Group, which is not registered as a political party
  1. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (24 May 2023). "Labour take control of council as a minority administration". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Khan, Shuiab (17 November 2023). "Labour loses control of council as Independents form new coalition". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ↑ Khan, Shuiab (17 November 2023). "Burnley councillors who resigned over Gaza form coalition". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (8 May 2024). "Burnley Council's three-way coalition to stay as minority". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "Your Councillors by Party". Burnley Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Burnley and Padiham Independent Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (18 September 2023). "Double politicians' switch leaves council control on a knife edge". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Ambrose, Tom (5 November 2023). "Burnley council leader quits over Starmer's failure to call for Gaza ceasefire". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Trinity Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (28 February 2024). "Veteran Independent councillor joins borough's Conservative group". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Burnley Borough Council. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "The 2024 council elections" (PDF). A Gray Area. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Coyle, Simon (2 May 2024). "Burnley local council election 2024 results in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Rosehill with Burnley Wood Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Council By-elections: November 2025" (PDF). A Gray Area. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (12 September 2025). "By-election process under way after 'good riddance' councillor quits". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Reforms going to Topham". LocalCouncils.co.uk. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
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