2023 Ribble Valley Borough Council election

2023 Ribble Valley Borough Council election
All 40 seats to Ribble Valley Borough Council; 21 seats needed for a majority
Leader before election; Stephen Atkinson; Conservative	Leader after election ; Stephen Atkinson; Conservative; No overall control

The 2023 Ribble Valley Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect all 40 members of Ribble Valley Borough Council in Lancashire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.

Results

The council was under Conservative majority control prior to the election.^[1] Following the results, the Conservatives remained the largest party but lost their majority, leaving the council under no overall control.^[2] Efforts by the other parties to put together a coalition administration were unsuccessful, and the Conservative group leader Stephen Atkinson was re-appointed leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 23 May 2023, leading a minority administration.^[3]^[4]

Results^[5]^[6]
Party		Councillors			Votes
Party			Of Total			Of Total
	Conservative Party	18	45.0%	18 / 40	9,647	41.9%
	Labour Party	7	17.5%	7 / 40	6,354	27.6%
	Liberal Democrats	8	20.0%	8 / 40	3,597	15.6%
	Independent	5	12.5%	5 / 40	2,526	11.0%
	Green Party	2	5.0%	2 / 40	875	3.8%

Ward Results

Incumbent candidates are denoted with an asterisk*.

Alston and Hothershall

Alston and Hothershall (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes
Conservative	Derek Lee Brocklehurst	Unopposed
Independent	James Rogerson* (Jim Rogerson)	Unopposed
Conservative hold
Independent gain from Conservative

Jim Rogerson had been elected in 2019 as a Conservative but had left the party to sit as an independent in April 2021.^[1] Shown here as independent gain from Conservative to allow comparison with previous election.

Billington and Langho

Billington and Langho (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Michael Austin* (Tony Austin)	463	57.2	−4.3
	Conservative	Steven Farmer* (Steve Farmer)	410	50.7	−12.4
	Labour	Frank Joseph Havard	273	33.7	+5.3
	Independent	Brian John Robert	242	29.9	N/A
Turnout			811	31.04	−1.50
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Bowland

Bowland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rosemary Joan Elms*	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Brockhall and Dinckley

Brockhall and Dinckley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen Alexis Atkinson*	315	77.4	−5.9
	Labour	Ian James Metcalfe	92	22.6	+5.9
Turnout			407	31.71	+1.25
	Conservative hold

Chatburn

Chatburn
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gary Kenneth Scott*	268	65.8	−22.7
	Labour	Craig Anthony Bryant	88	21.6	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Mark Sutcliffe	51	12.5	N/A
Turnout			407	36.44	−1.86
	Conservative hold

Chipping

Chipping
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Simon Hore*	293	67.8	*N/A*
	Labour	Alan Williams Matthews	139	32.2	N/A
Turnout			432	37.28	N/A
	Conservative hold

Clayton-le-Dale and Salesbury

Clayton-le-Dale and Salesbury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Louise Edge*	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Derby and Thornley

Derby and Thornley (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rachael Elizabeth Ray	377	52.5	+20.9
	Labour	Kieren Spencer	359	50.0	+19.0
	Conservative	Stuart Walter Alan Carefoot*	318	44.3	−20.2
	Conservative	Sarah Rainford*	306	42.6	−20.5
Turnout			718	28.72
	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative

Dilworth

Dilworth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Nicholas Kenneth Stubbs	417	55.9	+23.3
	Labour	Lee Cedric Jameson	406	54.4	+21.6
	Conservative	Craig Stephen Jackson	292	39.1	−25.8
	Conservative	Lisa Ann Quinn-Jones	288	38.6	−18.9
Turnout			752	33.24
	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative

East Whalley, Read and Simonstone

East Whalley, Read and Simonstone (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Malcolm Charles Peplow	459	53.6	*N/A*
	Green	Gaye Tomasine McCrum	364	42.5	*N/A*
	Conservative	Richard John Bennett*	339	39.6	−41.9
	Conservative	David Alan Peat*	277	32.3	−38.9
	Labour	Chloe Catherine Hinder	81	9.5	−7.7
	Labour	Joseph Anthony Kellaway	66	7.7	−6.7
Turnout			866	39.44
	Green gain from Conservative
	Green gain from Conservative

Edisford and Low Moor

Edisford and Low Moor (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Michael O'Rourke*	417	50.9	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Ryan John Corney	336	41.0	+1.8
	Labour	Joseph James Batty	212	25.9	+0.2
	Labour	Chantelle Louise Seddon	176	21.5	−3.9
	Conservative	Timothy David Jones	131	16.0	−8.4
	Conservative	Elspeth Russell-Shuker	105	12.8	−8.9
	Independent	Francis Raw	43	5.3	N/A
Turnout			820	29.96
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

