Over the winter period, the state of the roads was blamed on it being one of the wettest on record. It is well-established that wet weather is something that speeds up the formation of potholes.

But it wasn’t true, as reporting from The Lancashire Lead (working with the Met Office) showed.

Now it has been confirmed that data on potholes and how quickly they were repaired between October and March will not be available - making it impossible for opposition councillors and the public to draw conclusions on this period.

Keep reading below for all the details and reaction.

Lancashire briefing

🏠 Plans to build 350 homes on the former Camelot Theme Park site in Chorley have been given the go-ahead – 12 years after the first bid was made to redevelop the derelict site. A government-appointed planning inspector approved the Story Homes scheme after chairing a public inquiry into the proposal earlier this month. Andrew McGlone concluded that the development “would not be inappropriate” for its greenbelt location – judging that the Charnock Richard plot fell within a so-called ‘grey belt’ area. However, his decision has prompted fury from local politicians who have branded it “utter nonsense” and “grotesque” – and warned that it will cause chaos on the roads. Story Homes, meanwhile, said the outcome paved the way for “the transformation” of the abandoned attraction – which closed down in 2012, after 29 years in operation. The firm said the development would deliver ”much-needed homes” – half of which will be discounted ‘affordable’ properties – along with almost £5m of financial contributions towards improving local infrastructure and services. The housebuilder had twice been refused permission by Chorley Council for other visions for the site in 2014 and 2018, when it had put forward proposals for 420 and 195 homes respectively – the latter accompanied by office and workshop units.

🚮 Some Preston households may see their bin collection day changed for a second time since the spring in order to resolve problems that have arisen following a major shake-up of the city’s waste service. The overhaul came back in April when weekly food waste collections were introduced in Preston as part of a nationwide rollout. At the same time, Preston City Council redesigned its collection routes and timetables for the first time in 14 years in an attempt to make them more efficient. The move resulted in bin pick-up days changing for the majority of homes. However, the revised set-up has been beset with issues, leaving residents in some parts of the city facing repeated missed collections of all types of waste. As the Local Democracy Reporting Service has previously revealed, one street in Ashton did not have its recycling bins emptied for five weeks. The city authority has blamed the problems on the late delivery of the new wagons needed for the food waste service – and the knock-on effect that has had on all elements of their waste collection operation.

🛏️ Plans to turn a former nightclub down a ‘hostile’ back alley in Accrington town centre into apartments have been thrown out by Hyndburn Borough Council. Now functioning as a tertiary storage area and in a generally poor condition, the former Bailey’s Bar and Nightclub in an alleyway behind Dutton Street was being eyed for a major renovation into five small one-bedroom flats. Situated at the back end of the row of shops and cafes on Church Street, the application from Gulham Mohiuddin would have created new window openings and doorways to access the development from the alleyway on Back Dutton Street. However, Hyndburn planners took a dim view of the proposed flats conversion, citing a number of issues that would have resulted in ‘unacceptable living conditions for future occupants.’ The appearance of this alleyway, which would essentially be the occupants’ front porch, was seen as ‘hostile’.

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Lancashire County Council will not publish pothole repair performance data from the winter

By Luke Beardsworth

Lancashire County Council has no plans to publish data regarding its own performance on pothole repairs over the winter period.

A meeting of Lancashire County Council’s cabinet on Thursday (2 July) will hear how there is no data available for publication from Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 of the 2025/26 financial year due to migration to a new system.

This means that there is no adequate way to assess the performance of Reform UK-led Lancashire County Council on the issue of repairing potholes during a time when the public and opposition councillors say the state of the roads deteriorated significantly.

The report sets out that Highways key performance indicators will instead be available in future from April 2026. The Lancashire Lead was told that the authority does hold the data but is unwilling to publish it because it would not give a ‘fair and accurate’ picture.

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This is supported by the report which states that its new system has been ‘operationally live’ during the period and that 70,865 permanent defect repairs have been carried out.

Opposition councillors however say that the state of the roads over the winter period speaks for itself.

Cllr Mark Clifford, leader of the Lancashire Labour group, told us: “The lack of current data regarding pothole repairs is very concerning after much hype from Reform UK regarding the importance of data to drive service improvements.

“Every resident of Lancashire knows how terrible our roads have become recently. Under the Labour government LCC has received a massive uplift in their budget to fix our roads without seeing any noticeable improvement in Lancashire, it’s no wonder residents tell us they have already had enough with Reform UK.”

The Liberal Democrats go a step further and suggest that it looks like a ‘convenient excuse’ to hide the authority’s poor performance.

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On Wednesday, we reported that the cases of Preston Davey and Damion Russell had deeply concerning parallels - most notably that Damion had been seen at Blackpool Victoria Hospital the day before Preston Davey was treated there. In both instances, the hospital did not raise the alarm despite opportunities to do so. In both instances, the children would go on to be murdered.

Our reporting ultimately led that evening’s BBC North West Tonight bulletin at 6.30pm and we thank the BBC for mentioning that it was The Lead who uncovered these facts.

It was also picked up - without mentioning who did the work and the research - by The Gazette, Daily Mail, LancsLive, Daily Express, Mirror and Daily Star.

We felt strongly that the reporting was important and crucial to any campaign work to bring about any change to ensure children get the protection they are owed - that’s why we made it free for everyone to read.

But it’s an important reminder of the need to support investigative journalism at its source. This story was reported because of our work - and we hope you can take a paid subscription to back what we do.

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Lancashire briefing

💐 A 33 year-old woman who died the incident at a level-crossing in Hoghton has been named as her family pay tribute to their much loved daughter, sister, partner and devoted mum. Emergency services were called to a level-crossing on Station Road following reports at 8.50am on Thursday (25 June) that a train had struck a car. Two people were in the car and Kerry Coombes, a 33-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. An eight-year-old girl – Kerry’s’ daughter – remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition. British Transport Police confirmed it has launched a criminal investigation into the incident - but exactly who is under investigation is not yet clear.

