LABOUR'S two seat lead over the Liberal Democrat's on Pendle Council disappeared when a closely fought battle resulted in the two main parties sharing the lead.

Both parties have 19 seats, leaving the future leadership of the council wide open to debate and leaders of each party unsure of what will happen in relation to the running of the council.

They each said the matter would have to be discussed at the next full council meeting.

The most nail-biting ward count was undoubtedly Walverden in Nelson in which the voting was so close between Labour and the Liberal Democrats the returning officer, Stephen Barnes, declared eight recounts with the final results announced five hours after the count began.

Labour Coun Judith Robinson finally heard she had gained two more votes than Liberal Democrat Qadeer Ahmed who gained 544.

Coun Robinson said: "I am very pleased about winning a seat in the Walverden ward again but when I set off from the polling station when it closed I never thought for one minute I'd have to go through eight recounts. I am now extremely happy to have won."

In an election in which boundary changes saw the number of seats up for grabs cut from 51 to 49, Labour lost three seats, the Liberal Democrats lost one seat and the Tories won two seats.

Leader of the Labour group, Coun Azhar Ali, said: "I think it's been quite a rollercoaster night with very close results and some surprises but that is what is bound to happen with such a lottery of ward changes and the large number of candidates standing. We will have to wait and see what happens now with it being 19, 19, 11 but the Labour councillors will continue to work for the people of Pendle and their best interests."

Opposition leader Liberal Democrat Coun Alan Davies, was delighted to retain his own seat in the Boulsworth ward and welcome four new Liberal Democrat councillors to the council.

Another happy councillor was Conservative Pauline McCormick who secured her own seat in the Reedley ward as well as her forthcoming role as Mayor of the Borough.

