2011 Preston Council Election
The 2011 Preston Council election was held on 5 May 2011, on the same day when other local elections were held in the United Kingdom. At the same time, the electors were also deciding about the United Kingdom Alternative Vote Referendum and rejected the replacement of the existing first-past-the-post with the alternative vote that was proposed by the Conservative – Liberal Democrat government. But the electors in the 22 wards of the City of Preston also decided to make an end to the Conservative – Liberal Democrat control of the Cabinet. The two parties controlled the Preston Cabinet since the 2007.
In 2007, the Labour Party had the most seats in the Preston City Council, however, it did not have the majority. Thus the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties which together had more seats than the Labour Party formed the Cabinet which is de facto Preston’s government. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats lost only 1 seat each to the Labour Party in the 2011 Preston Council election but the Labour candidates also defeated two Independent councillors. Gaining four new seats while retaining all the existing ones was enough for the Labour Party to win the absolute majority in the city council and take over the control of the Cabinet. The Preston Council currently has two Independent councillors as Councillor Terence Geoffrey Thomson left the Conservatives and became an Independent councillor.
In the 2011 Preston Council election, the councillors who were elected to the city council in 2007 defended their seats. 19 of total 22 district council wards elected one councillor each because only one third of councillors is elected at a time. Thus the electors of the City of Preston vote three years in a row, while the fourth year is non-elective.
In the electoral ward of Ashton, Mark Routledge won over the Conservative Bill Tyson. In Brookfield, the Labour Nerys Eaves successfully defended his seat in the city council and so did also David Borrow in Moor Park, Brian Rollo in Ribbleton, Bhikhu Patel in Riversway, Javed Iqbal in St Matthews, Robert Boswell in Tulketh and John Swindells in University. In Deepdale, Labour candidate Ismail Bax won over the Independent councillor Joyce Cartwright, Labour Samuel Gardiner took the seat from the Liberal Democrat Elaine Abbot in the Larches ward, while Yakub Patel succeeded against Trade Unionist & Socialist Michael Lavalette in Town Centre.
Peter Pringle who won in Ingol was the only Liberal Democrat to be elected councillor in the 2011 Preston Council election, while the Conservative candidates who successfully defended their seats in the city council were Harry Seddon in College, Christine Thomas in Garrison, Stephen Thompson in Greyfriars, Julie Buttle in Lea, Neil Cartwright in Preston Rural East, Kate Calder in Preston Rural North and Eric Fazackerley in Sharoe Green.
The Labour Party candidates won in 11 wards and gained 11 of total 19 seats. The Conservatives retained 7 seats, while the Liberal Democrat Party lost 1 of total 2 seats to the Labour Party. Neither of the two Independent councillors was re-elected.