🌳 The company awarded the main contract to build the Eden Project in Morecambe says they will ensure there are opportunities for smaller firms and young people during the build. VINCI Construction is to create the Eden attraction on Morecambe’s seafront, where a ground-breaking ceremony was held this week marking the first phase of garden work starting this summer. The Eden scheme includes two shell-shaped domes, a significant reduction on the four originally planned, and is expected to kickstart Morecambe’s regeneration and the wider regional economy. Eden bosses said the original Eden Project in Cornwall has generated £6.8billion for the local economy over 25 years. Speaking at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool at an event to celebrate the start of the building phase, VINCI’s Nick Hamer mentioned other large projects that had completed in the region. He said: “With the Blackpool King Street office, 52 per cent of supplier contracts, worth £38m, was spent within 30 miles. And a higher ration went within 50 miles. “And we have done work all over the north-west including Kendal and Preston. We have loads of connections and will be following them up for Eden in Morecambe.”

🏠 Preston City Council has moved a step closer to striking a deal that will see local authority-owned social housing return to the area after an absence of more than two decades. During a meeting of the full council on Thursday, members gave the green light to the purchase of 18 new-build properties in an as-yet-unidentified location. The move – which was agreed in a private session for reasons of commercial confidentiality – secured unanimous cross-party support. It means the Labour-run authority can now enter into a formal contract with the developer to acquire the dwellings. A conditional offer had been made and accepted in March. The cost of the arrangement remains under wraps for now, but £5m was ringfenced for new council housing when the authority’s current budget was set earlier this year. However, as the LDRS has previously revealed, the town hall is hoping to be able to fund further purchases from the same pot – coupled with other sources of finance – to develop between 40 and 50 new properties by April 2028.

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Elite cycling to find a home in Lancashire when it hosts Tour of Britain’s Women’s race

By Michael Holmes

A “carnival atmosphere” is expected to grip Lancashire when it hosts the Tour of Britain’s Women’s race for the first time later this season.

The elite race’s second stage will start in Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley and end in Blackpool by the north-west coast, with millions expected to tune in to see some of cycling’s finest female athletes speeding through the county.

While Lancashire has welcomed the men’s race before - though not for 11 years - it has never hosted the women’s.

Jonathan Day from organiser British Cycling Ventures said: “We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August.

“For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a few

weeks later, so it is a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling, with the women’s race kick-starting a brilliant few weeks of elite racing.”

A leg of the men’s race started in Clitheroe - and finished in Colne - in 2015, while Blackpool has seen a number of the cycling greats ride to victory, including Sir Mark Cavendish who won the stage in 2012 wearing his rainbow stripes of world champion.

Over in the resort, town hall bosses have pledged £50,000 to the cause and hope to showcase the “pinnacle of women’s professional road racing” and give the seaside town’s economy and reputation a welcome boost.

They also hope the publicity and buzz around the five-stage event, which will arrive in Lancashire on August 20, will spark a love of cycling in local women and girls.

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The death of Preston Davey made national headlines and there have rightly been calls - led by The Post and The Gazette - for an inquiry into the failures that allowed such prolonged and cruel abuse to take place despite opportunities from both adoption services and Blackpool Victoria Hospital to raise the alarm.

Our investigation, published today, shows that Preston was not the first. The day before an opportunity was missed to save Preston, another child was taken into Blackpool Victoria Hospital. He had a bruise on his head, the alarm wasn’t raised. That child, too, was later murdered.

The Lancashire Lead can only continue to publish investigations like today’s if we have paying subscribers. We are ad-free and clickbait free - only the news that matters most before everyone else gets to it. Consider taking a paid subscription here and keep independent journalism thriving in Lancashire.

This edition of particular importance and, for that reason, we have made it completely free for all readers.

Lancashire briefing

🗳️ MPs in Lancashire have praised Keir Starmer for his commitment after he announced plans to step down as Prime Minister. Paul Foster, who represents the South Ribble constituency, was one of more than a hundred Labour MPs who had already publicly called for the Prime Minister to quit amid the fallout from last month’s local election results. He said: “Sir Keir Starmer is a decent man, as I’ve always said – but I feel it was inevitable that he would resign following a number of continuing self-inflicted challenges his government created.” He would add: “I will be fully supporting Andy Burnham to take over as our leader and he has my wholehearted support.” Lizzi Collinge, the Morecambe and Lunesdale MP, said he had “made the right decision to resign” and “shown remarkable grace in the way he has done so” – but she did not comment on who should succeed him at number 10. Rossendale and Darwen MP Andy MacNae said that “days like today are hard on a human level”. He added: “We can no longer look like defenders of the status quo. We must share the British people’s rightful frustration at decades of underinvestment and falling standards. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the party in the weeks, months and years ahead to make this a reality.”

🚗 Local politicians should continue to make the case for a new road bridge over the River Ribble near Preston – even though it might take 50 years to come to pass. That was the message from Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis after she made a direct call on the government to assess the economic benefits such a crossing could deliver. The long-vaunted blueprint for creating a second route across the river – between Lea and Penwortham – has been bolstered in recent years by the completion of two other road-building schemes that underpin the vision for the bridge project. The opening of the Penwortham bypass (John Horrocks Way) in 2019 and the Preston Western Distributor Road (Edith Rigby Way) four years later boosted the argument for the cross-river connection, which is also backed by the Preston and South Ribble MPs, Sir Mark Hendrick and Paul Foster. The bridge is intended to reduce congestion by completing a ring road running from the A582/M65 at Cuerden to the M55 at Bartle – via the bypass and the distributor road – which would funnel traffic away from Preston city centre and the surrounding area. One of the biggest benefits would be its capacity to act as an alternative route to the M6 through Central Lancashire when the motorway is gridlocked or closed – scenarios that currently cause chaos on local roads.

🏠 The loss of power at a Lancashire council to decide major housing plans is an ‘attack on democracy’, critics claim. Rossendale councillors have blasted a ‘designation notice’ by the government, meaning developers can now submit housing applications directly to national planning inspectors rather than the borough, if they wish. It came after figures suggested Rossendale Council had the highest rate of planning appeals granted by national inspectors between 2023 and 2025. Government ministers said they would intervene where councils are not meeting expectations and hold them accountable for performance. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook handed notices to nine councils, where more than 10 per cent of appeals were allowed by inspectors following previous refusals by councils. The aim is to speed-up the delivery of much-needed homes across the UK and help councils to show they can make ‘quality planning decisions’, the government added. However the town hall said just two applications put it over the threshold. One was for 71 homes at Fieldfare Way, Bacup, and the other was for 44 homes at Hardman Avenue, Rawtenstall. And it does not believe the designation is appropriate.

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Hospital that treated Preston Davey saw two children, later murdered, in 24 hours and failed to raise alarm

By Michael Holmes

Medics at Blackpool Victoria Hospital failed to flag a suspicious injury to another child murder victim just hours before a crucial missed opportunity to save Preston Davey, it can be revealed.