Gisburn and Rimington

Gisburn and Rimington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles William Hamish McFall	203	64.0	−3.5
	Labour	Sarah Jane Bryan	69	21.8	−10.7
	Independent	Jennifer Maynard	45	14.2	N/A
Turnout			317	27.45
	Conservative hold

Hurst Green and Whitewell

Hurst Green and Whitewell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Janet Elizabeth Alcock*	208	59.8	+2.7
	Labour	Andrew Niall MacFarlane	140	40.2	+8.4
Turnout			348	33.43
	Conservative hold

Littlemoor

Littlemoor (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Gaynor Patricia Hibbert*	310	42.8	−15.7
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Richard French*	289	39.9	−10.8
	Conservative	Peter Neilson Sharples	199	27.4	+3.6
	Conservative	Connor Frazer William Graham	188	25.9	+9.6
	Labour	Carol Ann Makin	163	22.5	+3.0
	Labour	Susan Elizabeth Riley	138	19.0	+0.4
	Independent	Kim Haley	52	7.2	N/A
Turnout			726	27.45
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

Mellor

Mellor (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stella Maria Brunskill*	504	59.0	+1.9
	Conservative	Robin Eric Walsh*	465	54.4	−0.2
	Independent	John Russell Fletcher	337	39.5	N/A
Turnout			875	38.56
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Primrose

Primrose (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael St John Graveston	344	43.6	+20.6
	Liberal Democrats	Mary Robinson*	307	38.9	−19.0
	Labour	Michael Kenneth Willcox	296	37.5	+16.6
	Liberal Democrats	Kerry Elizabeth Fletcher*	262	33.2	−22.6
	Conservative	Benjamin Tyrer Muldoon	121	15.3	+0.2
	Conservative	Bilal Haider Karim	88	11.2	−2.4
	Independent	Simon Rice	36	4.6	N/A
Turnout			797	30.71
	Labour gain from Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats hold

Ribchester

Ribchester
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Karl Peter Barnsley	276	53.3	+14.6
	Conservative	Alison Mary Brown*	190	36.7	−24.6
	Green	Paul Ryan Yates	52	10.0	N/A
Turnout			518	43.25
	Labour gain from Conservative

Sabden

Sabden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Richard Newmark* (Richard Newmark)	201	48.9	−16.7
	Labour	Mark Benjamin Dawson	179	43.6	+9.2
	Liberal Democrats	Steven John Mitchell	31	7.5	N/A
Turnout			411	33.91
	Conservative hold

Salthill

Salthill (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ian Frank Brown*	388	47.2	−0.9
	Liberal Democrats	Donna Louise O'Rourke*	301	36.6	−0.7
	Conservative	Kristian Torgersen	249	30.3	−3.9
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Neilson Young	167	20.3	−9.2
	Labour	Ian David Turner	120	14.6	−3.0
	Labour	Carl Peter Nuttall	108	13.1	−2.3
Turnout			826	31.61
	Independent gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats hold

Ian Brown had been elected in 2019 as a Conservative but had left the party to sit as an independent in April 2021.^[1] Shown here as independent gain from Conservative to allow comparison with previous election.

St Mary's

St Mary's (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Stewart Mark Fletcher*	498	54.4	+0.9
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Hill*	419	45.7	−3.7
	Conservative	Claire Elizabeth Hibbitt	287	31.3	+2.5
	Conservative	Sue Elizabeth Monk	231	25.2	+5.6
	Labour	Jonathan James Hinder	157	17.1	−1.8
	Labour	Frederick Jeevan Redfern	133	14.5	−3.1
Turnout			921	36.94
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

Waddington, Bashall Eaves and Mitton

Waddington, Bashall Eaves and Mitton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sophie Cowman	212	53.5	+6.9
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Buller* (Bob Buller)	125	31.6	−21.8
	Labour	Catherine Ruth Lee	59	14.9	N/A
Turnout			396	32.98
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats

West Bradford and Grindleton

West Bradford and Grindleton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kevin Thomas Horkin*	293	60.8	−7.5
	Labour	Rebecca Anna Haydock	105	21.8	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Lindsey John Blackledge	84	17.4	−14.3
Turnout			482	36.10
	Conservative hold

