2007 Preston City Council election

File:Preston UK local election 2007 map.svg

Map of the results of the 2007 Preston council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Respect Party in light red and independent in light grey. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2007.

Elections to the Preston City Council took place on 3 May 2007.

Preston council is elected "in thirds" which means one councillor from each three-member ward, and councillors from selected two-member wards, are elected each year, with one year free from all elections to ensure all councillors serve a full term.

Due to the "in thirds" system, these election results are compared to the 2003 Preston Council election. Councillors elected this year will defend their seats four years later in 2011.

For further information, see Preston local elections

Preston Local Election Result 2007

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		8	1	0	+1	42.1	40.0	11,826	+2.0%
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		7	0	1	-1	36.8	30.0	8,659	+2.4%
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		2	1	1	0	10.5	21.9	6,536	-4.3%
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		1	0	0	0	5.3	6.5	1,941	+0.4%
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	63	-0.9%
style="color:inherit; background-color: Template:If empty; width: 3px;" |		1	0	0	0	5.3	2.8	840	N/A

Ashton

The two-member Ashton division is a suburban ward in the north-west of the city. It has a number of schools in its borders. The ward is predominantly used as a commuting hub although recent increases in student numbers has seen the terraces used for multi-occupancy housing.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Ashton ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William (Bill) Tyson	550	45.6
		Phil Crowe	480	39.8
		Jennifer Buxton	176	14.6
Majority			70
Turnout			1,212	39.0
	hold		Swing

Brookfield

In the north east of the city, the predominantly low income housing of Brookfield is a three-member ward. Buttressed up against Ribbleton and the rural east, and wedge-shaped to the south of Fulwood, the ward has been troubled by increasing levels of crime in recent years. Parts of the ward were formerly within the Fulwood district council and maintain the look of the affluent northern quarters of the city.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Brookfield ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Nerys Eaves	691	53.2
		Hussain Mulla	309	23.8
		Ruth McPheat	300	23.1
Majority			382
Turnout			1,306	24.9
	hold		Swing

College

Created in the last round of local boundary reviews, the two-member College ward centres on two Fulwood employers. Preston College has a catchment area far beyond the city itself, whilst the recently closed Sharoe Green hospital has had many of its services re-directed to the Royal Preston Hospital. There are a mix of commuter and student housing and an increasing Muslim population.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: College ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Jill Truby	830	61.8
		Stephen Wilkinson	307	22.9
		Bert Williams	205	15.3
Majority			523
Turnout			1,351	48.8
	hold		Swing

Deepdale

Two member Deepdale was once reportedly the most deprived in England, and remains a ward of notable problems in health and housing. The ward contains Preston North End's Deepdale stadium and some of the oldest terraced housing in the city.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Deepdale ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Joyce Cartwright	840	52.1
		Anis Faruki	565	35.0
		Jane Balshaw	121	7.5
		John Potter	85	5.3
Majority			275
Turnout			1,619	42.4
	hold		Swing

Garrison

Centred on Fulwood Barracks, this is a three-member ward created by the last round of boundary reviews. It is set in a heavily small "c" conservative part of Preston with a number of schools and small employment centres.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Garrison ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Christine Thomas	1,114	58.5
		Marie Milne	455	23.9
		William Burke	336	17.6
Majority			659
Turnout			1,912	36.1
	hold		Swing

Greyfriars

Its name coming from a large private estate within its boundaries, Greyfriars is one of the oldest names connected to Preston's history. It includes the Pius X Preparatory school and Fulwood's leisure centre. An increasing number of comfortable suburban houses has been built on the fringes of the ward, which also borders Ingol Golf Course.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Greyfriars ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Stephen Thompson	1,532	66.8
		John Porter	502	21.9
		Alan Woods	260	11.3
Majority			1,030
Turnout			2,304	44.0
	hold		Swing

Ingol

Ingol ward is in the north west of the city, bordered by Greyfriars and to the south of the M55 motorway. The ward contains two main population areas, Ingol and Tanterton. The latter has had problems with drugs and crime over recent years but this is beginning to improve. Parts of the ward are comfortable with some commuter areas and houses neighbouring the Lancaster canal. There are still pockets of troubled communities.

With two councillors elected in the 2003 elections, there can be no direct comparison between results.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Ingol ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Peter Pringle	919	57.7
		Michael Chadha	450	28.2
		Shahzad Malik	224	14.0
Majority			469
Turnout			1,599	30.1
	hold		Swing

Larches

In the west of the city, around 30 minutes from the city centre, Larches is a box-shaped ward from the Riversway dual-carriageway into Blackpool to Haslam Park. It contains two post-war housing estates, Larches and Savick, and an area of suburban sprawl moved in from Ashton following boundary changes. The ward contains the whole of Ashton Park.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Larches ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Rob Osinski	805	44.6
		Martyn Rawlinson	688	38.1
		Christine Sharpe	312	17.3
Majority			117
Turnout			1,814	33.1
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Lea

The three member ward of Lea contains the small Fylde border town of Lea Town, the urban Lea community and the sprawling green-belt community of Cottam. The ward follows the parish council boundary of Lea & Cottam Parish Council. Cottam has grown from a small farming community to a large private housing development populated by young families and business people.

