2026 Hyndburn Borough Council election

2026 Hyndburn Borough Council election
7 May 2026
11 of 35 seats to Hyndburn Borough Council
18 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Munsif Dad Zak Khan Anthony Mitchell
Party Labour Conservative Reform
Leader's seat Spring Hill St Oswald's Huncoat
Last election 24 11 0
Seats before 21 11 0
Seats after 17 8 8
Seat change Decrease4 Decrease3 Increase8
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Shabir Fazal Sohail Asghar
Party Green Independent
Leader's seat Central Spring Hill
Last election 1 1
Seats before 2 1
Seats after 1 1
Seat change Decrease1 Steady
2026 local election results in Hyndburn
  Reform UK
  Labour
  Conservative
  Independent
  Not contested
Leader before election

Munsif Dad
Labour

 Elected Leader

Munsif Dad
Labour
No overall control

The 2026 Hyndburn Borough Council election was held on 7 May 2026, to elect 11 of the 35 members of Hyndburn Borough Council in Lancashire, England, being the usual approximate third of the council. This was on the same day as other local elections across the country.

Hyndburn requested the election to be cancelled,[1] but the government abandoned its initial plans to cancel some 2026 elections following a legal challenge.[2]

Prior to this election year, the council was under Labour majority control.

Background

Before the election Labour had 21 councillors, the Conservatives had 13 councillors and the Greens had 1. Eighteen or more seats are needed for overall control of the council. Labour were running the council as a majority administration.[3]

The seats up for election in 2026 had last been contested in 2022. Due to plans outlined by the Government in 2024 to abolish several borough councils in Lancashire in favour of new unitary authorities, it was not known if the 2026 election in Hyndburn would be required. However, in 2025 Labour council leader Munsif Dad claimed that the elections would be going ahead as planned.[4][5]

Despite initially confirming that the elections would take place as planned, Labour council leader Munsif Dad later wrote to the government to request a delay to 2027, and the government announced its plans to delay the election.[6][7] On 16 February 2026, the government abandoned its plans to delay the elections after a legal challenge and confirmed that they will take place as originally planned.[2]

As a result of the Elections Act 2022 electors were required to present photographic identification to polling staff in order to cast their vote. Postal voters were not affected.

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election After 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 22 Labour 21 Labour 17
Conservative 11 Conservative 11 Conservative 8
Reform 0 Reform 0 Reform 8
Green 1 Green 2 Green 1
Independent 1 Independent 1 Independent 1

Following this election, Labour lost its Majority Control of the Council, being left with only 17 seats, instead of 18 or more needed for full control, leaving the council in No Overall Control; after Labour HELD one seat, Conservatives RE-GAIN one seat, an Independent WINS one seat and Reform GAINS the remaining eight seats.

Changes 2024–2026:

  • November 2024: Edward Blake (Labour) dies – by-election held February 2025[8]
  • February 2025: David Heap (Conservative) gains by-election from Labour[9]
  • June 2025: Joyce Plummer (Independent) joins Conservatives[10]
  • February 2026: Marlene Haworth (Conservative) dies[11]
  • March 2026: Josh Allen (Conservative) resigns the from the Conservative party.
  • April 2026: Andrew Clegg (Labour) defects to the Green Party.

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Clayton-le-Moors Peter Edwards Conservative No
Huncoat Danny Cassidy Conservative No
Immanuel Josh Allen[a] Conservative Yes[b][12]
Milnshaw Andrew Clegg[c] Green Yes
Netherton Jodi Clements Labour Yes[13]
Overton Scott Brerton Labour Yes
Peel Joyce Plummer[d] Conservative Yes
Rishton Bernard Dawson Labour Yes
Spring Hill Kimberley Whitehead Labour No[14]
St Andrew's Steven Smithson Conservative Yes[e][15]
St Oswald's Vacant Conservative[f] N/A

The results for when this set of seats was last contested are at 2022 Hyndburn Borough Council election.

NB: Five (of the 16) Council wards, where seats were NOT up for re-election in 2026, included the following wards - Altham, Baxenden and Church, plus Barnfield and Central in Accrington.

Election results

2026 Hyndburn Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Candidates Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour {{{candidates}}} 1 Decrease 3 9.1 16 17 48.6 3,490 21.2 Decrease 26.5
  Reform {{{candidates}}} 8 Increase 8 72.7 0 8 22.9 6,889 41.9 Increase 40.2
  Conservative {{{candidates}}} 1 Decrease 5 9.1 7 8 22.9 3,696 22.5 Decrease 12.7
  Independent {{{candidates}}} 1 Increase 1 9.1 0 1 2.9 664 4.0 Increase 3.4
  Green {{{candidates}}} 0 Decrease 1 0.0 1 1 2.9 1,690 10.3 Decrease 3.6

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows, with an asterisk (*) indicating a sitting councillor standing for re-election.

Clayton-le-Moors

Clayton-le-Moors
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Miles Parkinson 668 47.6 N/A
Labour Co-op Richard Downie 396 28.2 −18.1
Conservative Jayde Holmes 177 12.6 −41.1
Green Sara Michaels 162 11.5 N/A
Majority 272
Rejected ballots 3
Turnout 1408 40.5
Registered electors 3,475
Reform gain from Conservative Swing

Huncoat

Huncoat
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Anthony Mitchell 697 49.2 N/A
Labour Nick King 339 23.9 −16.9
Green Jodie Green 234 16.5 N/A
Conservative Andrew Libberton 148 10.4 −48.8
Majority 358
Rejected ballots 8
Turnout 1427 40.6
Registered electors 3,516
Reform gain from Conservative Swing

Immanuel

Steven Smithson was the incumbent councillor for St Andrews, but was standing in Immanuel against the former Conservative Josh Allen, who resigned from the party in March, whilst veteran Conservative Peter Britcliffe stood in St Andrews.

