Chorley Council seats up for grabs as voters head to the polls

The future of Chorley And South Ribble Hospital's A&E department and fracking are just two of the hot topics currently being raised during election campaigns in Chorley.
Chorley Town HallChorley Town Hall
Chorley Town Hall

Candidates and their supporters are busy delivering leaflets and speaking to people as voters prepare to go to the polls next Thursday.

Chorley Council has 47 councillors spread over 20 wards, with the numbers of councillors per ward dependent on how many voters there are.

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A third of the council is elected each year and councillors then represent the ward for four years.

There will be seats up for grabs in 15 of the borough’s 20 wards next week.

They are: Adlington and Anderton; ​Coppull; ​Brindle and Hoghton; ​Eccleston and Mawdesley; ​Chorley East; Euxton North; ​Chorley North East; ​Heath Charnock and Rivington; ​Chorley North West; ​Lostock; ​Chorley South East; ​Wheelton and Withnell; ​Chorley South West; ​Clayton-le-Woods and Whittle-le-Woods; and ​Clayton-le-Woods North.

Incumbent candidates across Chorley will be fighting to hold on to their seats, with opposition councillors vying to win new areas.

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The council is currently made up of 31 Labour councillors, 14 Conservatives and two independents.

Labour has had control of the council since 2012, when it brought to an end a short-lived Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

The size of Labour’s majority means it would take a big challenge from the Conservatives to see them lose their grip.

Labour and the Conservatives have candidates standing in every ward.

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The UK Independence Party are fielding seven candidates, the Liberal Democrats have five candidates, there are two independents and the Greens have one candidate.

Perhaps the biggest names on the ballot papers will be Alistair Bradley, in Chorley South East, and Peter Wilson, in Adlington and Anderton.

Coun Bradley is the leader of Chorley Council and the Labour group, while Coun Wilson is his deputy.

Contesting the Chorley South East seat with Coun Bradley is Conservative Dominic Jewell, UKIP’s Shaun Jones and Liberal Democrat David Porter.

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Standing against Coun Wilson in Adlington and Anderton are Conservative Dorothy Livesey, Liberal Democrat Philip Pilling and Green Andrew Whitson.

Another familiar name to some will be independent candidate Steve Williams, a local historian and project manager for Chorley Remembers.

He will be standing in Brindle and Hoghton, alongside Conservative candidate Sheila Long and Labour’s Yvonne Hargreaves.

The incumbent is Conservative David Dickinson, who has represented Brindle and Hoghton since 2000 but announced he would step down due to ill health.

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Also not standing for re-election is Labour’s Robert Finnamore, who was elected in Coppull in 2012.

His seat will be contested by Conservative Harold Heaton, who represented Chisnall from 1997 to 2014, Labour’s Jane Fitzsimons and Liberal Democrat Simon Thomson.

The Chorley East ward is also up for grabs, as current Labour councillor Julia Berry is instead standing for election in Lostock.

She will face Conservative John Dalton, who currently holds the seat, and Liberal Democrat John Wright.

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Contesting the Chorley East seat will be Labour’s Zara Khan, whose mother Hasina Khan is a councillor in the ward, Conservative Aidy Riggott and UKIP’s Christopher Suart.

Hoping for a return to the council chamber is Peter Malpas, a former councillor and deputy chairman of Chorley Conservative Association.

He is standing in Heath Charnock and Rivington against Labour incumbent Kim Snape, who was elected in 2012 and is also a county councillor.

Labour’s Steve Holgate is also hoping to return to the council as he stands in Chorley North West.

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He will face incumbent Joyce Snape, who was elected as an independent councillor in 1998 and represents the ward alongside husband Ralph, who has been a councillor since 1976.

Also contesting the seat will be Conservative Sandra Mercer and UKIP’s Julia Smith.

Parish council elections are also being held in some wards.

They are ​Anderton; Rivington; Brindle; ​Withnell North; ​Heath Charnock; ​Withnell South and ​Hoghton.

There are also elections to elect the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire on the same day.

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Below is a list of candidates who will be standing in the Chorley Council elections:

Adlington and Anderton

Dorothy Livesey - Conservative

Philip William Pilling - Liberal Democrat

Andrew Whitson - Green

Peter Francis Wilson - Labour

Brindle and Hoghton

Yvonne Marie Hargreaves - Labour

Sheila Mary Long - Conservative

Steve Williams - independent

Chorley East

Zara Khan - Labour

Aidy Riggott - Conservative

Christopher Suart - UK Independence Party

Chorley North East

Adrian Lowe - Labour

Philip Adrian Ellis Loynes - Conservative

Tom Shorrock - UK Independence Party

Chorley North West

Steve Holgate - Labour

Sandra Mercer - Conservative

Julia Winifred Mary Smith - UK Independence Party

Joyce Snape - independent

Chorley South East

Alistair Ward Bradley - Labour

Dominic Keiran Jewell - Conservative

Shaun Jones - UK Independence Party

David Porter - Liberal Democrat

Chorley South West

Anthony Gee - Labour

Sarah Louise Kiley - Conservative

Clayton-le-Woods and Whittle-le-Woods

Glenda Charlesworth - Liberal Democrat

Mark Edward Clifford - Labour

Andrew Anthony Romanienko - UK Independence Party

John Philip Walker - Conservative

Clayton-le-Woods North

Jean Elizabeth Cronshaw - Labour

Eileen Whiteford - Conservative

Coppull

Jane Louise Fitzsimons - Labour

Harold Heaton - Conservative

Simon Thomson - Liberal Democrat

Eccleston and Mawdesley

Henry William Caunce - Conservative

Stanley Joseph Ely - Labour

Mark Smith - UK Independence Party

Euxton North

Danny Gee - Labour

Jeffrey Flinders Mallinson - UK Independence Party

Alan John Platt - Conservative

Heath Charnock and Rivington

Peter Malpas - Conservative

Kim Snape - Labour

Lostock

Julia Berry - Labour

John Derek Dalton - Conservative

John Patrick Wright - Liberal Democrat

Wheelton and Withnell

Christopher France - Labour

Andrew James Snowden - Conservative