Healthcare workers noticed a bruise on two-year-old Damion Russell’s head but did not ask his father how it had happened, despite safeguarding rules requiring them to do so.

Less than eight weeks later, Damion was dead, killed in a “horrifically violent” attack by his father Daniel Hardcastle.

Damion’s Vic visit came on June 29 2023 - a day before a poorly Preston was taken to A&E with bruising that also failed to trigger an intervention.

A month later, Preston was murdered by his adoptive father, 37-year-old South Shore Academy teacher Jamie Varley.

It was the second of three A&E trips in the run-up to the 13-month-old’s slaying.

Today’s revelation, which follows a Lancashire Lead investigation, raises more questions about safeguarding at the Vic.

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Blackpool South’s Labour MP Chris Webb said: “We need to do better, and we know that the state has been failing these young kids, young babies.”

Damion was born in July 2021 and spent his first 10 months with his mother before being taken into care.

He then lived for almost nine months with foster parents, who described him as a “delight” who would “light up any room with his smile and his chuckle”.

After a DNA test proved he was Damion’s father, Hardcastle was granted sole custody and the pair moved into a Central Drive flat in May 2023.

He died three months later from a brain injury after being attacked by Hardcastle, whose murder trial was told the boy was “covered in injuries, top to toe and front to back”.

They included an adult bite mark, broken ribs, bruising and a tear inside his lip as if a drinking bottle had been shoved into his mouth.

Hardcastle claimed Damion had fallen and banged his head on a coffee table - but his trial was told the defendant had either forcefully shaken the child and banged his head or smacked it against a solid object.

Hardcastle is now serving a jail term of at least 22 years, with Preston Crown Court told he had googled several times for how to treat bruising in children and how long it lasts.

A later child protection review by Blackpool Council, similar to the one now being carried out into Preston’s life and death by Oldham Council, said Damion was seen with bruising four times between going to live with his father and his death.

A family support worker on a weekly visit saw a small bruise on the boy’s head on May 20 2023 and raised it with Hardcastle, who blamed his son for being unsteady on his feet.

Six days later, Damion was seen with a “small, faded bruise” on his head at the Home-Start toddler group. After being challenged, Hardcastle again blamed Damion’s lack of balance.

And on May 31, the support worker saw bruises on the child’s head that appeared to be “fading” - with Hardcastle telling her they were from “multiple stumbles” over the last week.

The review found: “On all of the occasions set out above, when a bruise was observed, practitioners followed expected practice by asking about the bruise.

“The conclusion of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review is that practitioners’ acceptance of the father’s explanation for the bruising on each occasion was reasonable.

“(Damion) was known to have developmental delay and the unsteadiness on his feet aligned with his development stage.

“(The boy) was also observed by professionals as being unsteady on his feet on numerous occasions and the bruises were on an exposed and prominent part of the body, which is a natural place for accidental bruising to occur.”

But the review continued: “The only time practitioners did not follow expected practice was when (Damion) was taken to hospital, having suffered a febrile convulsion, on June 29 2023.

“It was noted that (Damion) had an ‘old, mild black bruise spot’ on his forehead. The father was not asked about this, which was the expected practice.”

The Lancashire Lead asked the Vic why it was the one setting where such a basic safeguarding question was not asked.

It did not answer.

It also did not say, when asked, if Damion and Preston were seen by the same medics, or answer several other key questions.

Instead, it released a statement from chief executive Maggie Oldham saying: “This was a deeply tragic and upsetting case, and our thoughts remain with Damion’s family and loved ones.”

She said the Vic “fully accepts” the reviews findings and, while it made “no specific recommendations relating to Damion’s treatment while under the care of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, we recognise the importance of continuing to strengthen practice and provide reassurance to families using our services”.

Oldham continued: “Importantly, work was already underway before the review was published to support staff in the Emergency Department and in other areas where children are cared for.

“This has focused on making sure appropriate examinations take place, that staff are confident in asking the right questions, and that any concerns are considered and escalated in line with safeguarding processes.

“Families bringing their children to our hospital can expect our teams to ask questions about any bumps, bruises or other injuries identified, whether recent or older. For babies who are not walking independently, our teams will carry out a full examination while they are in the Emergency Department.”

On June 30 2023, the day after Damion’s admission, Preston was taken to the Vic by his adoptive fathers Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley, with medics noting a bruise on the youngster’s head.

Varley told nurses that Preston had pulled a toy box on to himself while playing and showed them an almost two-week-old video in a bid to hide his evil deeds.

The fact he succeeded has been branded a “massive safeguarding failure” by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza, who said last week: “I have huge numbers of questions and I’m not going to let go until I have the answers.”

And Webb told The Lancashire Lead: “We put in vulnerable mechanisms to protect vulnerable individuals who don’t have a voice for themselves.

“But clearly it’s not been as successful as it should be in identifying issues and making sure they’re investigated properly.”

Webb, as well as Fylde MP Andrew Snowden, has called for a public inquiry into possible safeguarding failures linked to Preston Davey.

He said: “This isn’t about pointing a finger at any individual, body, organisation, institution - there’s just been failings right across the board.

“For many of us, especially those of us with young children, especially young boys, it has been a real concern and these cases are just heartbreaking.”

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He continued: “We have to do better. This cannot happen. When you read the horrific revelations through baby Preston’s whole case and what occurred there, it’s just unimaginable.

“I had to put the reports I was getting and the briefings I was getting down several times, because it was just so hard to read and imagine that someone could do that to a child.”

Asked what answers he is specifically looking for from the inquiry into Preston’s death, Webb said there is a need to make sure the “right questions are asked, rather than how the hell were these vile, evil individuals” allowed to adopt in the first place.

“I think, for me, this is looking at where did those systems fail? When issues were raised, why weren’t they followed up?

“Why were they dismissed so easily?”

There are concerns locally that those involved in Preston’s care may have positively discriminated against his killers, refusing to believe that a teacher and his privately educated salesman boyfriend could act so malevolently.

“Why were the parents believed so easily and these concerns not flagged?” Webb asked.

“Was there an unconscious bias because they were same-sex parents?

“These are legitimate questions we do have to talk about and ask.

“Was that an issue? Were hospital staff uncomfortable raising that?

“Was it because he was a teacher, so instantly that meant, ‘Oh, he must be a good person, he’s a teacher - it will be fine, his story must check out’?”

