Pendle Conservatives

01/10/2026

Two Pendle Councillors Join Conservatives in Commitment to Community-Focused Action

Councillors Bryony Hartley and David Hartley have announced their decision to leave the Liberal Democrats and join the Conservative group on Pendle Borough Council.

The move follows a period of reflection and recent events within the Liberal Democrat group, which have prompted the councillors to consider where they feel best placed to represent their communities and deliver positive change for residents.

Cllr Ash Sutcliffe, Leader of the Pendle Conservative group, welcomed the decision.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Bryony and David to the Conservative group. I understand that this won’t have been an easy decision for them, and I respect the thought they have clearly put into it.

“Both councillors want to be part of a group that puts communities first, focuses on practical action and works hard to deliver results for residents. These are values we share, and I’m pleased they feel the Conservative group is the right place for them to continue their work.

“Local government should be about listening to residents, tackling the issues that matter to them and getting things done. Our focus is on working constructively, supporting our local communities and delivering action for everyone across Pendle.”

Cllr Bryony Hartley and Cllr David Hartley said:

“This has not been an easy decision, nor one we have taken lightly. We have both given our time, energy and commitment to the Liberal Democrats because we believe local politics should, above everything else, be about serving our communities and listening to the people who put their trust in us.

“Recent events have caused us to seriously reflect on whether the direction being taken locally still represents the communities we serve. We have listened to residents and heard their frustrations and concerns. Those conversations have mattered enormously to us.

“Ultimately, our community comes first. This decision is about the future and about being able to continue representing local people effectively, while working alongside colleagues in the Conservative group. The badge may change, but our commitment to our communities does not.

“We are looking forward to this next chapter and will continue to do what we believe elected representatives should do: turn up, listen, work hard and put the people we represent first.”

17/09/2026

👏🏻 Mr Mayor!

17/09/2026

Read this post by our Group Leader and weep… 😭

15/09/2026

Well done, Councillor! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

12/09/2026

Colne, Trawden, Foulridge and Laneshaw Bridge councillor, Cllr David Cockburn-Price has set up a page. 👏🏻 Do give him a follow to learn more about his many interesting projects!

Welcome to my shiny, new councillor page!

I’ve served on both Colne Town Council and Pendle Council for years and thought now was a good time to share all the projects I am involved in.

I co-founded Colne Youth Action Group with Cllr Sarah Cockburn-Price and am known for my love of numbers. 🤓

Be prepared for some alarming posts about Pendle Council, which is now potentially not being abolished and yet has been burning 🔥 through its Reserves at an alarming rate! 😬

31/08/2026

⛰️👏🏻

💚 PLEASE SUPPORT THE MAYOR OF PENDLE CHARITY WALK 💚

On Saturday 5th September 2026, Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, Mayor of Pendle, will take on the challenge of walking from Nelson Town Hall to the summit of Pendle Hill and back — raising vital funds for three fantastic local causes:

❤️ The NK Foundation
❤️ Pendleside Hospice
❤️ East Lancashire Down Syndrome Support Group

Every donation, big or small, will be split equally between all three charities and will help support important work in our local community.

🙏 Please consider making a donation today:
https://buy.stripe.com/00w28s4s24C24spg2BfjG0V

📲 And please SHARE this message with your family, friends, colleagues and WhatsApp groups. Even if you can’t donate, sharing the appeal could help us reach someone who can.

Together, we can make every step count! 🥾⛰️💚

14/08/2026

The diligence of our councillors. ☺️

11/08/2026

Great to see Robbie Moore MP at Trawden Agricultural show on Sunday!

24/07/2026

🤔

The Exec at Pendle Council

Councillor Ash Sutcliffe, Husband, David, and I make a point of attending the Exec each month. We do this because, although we Conservatives are in opposition, the Exec is where the business of the Council is really done. All the business at Full Council is stitched up after the Exec, so the Exec should be the engine room of political issues.

The Exec is the Shared Administration’s chance to display their priorities and drive through their programme. The Shared Administration is led by the “Independents” (to the left on the photo) and their partners, the Lib Dems, though yesterday, only one of them pitched up.

We’ve noticed that there is less and less on the agenda from the Shared Administration, with the bulk of the topics being statutory items put forward by Council officers.

Being nerdish types, we three find quite a few of these topics riveting! David, in particular, relishes all the financial papers. We often find we have many points to make… our enthusiastic volubility (I *might* be the biggest offender 🤦🏼‍♀️) has resulted in the Shared Administration passing a vote insisting we are each allowed to speak once on each topic. This can be quite frustrating!

All this is in sharp contrast to the Shared Administration. They don’t engage with the topics, on the whole. They just like to say: “Noted!”, and rush on through. If you are not quick, you are in danger of missing your one and only chance to put your point across. 😢

Last evening, the councillor responsible for finances described them as “Tedious and boring”, before gratefully handing over to the officer who confessed to the confusing, erroneous legacy figures in the spreadsheet David was scrutinising.

I find it all most perplexing. No one wants to spend hours in the wretched Wilson Room in nice weather, but the Shared Administration’s sole focus appears to be finishing the meeting as quickly as they can.

After less than an hour, I urgently drew their attention to two resolutions by the Climate Emergency Working Group and asked whether they were going to pass the recommendations, or debate them? There was a pause, some whispering, and the answer was clearly that they were choosing to do neither: “Noted”, said the chair, clearly disappointed I was:

* Still in the room
* Dragging the meeting out
* Mentioning climate issues that do not interest them

And with that, the Exec was over for another month! Next month, it would be great if members of the public could join us in a bid to make them look interested.

Please let me know if you are free to attend on Thursday, 28th August at 6.30 p.m.