BNP takes first steps to power after winning more council seats

After winning five seats in Thursday's council elections in Burnley – a result that brings its total representation to eight and makes it the second biggest party – the British National Party is now threatening to exert real influence on the Lancashire town.

For the far-right organisation, the first stage of turning votes into power will be the securing of a place on the council's eight-member executive chamber. The BNP has seats in Hampton with Park – its greatest triumph which saw the defeat of the deputy council leader, Andy Tatchell – Lanehead, Gannow, Briercliffe, Whittlefield with Ightenhill, Brunshaw and two councillors in Cliviger with Worsthorne.

Labour is still the majority party with 23 seats, maintaining its discretionary power to elect cabinet members. The Liberal Democrats have one fewer seat than the BNP with seven councillors, and the Conservatives have three. The other three seats are held by independents.

The BNP's success in Burnley will make up for the failure of Nick Griffin, the party leader, to win a place on Oldham council. Elsewhere, the party held or won another eight seats, with notable victories in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and the Black Country boroughs of Sandwell and Dudley.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, said the success of the BNP should "set alarm bells ringing in all the political parties". He said: "Whilst I don't believe that the people of Burnley thought that they were voting in favour of racism, I also don't think that they were under any illusions about what the BNP stand for. Anyone who cast a vote for the BNP ... made a mistake, the BNP will not offer any real solutions."

The most humiliating defeat for Labour in Burnley was of Andy Tatchell by Len Starr.

Mr Starr, whose victory was regarded as a BNP coup, was celebrating in a pub with a large band of supporters. He felt it was only democratic for a BNP inclusion in the cabinet.

Mr Starr, 56, who has an "Asian boss" as a transport controller, dismissed suggestions his party's increase in popularity was the result of a protest vote by the 42 per cent of Burnley's 89,512 population that turned out. "Last year could have been called a protest vote, this year it has gone beyond a protest ... this shows the voters get the final word."

In line with the modern face of the party, Mr Starr insisted its policies had nothing to do with racism. "I love to be touched by other cultures, but my preference is to travel abroad to be touched by them."

Stuart Caddy, the leader of the council, said it was "very unlikely'' that the BNP would be invited to join the cabinet. He expressed bafflement at the BNP gain and conceded that it was not a protest vote. "Our plan now is to find out the route of this," Mr Caddy said.

Three BNP women featured among the winning candidates, including Patricia Thomson, a secretary, who claimed the seat in middle-class Briercliffe from the Liberal Democrats. She said she was keen to protect the rural atmosphere and retain it for future generations. The Pakistani community expressed disbelief at the result. Worshippers leaving Ibrahim Mosque on Elm Street said they were fully expecting a sound defeat for the BNP, and were unprepared for the diametric opposite.

Contrary to popular belief, it was not the poorer areas of Burnley who voted in the BNP. They stayed staunchly Labour. Ironically it was the more affluent areas such as Briercliffe who voted with their feet.

There was growing bafflement at this middle-class trend to vote BNP. Only Nasir Ilyas, 26, a solicitor had a ready answer. "The affluent community is believing the lie that us Asians are sapping resources and they are scared that what is happening in the poorer places may happen to them.''