Immanuel
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steven Smithson* 650 43.6 −11.6
Reform Anna Stanislawska 518 36.9 N/A
Independent Josh Allen* 236 16.8 −38.4
Majority 132
Rejected ballots 32
Turnout 1437 41.5
Registered electors 3,466
Conservative gain from Independent Swing

Milnshaw

Andrew Clegg (formerly Labour) defected to the Green Party, in April.

Milnshaw
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Joel Tetlow 609 50.0 N/A
Green Andy Clegg* 297 24.4 −24.3
Labour Hannah Fisher 193 15.8 −32.9
Conservative Foyzun Nur 120 9.8 −22.1
Majority 312
Rejected ballots 10
Turnout 1230 33.8
Registered electors 3,638
Reform gain from Green Swing

Netherton

Netherton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jodi Clements* 616 41.5 −22.5
Reform Colleen Dickinson-Jones 540 36.4 28.5
Green Wayne Fitzharris 186 12.5 N/A
Conservative Barry Walker 143 9.6 −19.5
Majority 76
Turnout 1495 41.4
Registered electors 3,608
Labour Co-op hold Swing

Overton

Overton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jordan Fox 874 44.6 33.0
Labour Co-op Scott Brerton* 599 30.6 −21.5
Conservative Judith McKelvey 257 13.1 −23.2
Green Zoe Thomas 230 11.7
Majority 275
Rejected ballots 7
Turnout 1967 41.8
Registered electors 4,707
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing

Peel

Peel
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Ashley Joynes 377 42.0 35.9
Green Lex Kristan 197 21.9 N/A
Conservative Joyce Plummer* 165 18.4 −6.6
Labour Malcolm Pritchard 159 17.7 −51.2
Majority 180
Rejected ballots 4
Turnout 902 30.2
Registered electors 2,991
Reform gain from Labour Swing

Rishton

Rishton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Lance Parkinson 903 49.8 44.7
Conservative Carole Haythornthwaite 375 20.7 −11.3
Labour Co-op Bernard Dawson* 307 16.9 −17.6
Green Lee MacNeall 227 12.5 N/A
Majority 528
Rejected ballots 13
Turnout 1829 37.3
Registered electors 4,908
Reform gain from Labour Co-op Swing

Spring Hill

Independent Sohail Asghar, was previously suspended from the Green Party back in February, after having given up the Green Party whip due to "an investigation" in December 2025.[16]

Spring Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Sohail Asghar 428 29.3 N/A
Labour Co-op Graham Jones 405 27.7 −24.9
Conservative Saeed Ullah 369 25.2 −22.2
Reform Jan Evans 261 17.8 N/A
Majority 23
Rejected ballots 8
Turnout 1472 38.4
Registered electors 3,835
Independent gain from Labour Co-op Swing

St Andrew's

St Andrew's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Gaynor Hargreaves 492 40.1 N/A
Conservative Peter Britcliffe 432 35.2 −18.2
Green Julie Stubbins 157 12.8 N/A
Labour Jade Wellings 147 12.0 −34.6
Majority 60
Rejected ballots 8
Turnout 1236 36.8
Registered electors 3,359
Reform gain from Conservative Swing

St Oswald's

St Oswald's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Paul Brown 950 44.4 N/A
Conservative Vinette Davitt 860 40.2 N/A
Labour Caitlin Pritchard 329 15.4 N/A
Majority 90
Rejected ballots 16
Turnout 2157 45.4
Registered electors 4,747
Reform gain from Conservative Swing

References

  1. ↑ Elected as a Conservative. Now standing as an Independent.
  2. ↑ Elected as a Conservative, but left the party to sit as an Independent
  3. ↑ Originally elected as Labour, but later left the party and joined the Greens.
  4. ↑ Previously sitting as an Independent, she joined the Conservatives in June 2025.
  5. ↑ Standing in Immanuel ward.
  6. ↑ Vacant seat last held by the Conservatives.
  1. ↑ "Revealed: The councils that asked to cancel elections". 2026-01-15. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  2. 1 2 "Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections". BBC News. 16 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Labour wins Hyndburn and unseats opposition Tory leader in Chorley". BBC News. 2024-05-03. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  4. ↑ "Borough's local elections WILL go ahead in 2026 councillors told". Lancashire Telegraph. 2025-03-03. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  5. ↑ "Agenda item - Announcements". 2025-02-27. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  6. ↑ "Call to delay 2026 local elections in Lancashire over devolution". BBC News. 2025-11-14. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  7. ↑ "Transitioning Lancashire councils seek to postpone elections". BBC News. 2026-01-14. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  8. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (13 November 2024). "Sadness after Labour councillor dies after just six months in job". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Baxenden Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (9 June 2025). "Former Labour finance boss joins council Tory group". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Jacobs, Bill (2026-02-05). "Tributes paid after death of former Hyndburn Council leader and mayor". Lancs Live. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  12. ↑ "Dumped Mayor quits Tories to stand as Independent in May". Lancashire Telegraph. 2026-03-30. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  13. ↑ "Councillor calls for a civil and kind local election campaign". Lancashire Telegraph. 2026-03-27. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  14. ↑ "Councillor quits for crime role to honour murdered brother". Lancashire Telegraph. 2026-03-28. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  15. ↑ "Dumped Mayor quits Tories to stand as Independent in May". Lancashire Telegraph. 2026-03-30. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  16. ↑ "Green councillor gives up whip over 'investigation'". BBC News. 2025-12-22. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
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