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More than nine million £1 bus journeys have been had in Lancashire since 2023 as part of wider bus discount schemes that previously included the £2 cap on all journeys.

The £1 cap has been a welcome cost saver during a cost-of-living crisis that is very much still active - but from September, it is expected that the option will be taken away.

Today’s edition explores how that will look, why the decision has been made and calls for it to stay.

If you’re reading this, we need your support. The Lancashire Lead can only continue to publish the news that has much bigger titles scrambling to mimic us if we have paying subscribers. We are ad-free and clickbait free - only the news that matters most before everyone else gets to it. Consider taking a paid subscription here and keep independent journalism thriving in Lancashire.

Lancashire briefing

💷 A town has been urged to re-bid for a share of £1.5m for community projects, after a row over ‘rule-bending’ prompted an MP to step in. Pendle councillors say Earby Town Council must clarify what it wants and act soon for a share of the government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund. Around £34,000 is currently unspent from the first phase and Pendle Council expects more government cash soon. In March, Earby Town Council accused leading Pendle councillors of ‘dismissing’ local preferences and proposing ‘unwanted’ alternatives. The row prompted MP Jonathan Hinder to get the scheme paused for a government review. But now, Westminster officials have said the process is acceptable and Pendle Council expects the remaining cash soon.

💊 A ‘father and son business’ that has been caught selling alcohol to children multiple times, as well as shifting illicit cigarettes and prescription medications, has had its licence revoked. The off licence operated by Mohammed Nawaz has served people in Accrington for the past 40 years, but over the last seven years dozens of complaints have been sent to Lancashire Constabulary and trading standards regarding the products being sold at the corner store, as well as who they were sold to. This led to thousands of pills and cigarettes being recovered by police officers and council staff during a visit to Nawaz Food Stores on Edleston Street in March, with the inspection team spotting open packs of cigarettes behind the counter which they surmised were being illegally sold as singles. At a Hyndburn Council licensing hearing, held on Tuesday (16 June) to consider whether to revoke Nawaz’s premises licence, it was explained by the elderly store owner’s legal representative that the illicit cigarettes and controlled prescription drugs were actually being sold by his son. The licence was revoked. A police investigation is ongoing.

🔊 Bosses of a Lancashire bar accused of allowing ‘insufferable, stunningly loud’ music disturbance to local residents face a licensing review. Council officers measured the volume of music around The Aviary, in Whalley, and in nearby homes and found it breached the levels allowed. They say managers are failing to prevent nuisance to the public. Over the past five years, The Aviary on Queen Street has been the focus of complaints by some residents. Concerns about it and other bars have been discussed at various Ribble Valley Borough Council meetings. Now, their licensing committee is holding a review of the venue’s licensing conditions. Late-night opening and times allowed for DJs or amplified live music could be cut.

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£1 bus fare used for millions of journeys in Lancashire set to be scrapped from September

By Luke Beardsworth

The £1 bus fare used for millions of journeys in Lancashire will come to an end this year under new plans.

A report to the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA), the body led by the leaders of Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council, will propose on Monday (22 June) to increase the £1 bus fares to £2 from September 2026.

The £1 bus journeys, which applied after 7pm through the week and for all of Sunday, were described as financially unviable by both Preston Bus and Blackpool Transport but otherwise saw wide use across the bus network using funding provided by central government.

It was launched in conjunction with the original central government backed £2 daytime fare cap which has subsequently increased to £3.

The report says that a real-terms drop in government funding, coupled with other increasing costs which could include fuel as an example, mean that the scheme has now become unaffordable.

The report states: “As part of a consolidated Local Transport Consolidated Funding Settlement from April 2026, the LCCA is set to receive £18.6m of Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) revenue funding for 2026/27.

“Despite this funding containing substantial uplifts in capital investment, it does in fact equate to a reduction of circa. £560,000 in revenue funding when compared to the combined Bus Grant funding received previously by the three Constituent Councils in 2025/26.”

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The report acknowledges that the increase in the fare is highly likely to prove unpopular due to the ongoing cost of living pressures. It says that younger and working age people will be the most adversely affected as community costs increase.

But the report adds that an increase now will soften the blow for residents in April 2027 should the national £3 fare cap come to an end. This, however, is far from confirmed.

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The death of Preston Davey, and conviction of his adoptive parents first of Staining and later of Grimsargh, will just be the start of a process of trying to find answers on how something like this has been allowed to happen.

Baby Preston was born in prison and placed into foster care at five-days-old. He received treatment by the the NHS in Blackpool and social services in Oldham in his short life.

Questions will be asked - of Blackpool Victoria Hospital in particular - about whether any opportunities for intervention were missed ahead of his death in 2023.

That is the focus of today’s issue which may make for difficult reading.

If you’re reading this, we need your support. The Lancashire Lead can only continue to publish the news that has much bigger titles scrambling to mimic us if we have paying subscribers. We are ad-free and clickbait free - only the news that matters most before everyone else gets to it. Consider taking a paid subscription here and keep independent journalism thriving in Lancashire.

Lancashire briefing

🏠 A government planning inspector has been told that building 350 homes on the former Camelot Theme Park site in Chorley would bring “a great deal of public good with precious little harm”. That was the message from Story Homes – the firm behind the proposal – on the final day of a public inquiry into the plans. Crucially, the hearing was also advised that Chorley Council was not contesting an appeal lodged by the developer over the Charnock Richard project – and agreed that planning permission should be granted for it. Last week’s three-day inquiry came after the authority initially failed to reach a decision on the proposed development within the time limit for doing so – a situation it blamed on Lancashire County Council for delays in providing highways advice. Story Homes subsequently appealed to the independent Planning Inspectorate over the so-called ‘non-determination’ of its outline application – meaning an inspector will now decide whether or not the Park Hall Road scheme can go ahead.

🌹 A Lancashire council says it tried to persuade government officials not to put it into special measures after the authority rejected two major planning applications and had the decisions overturned on appeal. Labour-run Rossendale council has criticised the decision by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook to hand it a ‘designation notice’ for under-performance linked to planning appeals. The move means developers can now chose to bypass the council and submit applications directly to national planning inspectors. Mr Pennycook issued the notices to nine councils, based on planning appeal rates where more than 10 per cent of appeals were allowed by inspectors following refusals by councils – or other issues such as failing to make a decision. Rossendale Council had the highest rate of planning appeals allowed by inspectors, at 15.4 per cent, of the nine councils in the 24-month period to late 2025. But a spokesperson for the authority said it had told the Ministry of Housing Local Government and Communities (MHCLG) it did not believe designation was “appropriate”.

