Preston City Council elections
Preston City Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council elected each time. Preston City Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan district of Preston in Lancashire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 48 councillors have been elected from 16 wards.[1]

Political control

From 1889 to 1974 Preston was a county borough, independent of any county council.[2] Under the Local Government Act 1972 it had its territory enlarged, gaining Fulwood Urban District and most of Preston Rural District, and at the same time became a non-metropolitan district, with Lancashire County Council providing county-level services.[3][4] The first election to the reformed borough council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Preston was awarded city status in 2002.[5] Political control of the council since 1973 has been held by the following parties:[6][7]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1973–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1980 | |
| Labour | 1980–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2011 | |
| Labour | 2011–present | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1992 have been:[8]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Borrow | Labour | 1992 | 1994 | |
| Valerie Wise[9] | Labour | 1994 | 1995 | |
| David Borrow | Labour | 1995 | 1997 | |
| Peter Rankin | Labour | 1997 | 2000 | |
| Ian Hall | Labour | 2000 | 15 May 2003 | |
| John Collins | Labour | 15 May 2003 | 16 May 2007 | |
| Ken Hudson | Conservative | 16 May 2007 | 18 May 2011 | |
| Peter Rankin | Labour | 18 May 2011 | 6 May 2018 | |
| Matthew Brown | Labour | 16 May 2018 | ||
Notes
- † Independent 1, Labour Independent 1
- i Independent 1
- * Labour Independent 2
- ^ Labour Independent 3, People's Party 1
- # Independent 2 (one elected as Socialist Alliance Against the War[10]), Labour Independent 2
- α Deepdale Independent 2
- β Deepdale Independent 2, Independent Socialist 1
- γ Deepdale Independent 1
- ** Independent 1, Deepdale Independent 1
- 1 During September 1999 two councillors formed "The People's Party"[10]
- 2 During November 2008 one councillor changed his designation from the Respect Party to Independent Socialist[10]
- 3 During August 2018 two councillors formed an Independent Conservatives group.[10]
- 4 During May 2020 one councillor resigned their seat, which remained vacant until restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.
Council elections
1970s
- 1973 Preston Borough Council election
- 1975 Preston Borough Council election
- 1976 Preston Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[11]
- 1978 Preston Borough Council election
- 1979 Preston Borough Council election
1980s
- 1980 Preston Borough Council election
- 1982 Preston Borough Council election
- 1983 Preston Borough Council election
- 1984 Preston Borough Council election
- 1986 Preston Borough Council election
- 1987 Preston Borough Council election
- 1988 Preston Borough Council election
1990s
- 1990 Preston Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[12]
- 1991 Preston Borough Council election
- 1992 Preston Borough Council election
- 1994 Preston Borough Council election
- 1995 Preston Borough Council election
- 1996 Preston Borough Council election
- 1998 Preston Borough Council election
- 1999 Preston Borough Council election
2000s
- 2000 Preston Borough Council election
- 2002 Preston Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)[13][14]
- 2003 Preston City Council election
- 2004 Preston City Council election
- 2006 Preston City Council election
- 2007 Preston City Council election (Some new ward boundaries)[15]
- 2008 Preston City Council election
2010s
- 2010 Preston City Council election
- 2011 Preston City Council election
- 2012 Preston City Council election
- 2014 Preston City Council election
- 2015 Preston City Council election
- 2016 Preston City Council election
- 2018 Preston City Council election
- 2019 Preston City Council election (New ward boundaries)[1]
District result maps
2002 results map
2003 results map
2004 results map
2006 results map
2007 results map
2008 results map
2010 results map
2011 results map
Changes between elections
1990 boundaries
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Veronica Afrin | 617 | 41.5 | -28.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Anna Riedel | 383 | 25.8 | +13.2 | |
| Independent | Paul Malliband | 278 | 18.7 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Elaine Pugh | 179 | 12.0 | -5.2 | |
| Independent | Gerald Kerrone | 30 | 2.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 234 | 15.7 | |||
| Turnout | 1,487 | 30.1 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Swindells | 361 | 64.6 | -3.6 | |
| Conservative | David Hammond | 134 | 24.0 | +8.6 | |
| Independent | Bernadette Jones | 64 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 227 | 40.6 | |||
| Turnout | 559 | 8.6 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harry Landless | 903 | 82.1 | +2.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Bruton | 153 | 13.9 | +2.9 | |
| Labour | Terry Mattinson | 44 | 4.0 | -5.3 | |