Lab: 19

Lib Dem: 19

Con: 11

BARROWFORD

A Vickerman (Lib Dem)*...840

A Beckett (Con)*...761

L Crossley (Con)*...742

M Simpson (Lib Dem)...667

K Coates (Lib Dem)...658

J Eyre (Con)...615

S Nike (Lab)...359

A Hargreaves (Lab)...275

R Oliver (Lab)...262

Turnout 47.69%

BLACKO AND HIGHERFORD

S Derwent (Con)*...569

H Ingham (Lab)...67

C Abbiss (Lib Dem)...60

Turnout 52.01%

BOULSWORTH

J Belbin (Lib Dem)*...901

A Davies (Lib Dem)*...831

D Robertson (Lib Dem)*...828

M Calvert (Con)...392

J Farnell (Con)...305

H Ryder (Con)...299

D Gray (Lab)...241

R Parsons (Lab)...241

M Wilson (Lab)...205

Turnout 41.15%

BRADLEY

M Iqbal (Lab)*...1,052

F Hartley (Lab)*...1,047

M Nasim (Lab)...995

M Munir (Lib Dem)...885

S Robinson (Lib Dem)...861

D Stopforth (Lib Dem)...800

E King (Con)...155

F Chadwick (Con)...153

E Myers (Con)...132

Turnout 52.1%

BRIERFIELD

F Clifford (Lab)*...845

P Allen (Lab)...840

A Jabbar (Lab)...838

P Jackson (Con)...818

H Ashraf (Con)...804

F Wren (Con)...796

W Lawrence (Lib Dem)...227

K Mehmood (Lib Dem)...147

I Carlos (Lib Dem)...145

Turnout 56.2%

CLOVER HILL

C Waite (Lab)*...675

N Akrigg (Lab)*...640

K Shore (Lib Dem)*...596

M Ansar (Lab)*...577

D Foster (Lib Dem)...545

N Malik (Lib Dem)...444

A Emmott (Con)...330

M Taylor (Con)...300

A Jackson (Con)...286

Turnout 43.3%

COATES

M Bell (Lib Dem)*...1,082

M Adams (Lib Dem)*...1,020

A Buck (Lib Dem)...989

P Hanson (Lab)...383

D Poole (Con)...185

J Myers (Con)...179

Turnout 39.76%

CRAVEN

D Whipp (Lib Dem)*...1,056

M Norcross (Lib Dem)*...973

M Hill-Crane (Lib Dem)...879

F Neal (Lab)*...620

K Harrison (Con)...254

B Davison (Con)...239

B Harrison (Con)...254

Turnout 43.17%

EARBY

C Tennant (Con)*...939

R Carroll (Con)*...925

M Horsfield (Con)...861

D Haigh (Lib Dem)*...795

T Haigh (Lib Dem)...748

C Day (Lib Dem)...689

W Skinner (Lab)...278

R Wilkinson (Lab)...236

Turnout 45.46%

FOULRIDGE

C Belshaw (Con)*...352

J Smith (Lab)...188

M Birtwell (Lib Dem)...104

Turnout 47.38%

HIGHAM AND PENDLESIDE

J Nutter (Con)...567

S Wicks (Lab)...172

Turnout 53.67%

HORSFIELD

S Davies (Lib Dem)...618

D Lord (Lib Dem)*...593

A Kerrigan (Lib Dem)...566

P Broughton (Lab)...423

D Johns (Lab)...406

K Hutson (Lab)...356

P Nowland (Indep)...301

J Riley (Con)...207

A Thompson (Con)...192

D Myers (Con)...162

Turnout 36.3%

MARSDEN

D Ormrod (Lab)*...473

G Rowland (Lab)*...455

L Atkinson (Indep)...235

M Landriau (Con)...232

V Landriau (Con)...201

D French (Lib Dem)...100

D Stanworth (Lib Dem)...80

Turnout 38.2%

OLD LAUND BOOTH

J David (Lib Dem)*...639

C Bevan (Con)...116

Turnout 62.7%

REEDLEY

P McCormick (Con)*...1,255

W Clegg (Con)...1,155

T Barton (Con)*...1,071

R Allen (Lab)...681

M Hanif (Lab)...599

A Martin (Lab)...559

V Greaves (Lib Dem)...258

F Myers (Lib Deb)...215

A Whipp (Lib Dem)...198

Turnout 56.2%

SOUTHFIELD

S Dunn (Lab)*...787

M Latif (Lab)*...681

A Ali (Lab)*...673

P Wildman (Con)...350

J Marshall (Con)...344

M Thornton (Lib Dem)...310

R Ahmed (Lib Dem)...193

M Ashraf (Lib Dem)...159

J Nasim (Con)...158

Turnout 37.6%

VIVARY BRIDGE

D Clegg (Lib Dem)*...617

D Whalley (Lab)*...608

F Allanson (Lab)...510

D Foat (Lab)...502

R Jackson (Lib Dem)...479

S Benson (Con)...290

I Porter (Con)...281

G Riley (Con)...249

K Bean (Soc Alliance)...149

Turnout 35.6%

WALVERDEN

G Adam (Lab)*...566

J Robinson (Lab)*...546

Q Ahmed (Lib Dem)...544

A Greaves (Lib Dem)...478

B King (Con)...186

A Tattersall (Con)...165

Turnout %

WATERSIDE

E Sargeant (Lib Dem)*...626

A Doult (Lab)...499

I Robinson (Lib Dem)...492

I Tweedie (Lab)*...442

A Statham (Lib Dem)...437

A Moulton (Lab)...431

E Jackson (Con)...168

R MacSween (Soc Alliance)...167

R Wood (Con)...165

A Mitchell (Con)...151

Turnout 36.7%

WHITEFIELD

M Ahmed (Lib Dem)...900

A Mahmood (Lab)...846

A Malik (Lib Dem)...795

M Arshad (Lab)...680

M Ainsworth (Con)...105

I Ahmed (Con)...79

Turnout 70.1%

* denotes councillor seeking re-election

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