Pendle appoints new mayor and political leaders after elections and mass Labour resignation

Pendle Council’s new mayor and deputy mayor have been appointed and its political leaders confirmed after the local elections.

Coun Mohammad Aslam is the new Mayor of Pendle and Coun Mohammad Ammer the new Deputy Mayor, which are both ceremonial roles. Separately following the local elections, Pendle Council will continue to have a shared political administration between the new Independents, who left the Labour Party in a mass resignation, and the borough’s Lib Dems.

All the arrangements were made at the annual meeting of Pendle Council. The new mayor, Coun Aslam, is a Conservative councillor for the Bradley ward in Nelson. His wife, Shamim, is the Mayoress. The Deputy Mayor, Coun Ammer, is an Independent Marsden and Southfield councillor.

On becoming mayor, Coun Aslam thanked everyone who had nominated him including the Conservative group of councillors.

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He said: “Taking on the role as first citizen of Pendle gives me great pride, I’m really looking forward to representing the borough and meeting all the great groups and organisations in the area.”

His chosen charities are Pendleside Hospice and the Armed Forces Sport Group in Barrowford.

Recommending him as mayor, Conservative Coun Nadeem Ahmed outlined Coun Aslam’s life and background. His family had fled from India to Pakistan in 1947 amid conflict, in which a number of the Aslam family were killed. The family arrived in Pendle in the 1960s and the young Mohammad was one of five siblings. He attended Lomeshaye Primary School, Mansfield High School and Nelson & Colne College.

Whilst at high school, he started playing rugby and later played for the Under-21s team at Holt House in Colne. He also played football for Park United FC. He started his working life at Tesco, before going to work at Mill Courts in Nelson and then Sam Holding Weaving in Barrowford. From the 1980s until 1992, he worked as a stock controller at Lontex in Barnoldswick at weekends. Today, he has a garage and vehicle MOT business in Nelson.

As a volunteer, he has been a director of Wheels within Wheels and Pendle Community Network, and a governor at Bradley Primary School. After being given his Pendle mayor’s robe and chain, Coun Aslam paid tribute to outgoing mayor Coun Brian Newman and outgoing mayoress Lynne Newman for their work over the past 12 months.

In reply, Coun Newman said: “We’ve had a tremendous year and I hope we have put a few smiles on people’s faces. It’s been a really interesting time. We have met so many good people who give a lot to the community yet we don’t hear much about them. We’ve tried our best to give them the acknowledgement they deserve, to support them and their good work.

He added: “It’s sad for me to be moving on but it’s time for someone else to be given the chance.”

Separately, the new political leader and deputy leader of Pendle Council were confirmed, Independent Coun Asjad Mahmood and Lib-Dem Coun David Whipp are continuing the roles they held before the local elections.

Coun Mahmood is one of the former Pendle Labour councillors who resigned over their criticism of the Labour Party’s national stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict and the national party’s relationship with local elected councillors.