| Majority | 750 | 68.2 | |||
| Turnout | 1,100 | 21.0 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Peter Ward | 501 | 48.8 | +24.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Danny Gallagher | 349 | 34.0 | -23.8 | |
| Conservative | R Turner | 110 | 10.7 | -0.4 | |
| Independent | I Heywood | 67 | 6.5 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 152 | 14.8 | |||
| Turnout | 1,027 | 23.7 | |||
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +23.9 | |||
2007 boundaries
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Peter Rankin | 423 | 34.3 | -6.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Rick Seymour | 400 | 32.4 | +21.5 | |
| Conservative | Paul Balshaw | 292 | 23.6 | -6.7 | |
| No description | Barry Hill | 84 | 6.8 | N/A | |
| Green | Kizzi Murtagh | 36 | 2.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 23 | 1.9 | |||
| Turnout | 1,235 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | -14.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jennifer Mein | 656 | 55.7 | +13.2 | |
| Conservative | Sharon Riley | 283 | 24.0 | +3.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Luke Bosman | 239 | 20.3 | +1.3 | |
| Majority | 373 | 31.7 | |||
| Turnout | 1,178 | 30.9 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | +8.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Linda Crompton | 890 | 66.72 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Wilkinson | 388 | 29.09 | ||
| Green | Adam Vardey | 56 | 4.20 | ||
| Majority | 502 | 37.63 | |||
| Turnout | 1,334 | ||||
| Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +8.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | John Potter | 721 | 43.1 | -14.0 | |
| Labour | John Young | 476 | 28.5 | +20.8 | |
| Conservative | David Walker | 465 | 28.4 | -6.9 | |
| Majority | 245 | 14.7 | -141 | ||
| Turnout | 1,672 | ||||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -3.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Liz Atkins | 648 | 47.89 | +3.29 | |
| Conservative | Michael Balshaw | 477 | 35.25 | +2.28 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jeremy Dable | 166 | 12.27 | +4.15 | |
| UKIP | Simon Platt | 62 | 4.58 | -3.37 | |
| Majority | 171 | 12.64 | +1.01 | ||
| Turnout | 1,353 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Ron Woollam | 987 | 69.46 | -0.84 | |
| Labour | Joshua Mascord | 216 | 15.20 | -14.50 | |
| Liberal Democrats | David Callaghan | 160 | 11.26 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Kieran Aspden | 58 | 4.08 | N/A | |
| Majority | 771 | 54.26 | |||
| Turnout | 1,421 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative councillor Damien Moore (Greyfriars) resigned from the council in March 2018 (he was elected Member of Parliament for Southport in 2017).[22] The seat (term ending 2019 due to boundary changes[23] trigger a full election) was filled in a double election for Greyfriars on 3 May.[24]
References
- "The Preston (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2018/548, retrieved 24 August 2022
- "Preston Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
- "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
- "Crown Office". London Gazette (56573): 6160. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- "Preston". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- "Council minutes". Preston City Council. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- Hattersley, Roy (24 March 2001). "Prudent policies bring back pride". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- "Political history composition of Preston City Council" (PDF). Preston City Council. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- The Borough of Preston (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975
- legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Preston (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1989. Retrieved on 4 November 2015.
- "Preston". BBC News Online. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Preston (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
- legislation.gov.uk - The Preston (Electoral Changes) Order 2007. Retrieved on 3 November 2015.
- Afrin predicts nasty campaign in by-election Lancashire Telegraph (written 10 September 1998)
- "Tulketh by-election". Preston City Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- "Fishwick by-election". Preston City Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
- Statement of Persons Nomination Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Preston City Council
- "Preston City Council • Elections". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2010. Preston City Council
- Walker, Ed. "Preston by-election results: Who won in Ashton and Preston Rural East?". Blog Preston. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- "They break ties in Ockendon | LocalCouncils.co.uk". localcouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- "Local Government Boundary Commission for England Consultation Portal". consultation.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- th.palin. "Elections 2018 | Preston City Council". www.preston.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2018.