Burnley Borough Council
Burnley Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Lukman Patel since July 2023[3] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 45 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 9SA | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Burnley Borough Council provides district-level services for the Borough of Burnley, in Lancashire, in North West England. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[5]
Political control
[edit]The council has been under no overall control since 2019.
The first election to the reformed borough council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[6][7]
| Party | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–2000 | |
| No overall control | 2000–2001 | |
| Labour | 2001–2004 | |
| No overall control | 2004–2008 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2008–2011 | |
| No overall control | 2011–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–present | |
Leadership
[edit]The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Burnley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2006 have been:[8]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Caddy | Labour | 7 May 2006 | ||
| Gordon Birtwistle | Liberal Democrats | May 2006 | 2010 | |
| Charlie Briggs | Liberal Democrats | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Julie Cooper | Labour | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Mark Townsend[9] | Labour | 2014 | 15 May 2019 | |
| Charlie Briggs[10] | Burnley and Padiham Independent Party | 29 May 2019 | 18 Sep 2020 | |
| Mark Townsend | Labour | 30 Sep 2020 | 19 May 2021 | |
| Afrasiab Anwar | Labour | 19 May 2021 | 5 Nov 2023 | |
| Independent | 5 Nov 2023 | |||
Composition
[edit]Following the 2023 UK local elections the Labour Party ran a minority administration in Burnley council, having 21 seats and 2 short of a majority. However on 5 November 2023 council leader Afrasiab Anwar and ten Labour colleagues resigned from the Labour Party in protest at Keir Starmer's refusal to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza war.[11] This group was subsequently known as the Burnley Independent Group. On 17 November, the council was taken over by the new "Co-operative Alliance", which comprised the Burnley Independent Group, Green Party, and Liberal Democrat councillors and had enough seats to hold an overall majority on Burnley Council.[12]
Following the 2024 United Kingdom local elections, the Alliance fell one short of a majority, with only 22 councillors. Despite this, the Alliance members agreed to continue their arrangement and continue running the council, relying on the independent mayor to use his casting vote in their favour in case of a drawn vote with Labour and the Conservatives.[13]
As of May 2024, the council's composition is:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 15 | |
| Independent | 9 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | |
| Green | 5 | |
| Workers Party | 1 | |
| Total | 45 | |
The ten independent councillors sit together as the 'Burnley Independent Group', which forms part of the council's administration with the Liberal Democrats and Greens.[14] The next elections are due in 7 May 2026, where a third of seats will be up for election.
Elections
[edit]Since the last boundary changes in 2002 the council has comprised 45 councillors representing 15 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four year term of office. Lancashire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[15]
The wards are:
- Bank Hall
- Briercliffe
- Brunshaw
- Cliviger with Worsthorne
- Coal Clough with Deerplay
- Daneshouse with Stoneyholme
- Gannow
- Gawthorpe
- Hapton with Park
- Lanehead
- Queensgate
- Rosegrove with Lowerhouse
- Rosehill with Burnley Wood
- Trinity
- Whittlefield with Ightenhill
The district is represented on Lancashire County Council in six divisions: Burnley Central East, Burnley Central West, Burnley North East, Burnley South West, Burnley Rural and Padiham & Burnley West.[16]
The boundaries of the Burnley Parliamentary constituency are the same as those of the borough.[17]
Premises
[edit]The council is based at Burnley Town Hall on Manchester Road, which had been completed in 1888 for the old town council.[18] The council has additional offices nearby at the old Burnley Building Society building on Parker Lane.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ Collis, Dominic (16 May 2024). "Burnley appoints first ever Bangladesh-born Mayor Shah Hussain". Burnley Express. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Leader of Burnley Council and 10 councillors resign from Labour Party over Starmer's Gaza ceasefire stance". Sky News. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Jacobs, Bill (24 March 2023). "Burnley Council chooses new boss from town hall ranks". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Burnley to get its first Workers Party of Britain councillor". Lancashire Telegraph. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "Burnley". BBC News Online. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
- ^ "Council minutes". Burnley Council. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Townsend, Mark (20 May 2021). "I look back on my time in office with pride". Burnley Express. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Farnworth, Amy (18 September 2020). "Burnley Council leader, Cllr Charlie Biggs resigns due to 'petty squabbling plaguing the administration'". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Leader of Burnley Council and 10 councillors resign from Labour Party over Starmer's Gaza ceasefire stance". Sky News. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Labour loses control of council as Independents form new coalition". Lancashire Telegraph. 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ Longworth, Laura (9 May 2024). "Co-operative Alliance agrees to stay in charge of Burnley Council". Burnley Express. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ Jacobs, Bill (8 May 2024). "Burnley Council's three-way coalition to stay as minority". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "The Borough of Burnley (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/2473, retrieved 5 October 2023
- ^ "County Councillors by Local Community". Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Town Hall, Burnley (1244910)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Contact us". Burnley Borough Council. Retrieved 5 October 2023.