Whalley and Painter Wood

Whalley and Painter Wood (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Andrew Hindle*	336	40.1	−25.3
	Independent	John Stephen Atherton	327	39.1	*N/A*
	Conservative	Gerald Xavier Mirfin* (Ged Mirfin)	321	38.4	−22.0
	Labour	Anthony McNamara	280	33.5	+2.1
	Independent	Blaire Harthern	199	23.8	−2.6
Turnout			840	37.35
	Conservative hold
	Independent gain from Conservative

Whalley Nethertown

Whalley Nethertown
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Aaron Oghenevwede Wilkins-Odudu	137	33.8	+11.6
	Conservative	David Andrew Berryman*	127	31.4	−24.5
	Independent	Katherine Lord-Green	125	30.9	N/A
	Independent	Robert Charles Edmond	16	4.0	N/A
Turnout			405	35.26
	Labour gain from Conservative

Wilpshire and Ramsgreave

Wilpshire and Ramsgreave (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Susan Mary Bibby*	472	52.6	−7.7
	Conservative	Stuart Alan Hirst*	469	52.2	−9.5
	Labour	Katherine Elizabeth Burn	381	42.4	+9.7
	Labour	Charles Berkeley Cathcart	347	38.6	+8.1
Turnout			906	34.42
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Wiswell and Barrow

Wiswell and Barrow (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Birtwhistle*	432	52.9	−2.3
	Independent	Lee Anthony Street	320	39.2	−10.1
	Conservative	Andrew John McHugh	271	33.2	+8.9
	Conservative	Jacqueline Mary Hampson	207	25.3	+2.0
	Labour	George Iain Poole	125	15.3	+6.9
	Labour	Paul Anthony Atkinson	111	13.6	+5.6
Turnout			818	37.96
	Independent hold
	Independent hold

Changes 2023–2027

Derek Brocklehust, who was elected as a Conservative, joined Labour in October 2023.^[7]
Stewart Fletcher, Mark French and Ryan Corney, all elected as Liberal Democrats, left the party in November 2023, becoming independents but sitting together as the 'Progressive Liberal' group.^[8]

St Mary's by-election, 4 July 2024^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	William Hillis Holden	597
	Conservative	Kristian Torgersen	583
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Mark Sutcliffe	464
	Independent	Andrea Marie Derbyshire	175
Turnout				68.9
	Labour gain from Liberal Democrats

By-election triggered by resignation of Stewart Fletcher, who had been elected as a Liberal Democrat but left the party in November 2023.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Jacobs, Bill (24 April 2023). "Ribble Valley Tory stronghold sees Labour and Lib Dems seeking gains". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^ Coyle, Simon (2023-05-05). "Election results from Ribble Valley local council election 2023 count". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
^ Jacobs, Bill (11 May 2023). "Battered Ribble Valley Tories seek to keep power as a minority". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^ "Borough Elections 2023 - Results". www.ribblevalley.gov.uk. 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
^ "Ribble Valley result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
^ Boothroyd, David (13 October 2023). "Cheltenham still enraged by bureaucracy". Local Councils. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^ Macdonald, Robert (30 November 2023). "Leading Ribble Valley Liberal Democrats quit form new group for 'progressive alliance' with Labour and Green Party". Lancs Live. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^ "St Mary's Ward By-Election Results - 4 July 2024". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^ Whitbread, Douglas; Macdonald, Robert (8 May 2024). "Fresh Ribble Valley by-election as councillor ups sticks and moves to Scottish island". Lancs Live. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

[stronghold-1] Jacobs, Bill (24 April 2023). "Ribble Valley Tory stronghold sees Labour and Lib Dems seeking gains". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[2] Coyle, Simon (2023-05-05). "Election results from Ribble Valley local council election 2023 count". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2023-05-07.

[3] Jacobs, Bill (11 May 2023). "Battered Ribble Valley Tories seek to keep power as a minority". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[4] "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[5] "Borough Elections 2023 - Results". www.ribblevalley.gov.uk. 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

[BBC-6] "Ribble Valley result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-07.

[7] Boothroyd, David (13 October 2023). "Cheltenham still enraged by bureaucracy". Local Councils. Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[8] Macdonald, Robert (30 November 2023). "Leading Ribble Valley Liberal Democrats quit form new group for 'progressive alliance' with Labour and Green Party". Lancs Live. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

[9] "St Mary's Ward By-Election Results - 4 July 2024". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

[10] Whitbread, Douglas; Macdonald, Robert (8 May 2024). "Fresh Ribble Valley by-election as councillor ups sticks and moves to Scottish island". Lancs Live. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

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