Labour and the Liberal Democrats have agreed a deal to run a local authority left 'hung' after May 4's local elections and take power from the Conservatives.

The new shared administration will take control of Pendle Council after the Conservatives lost their paper-thin one seat majority earlier this month.

The poll saw the number of Tory councillors on the 33 member authority cut from 17 to 14 with Labour on 11, the Lib Dems on seven, and former Labour group leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal - currently suspended from the party - sitting as an Independent.

Under the partnership deal, Labour boss Cllr Asjad Mahmood will be become leader and his Lib Dem counterpart Cllr David Whipp his deputy.

The ruling executive will have three other Labour members and two more Lib Dems.

The two groups have laid out a 'Plan for Pendle' which includes:

  • Protecting the area’s leisure services - especially its three sports centres in the light of the previous administration’s report on their viability.
  • Creating a new Local Plan with reduced housing development to protect green spaces.
  • Boosting measures to make the borough’s homes more energy-efficient, especially its many terraced houses.
  • Pressing to make more social housing available and stepping up action to cut the number of long-term empty properties.
  • Strengthening controls on rogue landlords and sub-standard rented homes.
  • Prioritising projects including the renewal plan for Colne Market Hall and the fight for a health centre for Barnoldswick.
  • Boosting youth services to tackle anti-social behaviour among young people.

Whitefield and Walverden's Cllr Mahmood, set to be confirmed as Pendle's political leader at the council's annual meeting on Thursday, said: “We now have the chance to work together with new priorities and new aims for the area and all of its people, and to put right some of the problems the past administration has left in its wake.

"Thirteen years of Conservative cuts to Pendle Council’s core budgets has crippled many services and we will work day and night with the Liberal Democrats to find out the extent of the damage the Tories have caused, and repair the reputational damage to Pendle.”

Cllr Whipp, who representes Earby and Coates, added: “Residents in Pendle have some of the poorest housing conditions in the country, ill health and low average wages.

"The government’s funding fails to meet the needs of local people and the council is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to having enough money for vital services.

“After two years when the previous administration failed to make any significant savings, there’s a desperate need to make ends meet and achieve budget reductions without slashing services.

"We hope to make a start in repairing the damage that 24 months of local Conservative rule has done.

"We’ll resume having meetings streamed online by the council.”

Pendle Conservative group leader Cllr Nadeem Ahmed said: "I am disappointed.
"We had a meeting with the Liberal Democrats which I thought was productive.
"We have started a lot of good projects and policies which I felt we could have continued in partnership with the Lib Dems.

"I do not think this Labour/LibDem partnership will be good for Pendle."