⚽ A proposed traffic regulation order around Burnley FC’s ground has kicked off an uproar among civic leaders in the town, who have raised concerns about its impact on everyone from churchgoers to people in assisted living accommodation. The new traffic order from Lancashire County Council will allow the Clarets to impose further road closures around their stadium, at will, which could prevent people from accessing key services on a match day. This is because the proposed order would allow a designated match day commander from the police to impose a closure on further routes near the stadium, including Yorkshire Street, Todmorden Road and half a mile of Belvedere Road, all extending from the traffic lights near Turf Moor. In addition to the usual closure of Harry Potts Way. A number of services that would be closed off to much of the public when this takes place, include accessing the town’s registry office – raising concerns about whether births, deaths, or marriages could even be registered on a match day.

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Care of Preston Davey to be investigated in inquiry after ‘pure evil’ murder

By Michael Holmes

An inquiry into the short life of Preston Davey, who was sexually abused by his new adoptive fathers before being murdered by one of them, will look into his hat-trick of admissions to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in the run up to his death.

The baby boy was treated at the Vic, in Whinney Heys Road, three times in the four months before his death in 2023, and was later found to have suffered around 40 deliberate injuries, including to his mouth, throat and bottom.

The child protection review can get under way now that South Shore Academy textiles teacher Jamie Varley, 37, and his ex-public schoolboy and financial sales manager boyfriend John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, both then of Staining Road in Staining and later of Chandlers Way, Grimsargh, have been convicted.

The pair’s trial heard some of the details - but now the review, which was suspended while court proceedings were ongoing, will officially examine every area of Preston’s life, from his birth in prison on June 16 2022 and placement in foster care at five days old, to his adoption by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley on April 1 2023 and subsequent treatment by the NHS in Blackpool and social services in Oldham.

It will delve into the facts and aim to provide answers to some tough questions relating to the 13-month-old’s life and death.

An element of the review is expected to specifically look at whether any chances were missed during the care of Preston before his death.

Varley denied murder, manslaughter, and multiple child sex offences, including making indecent images of Preston, who he had renamed Elijah, and abusing him.

After an eight-week trial, he was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

McGowan-Fazakerley denied allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and sexual assault of a child.

He was found guilty.

The couple’s trial, which exposed one of Britain’s worst child abuse cases and sickened the nation, was told about Preston’s hospital visits before his murder.

The first, on May 25, saw Varley rush into A&E with the boy at about 11.10am, telling paediatric sister Zoe Hellowell: “He’s not breathing.”

Hellowell said Preston was breathing, albeit ineffectively, but unresponsive and floppy.

He also had bruises on either side of his forehead.

Nurse Holly Edwards raised the alarm and police were contacted, with a medical report describing the injuries as “unexplained” and “inconsistent with a version of events given…”

At the time, Preston was diagnosed with a chest infection and recovered within four hours, though an expert witness for the prosecution threw the diagnosis into doubt - suggesting another cause for the boy’s symptoms.

In a statement read before the jury, Dr Mark Rosenthal, consultant respiratory paediatrician, said the condition Preston was in on the day of his hospital visit pointed towards a “non-accidental hypoxic event”, with causes including suffocation, aspiration or bleeding into the lungs.

He said Preston’s history of arriving at the hospital very unwell, confused and acidotic - when there is too much acid in the blood - along with having a seizure and then recovering could never be down to an infection.

No police action followed.

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A grim read today, I’m afraid, as we report on a teacher who has been banned from the profession for life after he reported himself for accessing pupils’ social media accounts for his own gratification.

A panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency recommended the order and that has now been signed of by their chief executive.

It found that he had shown a worrying lack of understanding about the importance of safeguarding even as he confessed what he had been doing to the school’s then-headteacher.

As a note before reading, the school in question was last inspected in December 2022 and was found to be Outstanding in all five areas.

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🌳Eden Project is hosting a ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony to mark the start of construction work at its Morecambe site and a public event explaining its next steps. Bosses say June 24 will mark the beginning of the construction phase on site. The new, approved design for the £100m attraction features two main shell-shaped domes and gardens – rather than four domes in the original plan. The design had to be reduced because of rising costs and other factors. But Eden bosses insist it will still have a ‘wow’ factor to attract visitors and help regenerate Morecambe. Building work will begin with the Bring Me Sunshine Garden this summer, following the garden’s success at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

🍃 The developer behind a huge moorland wind farm project has apologised after giving the public the wrong email contact details to have their say on the controversial project. Calder Energy Park says it has received more than 1,000 submissions about its plans for 34 wind turbines on the Lancashire and Yorkshire border. But some emails sent by the public before June 5 may not have been received because they went to the wrong email address. The developers have now extended the consultation period on the project at Walshaw Moor, between Colne and Hebden Bridge, to give communities more time to comment on the scheme. It comes as Pendle councillors were told that Manchester Airport and the Ministry of Defence have objected to the plan over aircraft radar concerns.

📉 Blackburn with Darwen Council is failing to meet four of its 44 key performance indicators, a progress update to the authority has revealed. Councillors heard at a meeting of the ruling executive on Thursday night that, while 27 of these indicators were rated ‘green’ for being on or above a target set by the body, four of the council’s targets were ‘red’, or significantly below target. These included key issues for the authority, such as dealing with adult safeguarding enquiries within 24 hours, or finding new foster carers for the roughly 375 children being looked after by the council. Included in the Corporate Plan Report for the last quarter, which was signed off by the executive, were detailed explanations for why the council was failing in these four areas, with employee absences and occupational therapy assessments also falling into the red. For adult safeguarding, where the council has set itself a one day target rather than the five day response goal set by other agencies, the report pointed out that the council had seen a sustained increase in concerns shared with them, reaching an average of 219 per month in the first three months of 2026. The report also stressed that every single case is reviewed by a social worker each day to identify high-risk individuals and circumstances, although a staffing vacancy had made it harder to reach their one-day goal.

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Teacher at ‘Outstanding’ school banned for life after accessing pupils Instagram pages for pleasure

By Luke Beardsworth

A teacher from Lancaster has been permanently banned from teaching after penning a letter to the former deputy headteacher where he confessed to viewing pupils’ Instagram pages for ‘sexually-motivated’ pleasure.

