Two Ribble Valley council polls set for rerun after voter error

Ribble Valley poll staff mistakenly registered several households in Whalley & Painter Wood ward in the neighbouring Whalley Nethertown ward.

As a result, these voters were directed to cast their ballots for the wrong ward when they turned up at the joint polling station in the village hall.

It's unknown how many people voted in the wrong ward and if their votes had any impact on the result of the polls.

An unknown number of people voted in the wrong ward after a council cock-up (Image: Newsquest)

Now Whalley and Painter Wood's Conservative candidate Ged Mirfin, who lost his seat by just six votes, is to ask the High Court to overturn his result.

If he is successful in his petition to the special Election Court, this is likely to result in the council having to hold by-elections in both wards.

Ribble Valley Council is now in no overall control after the Conservatives lost eight councillors.

In May 4's elections in Whalley & Painter Wood, Conservative Mark Hindle was elected with 336 votes and Independent John Atherton with 327.

Mr Mirfin, the sitting councillor, came third with 321 votes.

In Whalley Nethertown, Labour's Aaron Wilkins-Odudu - the 18-year-old cousin of Blackburn TV star AJ Odudu - was elected with a 10 vote majority over Conservative David Berryman.

Aaron Wilkins-Odudu (Image: Labour)

Mr Mirfin is now set to petition the Election Court of the High Court to have the polls declared 'null and void' after Ribble Valley Council chief executive and returning officer Marshal Scott admitted the error.

Mr Mirfin said: "This came as a huge shock to me.

"A group of six residents in the Lawsonsteads estate contacted the chief executive after being directed to vote in Nethertown rather than Painter Wood.

"He investigated and found they had been told to vote in the wrong ward.

"I will be submitting a petition to the election court within the next couple of days, which is highly likely to result in the election in the ward being declared null and void.

"As I lost by six votes I have no doubt this cost me my seat. The number of voters involved is undoubtedly more than six.

"This is obviously a fundamental error on behalf of a member of the election staff when they recompiled the electoral register.

"I expect both ward polls will have to be re-run with by-elections in June.

"What I now want to know is whether the same mistake was made in other marginal wards."

Marshal Scott (Image: Ribble Valley Council)

Council chief executive Mr Scott said: “I can confirm the electoral register at the Whalley Nethertown polling station included electors from two streets in the Whalley and Painter Wood ward, and that those electors did not appear on the register for the Whalley and Painter Wood ward.

“A small number of voters who live in the Whalley and Painter Wood ward therefore cast votes in the Whalley Nethertown ward, instead of their own ward.

“The election results in both wards remain valid, unless overturned following a successful petition to the Election Court.

“We are looking into what caused the electors in the Whalley and Painter Wood ward to appear on the register for Whalley Nethertown.”

Independent Cllr Atherton, who unseated Mr Mirfin, said: "I shall not be making any comment until I have made further investigations."

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “We are aware of this and have provided the Ribble Valley Conservative Association with advice on how to proceed on this matter, should they wish to do so.”

The result of the Ribble Valley borough elections means that the previously ruling Conservative group now has 18 of the 40 councillors.

There are eight Liberal Democrats, seven Labour councillors, five Independents and two Greens.

The election court the court has the power to declare the result void and either declare another candidate as elected, or a new election shall be held to fill the vacancy.

The process could take several months.