Preston City Council Elections: Lea ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Julie Buttle	1,009	56.7
		Pauline Brown	580	32.6
		Drew Gale	192	10.8
Majority			429
Turnout			1,781	38.5
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:If empty" |	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Moor Park

Based on the Plungington community and bordering both the neat suburban terraces of southern Fulwood and the University of Central Lancashire campus, the Moor Park ward has a high number of student housing in converted Victorian housing and neater family houses. Moor Park itself is included in this ward, in the shadow of Deepdale football stadium.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Moor Park ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Frank de Molfetta	594	59.2
		Julian Sedgewick	234	23.3
		Lydia Livingston	176	17.5
Majority			360
Turnout			1,011	28.9
	hold		Swing

Preston Rural East

The large Rural East wards contains the Amounderness, Broughton and Grimsargh communities in the north and east of the city.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Rural East ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Neil Cartwright	994	72.8
		John Houghton	208	15.2
		Julie Voges	164	12.0
Majority			786
Turnout			1,371	38.3
	hold		Swing

Preston Rural North

Over reaching across the city of Preston is the large Preston Rural North ward, which includes the M6 and M55 motorways and acres of market towns, farming communities and rural areas. The boroughs of Fylde and Wyre border this northern ward, which is a three-member ward.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Rural North ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Kate Calder	1,799	76.9
		Bill Parkinson	355	15.2
		Pauline Jackson	185	7.9
Majority			1,444
Turnout			2,348	44.3
	hold		Swing

Ribbleton

Ribbleton, in the east of the city, grew massively as council housing was built around former mill worker terraces; now the ward is one of the largest in area in size{ and shows all the expected issues of high level crime and deprivation. Ribbleton, in common with the neighbouring Brookfield ward, is overwhelmingly white working class.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Ribbleton ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Brian Rollo	731	56.3
		Paul Henry Balshaw	337	26.0
		Christine Billington	230	17.7
Majority			394
Turnout			1,303	24.2
	hold		Swing

Riversway

The Riversway ward has three distinct elements. Broadgate, a comfortable estate of Victorian housing with a high percentage of student housing; new build housing on the former British Aerospace site; and the redeveloped marina. The former Preston Port, one of the largest in its time, has been redeveloped to feature shopping units and new build housing of some considerable expense. The Preston Docks and surrounding area has a sizable area of Development including new Supermarkets, Car dealers and trade outlets.

A Hindu temple, Lancashire County Council's headquarters and Preston's railway station are in the Riversway ward.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Riversway ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Bhikhu Patel	577	41.2
		Elaine Abbott	386	27.6
		Ronnie Smith	242	17.3
		Wilf Gavin	194	13.9
Majority			191
Turnout			1,406	34.0
	hold		Swing

Sharoe Green

Lodged in the south-central area of Fulwood, the Sharoe Green ward is based on the former hospital and surrounding commuter belt environs.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Sharoe Green ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Eric Fazackerley	1,129	58.9
		Fiona Wren	490	25.5
		Terry Mattinson	299	15.6
Majority			639
Turnout			1,923	37.7
	hold		Swing

St Matthews

A wedge-shaped ward in between the streets of Ribbleton and the city centre, this ward contains some deprived housing in the process of renewal, and in the recent months expensive new-build conversions.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: St Matthews ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Javed Iqbal	675	50.0
		Sumera Mir Rizwan	339	25.1
		Peter McElhone	170	12.6
		Tracey Singleton	166	12.3
Majority			336
Turnout			1,360	28.3
	hold		Swing

Town Centre

Formed by boundary changes prior to Preston being awarded city status, Town Centre is the largest non-rural ward in the borough. There are three distinct parts to this central seat, namely Avenham, Frenchwood and the city centre itself.

The ward includes student developments and converted student homes in Avenham; expensive new build developments around the historic Winckley Square; and the Frenchwood area on the banks of the River Ribble. Avenham was notorious for high levels of crime and deprivation, but this is turning around with the establishment of community groups and private housing associations funding renewal. There is a sizable Muslim population in Avenham and Frenchwood.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Town Centre ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Michael Lavalette	1,179	52.3
		Salim Desai	717	31.8
		Helen Greaves	206	9.2
		Susan Horn	87	3.9
		Rupert Wadsworth	63	2.8
Majority			462	20.45
Turnout			2,259	46.4
	hold		Swing

Tulketh

Tulketh ward is a central and entirely urban ward north of the university complex, and to the east of Ashton. Its main population areas are traditional terrace housing, which mixes families with small shops including the Lane Ends shopping village and student housing.

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: Tulketh ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Boswell	753	48.9
		Harry Landless	523	34.0
		Liam Pennington	263	17.1
Majority			230
Turnout			1,550	30.6
	hold		Swing

University

Shaped around the outskirts of the city centre, this butterfly-wing shaped ward was formed following the recent boundary changes. It took from the oversized Riversway ward electors from the St Pauls and Maudland areas as well as the university campus itself. It is a two-member ward. It is populated by a mixture of student halls and terrace houses, with just less than half of the population being students. 2001 Census Information

Template:Election box rejected

Preston City Council Elections: University ward 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Swindells	279	49.6
		Rick Seymour	163	29.0
		Samir Vohra	84	14.9
		Dave Orr	37	6.6
Majority			116
Turnout			564	24.2
	hold		Swing

References

• Preston City Council election results

See also

• Preston (UK Parliament constituency)