Jacob Woodland, now 29 and a teacher at Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy, Lancaster, contacted the now former deputy headteacher - referred to only as Individual A - on the morning of Saturday, 24 August 2024 and said he had information that he needed to share.

The two met at what was described as a neutral location - the public car park next to Morecambe Golf Club - where Woodland would hand over a letter containing a statement confessing to using the internet to access images of former pupils.

It said: “I am truly sorry but I have done something inappropriate and I cannot live with myself without being honest. I have looked at publicly available Instagram content of some senior female pupils at school and used these to fantasise for my own pleasure.”

This sparked an investigation by Lancashire Constabulary. Woodland attended an interview, answered ‘no comment’ to all questions and no further police action was taken.

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The starting point for today’s research, carried out by Lancaster University, was the belief that everyone should have access to secure and rewarding work. But it was little surprise that the research found that this wasn’t the case.

Poor bus connections, obtuse application processes and a lack of support in navigating those challenges were all cited as barriers for young people who want to enter work - but the work doesn’t seem to want them.

The government has started to tackle these issues with a number of initiatives - but it needs to go harder and faster to deliver meaningful change. And local authorities need to do what they can to unlock the powers to tackle the challenges in a focused way.

If you’re reading this, we need your support. The Lancashire Lead can only continue to publish the news that has much bigger titles scrambling to mimic us if we have paying subscribers. We are ad-free and clickbait free - only the news that matters most before everyone else gets to it. Consider taking a paid subscription here and keep independent journalism alive and well in Lancashire.

Lancashire briefing

🏥 Plans are being drawn up to ensure blood tests continue to be processed for patients across East Lancashire after 20 days of strike action were announced at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals. Biomedical staff within the Unite union are set to walk out on four separate occasions in less than a month – starting next week. The striking workers analyse routine and urgent blood samples ordered by GP surgeries and other primary care facilities – as well as those taken from hospital patients. The industrial action is part of a dispute over holiday pay. The two affected hospitals are run by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELH). However, most health service pathology staff across Lancashire now work for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH) after that organisation became the ‘lead employer’ for the service – everywhere except West Lancashire – in April. The hospitals operated by LTH – the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital – are unaffected by the walkout, as are those in Blackpool and Lancaster.

🌳 Anti-fracking campaigners have reacted with delight after the firm that operated a controversial drilling site in Fylde was given six months to restore it to the farmland that it used to be. Lancashire County Council has issued an enforcement notice in relation to the plot, off Preston New Road in Little Plumpton. The move comes after the authority refused a request from energy firm Cuadrilla to allow it an extra two years to restore the land – on top of a time extension that had already been granted. The enforcement action now announced by County Hall prompted one resident to declare that the community was looking forward to “finally waving [the company] goodbye”. The site attracted a near-permanent presence from protestors after fracking activity began there in April 2017.

🏠 A plan for new homes on 14 acres of Lancashire farmland has narrowly been approved, prompting disappointment among objectors. The decision has sparked concerns among some that it could pave the way for plans for hundreds more homes in the future. Wain Homes North West has been given permission to build 122 homes on land east of Prescot Road in Aughton, near Ormskirk. West Lancashire Council’s planning committee narrowly voted in favour of the plan this week, with six councillors in favour and five against. Supporters say it will help meet housing needs and is well-designed. But the application has prompted hundreds of objections over concerns about the loss of farmland and pressures on local health services and roads.

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How to tackle the complex issue of young people who cannot get their first job

By Luke Beardsworth

The UK has entered a youth unemployment drought triggered by a lack of opportunity, transport and low self-confidence, according to research that focused on a seaside town in Lancashire.

The publication of a report titled ‘Starting Out: Boosting Youth Employment in Local Labour Markets’ used Morecambe as a case study and even described it as a ‘former’ tourism destination.

The report was pulled together by Lancaster University and found that jobs that would be accessible to people entering the workforce for the first time had fallen by 49% over the last decade. There are fewer starter vacancies available today than in January 2021 - when the UK was in its third Covid lockdown.

In Lancashire, 45% of unemployed or inactive young people have never had a job. In Morecambe’s West End area, one in three children grew up in poverty and that number is well above the national average.

Young people in Morecambe spoke openly about wanting to work but struggled in terms of the barriers to entry - including the costs of actually travelling to job interviews, JobCentre appointments and even accessing the internet.

Poor transport links were described as a ‘major barrier’ with limited links to nearby Lancaster meaning people have to rely on multiple bus journeys or face the cost of learning to drive - something they say they cannot afford.

They also said that many employers are demanding experience, creating a ‘circular’ problem where people cannot enter the job market to gain that experience.

One young person, 21, from Morecambe, said job opportunities are in the ‘bigger cities’ and there are “very limited job opportunities and “no one is hiring.”

Unsurprisingly, the report finds that people who leave school with low level qualifications are significantly more likely to become NEET (not in education, employment or training). One youth case worker in Morecambe said that young people were living “a life defined by a lack of English and Maths.”

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But that would extend to people with Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications in subjects such as plumbing, engineering or beauty who felt they were being excluded from the job market by lacking those qualifications.

Several participants in the study had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) - a legally binding plan for people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

One 24-year-old from Morecambe said: “You know what you want to do but cannot do it due to your mental health … it feels like you are chasing something but not moving”.

An opportunity though, is on the horizon for Morecambe in particular.

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Today is the first report of something that has become an open secret on the BAE Systems site in Samlesbury.

That is that a man - who cannot be named - has left the company voluntarily after an investigation into alleged thefts of what sounds like expensive equipment to the person on the street - but BAE Systems stress is low value.

The internal investigation into the thefts ran for a long period of time, but what it uncovered was greater than the business had been anticipating.

BAE Systems stressed that the items were ‘low value’ - though would not comment on the number we put to them - were not aircraft parts and that it is a isolated incident involving one individual.

Lancashire briefing

🚌 A Lancashire MP says people in smaller towns must see real transport improvements using important new funds and powers – and local councils and London civil servants must back them. Rossendale and Darwen MP Andy MacNae, a former Rossendale councillor, said getting more children walking to school, speeding-up disruptive road works, and improving bus and train services all need action He organised a special Westminster debate about transport for smaller towns, with examples of what he sees as good and bad situations in Lancashire. He welcomed steps towards a new railway station at Lower Darwen and potential new buses between Blackburn, Edgworth and Bolton. He also said the Rossendale ‘City-Valley’ railway link proposal to Greater Manchester deserves serious consideration. However, he criticised Lancashire County Council for rebuffing a petition in Bacup for a pedestrian crossing. And he said the new Lancashire Combined County Authority has failed to include Rossendale’s City-Valley railway idea in a plan. But he hoped these situations will change.

🍎 Marks & Spencer could close its Ormskirk town centre store and move to a new, bigger site at Burscough. The retailer is working on plans for a new 18,000 sq ft food-hall near Ringtail Retail Park in Burscough. The new site would be three times the size of the current M&S food store in Ormskirk, according to M&S. Existing staff working in the Ormskirk site will transferred to the new site and around 25 additional jobs will be created, if the changes go ahead. The Ormskirk shop, off Market Way, would close. Property developer Rothstone Estates is working with the retailer on plans for the proposed new Burscough site, near the A59 Liverpool Road South and Pippin Street roundabout. Customers would access the store from High Lane. The site was previously occupied by a care home. M&S has opened a public survey on-line, asking people about the idea.

🚗 Controversial road changes are blighting daily life in a Lancashire town and wasting public money, a council claims. Pendle councillors have blasted a host of work linked with two major projects in Nelson and wider east Lancashire, and say ‘meaningful’ public consultation is needed about alternatives. Since last autumn, work has been under way to change some roads, junctions, pedestrian crossings and on-street parking, and create new cycle lanes. The activity is mainly linked to two big schemes agreed with the previous government – the £55m East Lancashire Safer, Greener, Healthier Streets programme for a number of boroughs and the £3.4m Accessible Nelson scheme. But now, Pendle councillors have criticised various measures and called for a re-think. The call came after Independent Cllr Yasser Iqbal and Conservative Cllr Martyn Stone put forward a motion, labelling much of the roadworks ‘a waste of money’

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BAE Systems worker allowed to resign after investigation into significant thefts at Samlesbury site

By Luke Beardsworth

A member of staff at BAE Systems has been allowed to resign - rather than dismissed - despite an internal investigation finding he had been stealing from the business.

The male employee, who cannot be named, was working for BAE Systems at its site in Samlesbury. BAE Systems is one of the biggest employers in the North West and is estimated to directly employ 13,700 people in Lancashire.

An investigation, launched over a year ago, tracked the activities of an employee thought to be removing specialist carbide equipment from the site. These can trade for around £1,000 each in the current market but would not be considered aircraft parts.

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The purpose of the internal investigation was to identify who was responsible for the missing equipment and to build evidence.

The Lancashire Lead was told that well over £1m of equipment was taken from the site over a long period of time before the business confronted the employee - although what was discovered was greater than what was expected.

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Have you noticed that climate talk has slipped almost entirely from public debate? The threats to the UK as a result of climate change are well-documented, broadly accepted and, in 2026, not deemed worthy of much acknowledged.

Politics reporting, as has been acknowledged by our national edition, often resembles a cross between sports and celebrity gossip. On one hand, we have Nigel Farage offering straight anti-climate policies and Kemi Badenoch scrambling to follow his lead. But Labour’s lack of popularity is arguably contributing to them declining to counter those arguments.

That means that support for climate policies has fallen sharply. The share of the UK public who say the country needs to reduce to net zero has fallen from 54% to 29%, according to a study by Kings College London. Often, this is related to costs, we are in a cost-of-living crisis. Young people, unsurprisingly, remain the most in favour of strict climate policies.

But as this week’s report sets out, it does not need to be the case that net zero ambitions come with economic burden. It can come with significant benefits - as the North West and Lancashire is already showing.

We can only keep doing journalism like this with more paid subscribers, so if you want to give me a boost on my week back to work, you can do so here.

Lancashire briefing

🔐 A firm that supplies building security services to Lancashire County Council claims the local authority is repeatedly late paying its bills – and that some invoices have been outstanding for more than two years. Burnley-based KeyPlus says it was owed around £465,000 by the end of last month – £285,000 of which had been due for more than 30 days. The company holds a contract with County Hall for opening up and locking public facilities such as schools and community centres. The business operates across 550 sites – and says it has even had to threaten to down tools in order to get paid. The county council said that it was “in regular discussions” with KeyPlus, but that it was unable to address commercially-sensitive matters in public.

⚽ The football pitches on Preston’s Moor Park are getting an upgrade – thanks to silt removed from the lake on the site. The Grade II-listed green space is currently undergoing a £4m transformation, centred around the remodelling and extension of the Serpentine Lake. However, a much wider area – extending towards the Deepdale Road side of the park – has been cordoned off and dug up to enable the remediation of the playing pitches. That work was always planned as part of the overall project and it is being carried out using sediment dredged from the lake. The material is being deposited in the area usually occupied by the football pitches in order to make the surfaces more level. It is hoped that the silt will also help improve drainage in that part of the park. The newly-levelled playing areas will then be covered with top soil before being fully reinstated.

🍴 The regeneration of Accrington’s town centre has received another major boost, with a successful local restaurateur being picked to run the new look Market Hall. Owner of The Crafty Fox bar and restaurant, Paul Fox, has been selected through an open recruitment process as the person to oversee the rejuvenated Grade II-listed venue, which will feature both familiar stalls and a number of new businesses. With the exterior of the iconic market now fully refurbished, the restaurant owner will be overseeing the all-important revitalisation of the market hall’s offering to visitors, with modern eateries and social spaces aimed at drawing people back to the centre of Accrington Mr Fox is a well-known figure in the town’s hospitality scene, having run The Attic music venue for years, bringing over 1500 performing artists to the town in that time. Then, in the Covid pandemic, he did some civic regeneration himself. After completely transforming a unit on Abbey Street and turning it into his new eatery, Mr Fox’s business success last year saw him expand The Crafty Fox into the neighbouring shop unit, investing £150,000 in the extension, in response to public demand for his field-to-fork food.

Net zero projects boost Lancashire economy while safeguarding future, new report says

By Luke Beardsworth

Net zero projects can provide safety for future generations while also providing a significant boost to economies like Lancashire.

That is the verdict of a new report published on Tuesday morning by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) with business analysis provided by CBI Economics and The Data City which found that the projects contribute a total of £9.7bn to the North West region and 111,800 jobs.

Analysis in 2025 found that net zero jobs are worth £1.16bn to the Lancashire economy and accounted for 13,421 jobs.

It comes amid growing scepticism about the role of net zero policies in the UK. Both Reform UK and the Conservatives have vowed to scrap net zero targets and there are instead growing calls for, for example, greater investment in extracting the fossil fuels found in the North Sea.

Net zero businesses can include renewable energy generation, waste management, consultancy, heat pumps, energy storage and low emission vehicles.

Peter Chalkley, Director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “Reaching net zero emissions is scientifically the only way to bring the climate back into balance and stop climate change but it’s now become a major part of the UK economy.

“Thousands of small businesses across the UK are the unsung heroes of this net zero economy, installing solar panels on roofs, manufacturing parts for electric cars and in doing so creating greater energy independence for the UK, shielding us from the oil and gas price crises of recent times.

“With global demand now falling for petrol cars and installations of net zero tech like solar panels and heat pumps rising, the UK is in a global race to develop future-proof clean industries. Standing still or looking back just isn’t an option for job security.”

In Lancashire, the ruling Reform UK group has expressed climate scepticism and said that the county is being made poorer by ‘unachievable’ net zero policies. A cabinet role for climate change was scrapped in one of the party’s first moves after the 2025 local elections in which they took control of the authority.

For the leader, Cllr Stephen Atkinson, he has said at a full council meeting in summer 2025 that he agrees with the need to make the UK more resilient to climate change but not at the cost of energy prices for people in Lancashire. However, in the UK, the cost of energy is broadly dictated by the cost of wholesale gas rather than renewable energy.

The Lancashire Lead asked Lancashire County Council for its latest view on net zero projects after the report was published but did not receive a response.

But other local politicians said that the evidence set out in the report - pointing to the economic benefits of the businesses as well as their role in countering climate change - means that pursuing greater opportunities is a no-brainer.

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One of the over-riding stories throughout Reform’s tenure at County Hall since May last year has been the future of a number of care homes and day centres across Lancashire.

The administration say it is crucial to, errr reform, the service while opposition groups, campaigners and MPs have been furious about how the consultation and proposals were brought forward. Now the cabinet member who was overseeing it has stepped back, just days after he brought forward a new proposal for getting a hold of the financial challenge of adult social care in the county.

He’s being replaced by a fellow Reform councillor who hasn’t been shy of making headlines during his time also in the cabinet and spending some time on the side-lines due to leaked WhatsApp messages. Tom Pickup will take on the brief and his leader says the use of AI that Pickup brings to the role will be crucial - an interesting comment given the very human level of care that is needed. The challenges with adult social care are not unique to Lancashire, it is where one of the largest portions of council tax goes to, and the county, like everywhere, has an increasingly ageing population.

How those people who have lived and worked in Lancashire, in many cases for all their lives, are treated with dignity, respect and care is something that cuts across the political spectrum and there are no easy answers given the staffing, resources and facilities needed. It may come to define how Stephen Atkinson and co are remembered for their time in charge.

Luke’s followed every turn of the care homes debate, from protests, to angry council meetings and sub-committees, with the assistance of the ever-superb Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Faulkner, and others too. It is a story which will not be going away anytime soon, and we shall see if Cllr Tom picks up where Cllr Dalton left off or pursues a different path.

Lancashire briefing

🕵️ Reform UK has been given an important role at Pendle Council after the dramatic local elections, as key positions are decided including the borough’s new Independent and Lib-Dem leadership. Amid the heightened political atmosphere, councillors have called for unity around a shared commitment to serve all Pendle communities. And there was also a tribute to ex-council leader David Whipp, who lost his borough seat in the May elections. Marion Atkinson, an opposition Reform councillor, will run an influential Pendle accounts and audit committee. She represents Colne’s Vivary Bridge ward and was elected in 2025. A retired employment law consultant, she is also a county councillor. Before this year’s local elections, she was the only Reform councillor at Pendle. But now she has now been joined by Nathan McCollum, Michael Waddington, Alan Whitehead and Glenn Whittaker. See the full story from Robbie Macdonald at LancsLive.

💰 Lancashire County Council is facing questions over the way it pays local businesses - after one firm revealed it is owed more than £465,000 by the local authority. KeyPlus, based in Burnley, manages security at more than 500 buildings for County Hall including schools, nurseries and community buildings. Their chief exec and founder Brian Curran has gone public, speaking to Michael Taylor at TheBusinessDesk North West about the late charges and the late payments which have been going on for years and pre-date the Reform administration, although he says things have certainly not improved. He’s written to the Small Business Commissioner Emma Jones calling on her to investigate.

🏊 The death of 12-year-old Junior Slater in the River Ribble at Ribchester has shocked the county in this week’s heatwave, and he is one of 12 people to die in water-related incidents. Nearly £15,000 has been raised to support his family following the tragedy on Tuesday. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service told Blog Preston: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the Junior Slater who sadly died in the River Ribble at Ribchester. This is a heart-breaking tragedy, and our sympathies are also with everyone who has been affected by what has happened. At times like this, it is important that we remind people just how dangerous open water can be. Rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the coast can look inviting, particularly during warm weather and school holidays, but cold water shock, strong currents, hidden hazards and sudden changes in depth can quickly put lives at risk. We know this message is especially difficult following such a tragic incident, but anything we can do to prevent another family experiencing this kind of loss is vitally important.” You can see water safety advice from the fire service and also from the RNLI. Lancashire-based Doing It For Dylan also have extensive resources on water safety, the organisation was established by the mother of Dylan Ramsay after he drowned in a quarry near Chorley in 2011. She has been campaigning ever since to try and educate young people on the dangers of open water swimming. Please do share with people, particularly young people, you know.

📝 And finally, one of the county’s longest-serving and most respected journalists has scribbled his shorthand for the final time. It is farewell to the Lancashire Telegraph’s Bill Jacobs. He finished up a very eventful career as the Local Democracy Reporter at the Blackburn-based title and has been covering councils at the East of the county, plus plenty more. The Telegraph has published some fantastic memories of his 47 years in local journalism remembered. All the very best Bill from all of us at The Lancashire Lead. And thank you.

Have a story you think we should be featuring? Story tips and info are always welcome to luke@thelead.uk

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Reform councillor who made “unprofessional and inappropriate comments” to head adult social care services

By Paul Faulkner

The politician in charge of adult care services in Lancashire has stepped down from the role – just days after launching what he described as a “pivotal” project to modernise the system.

Graham Dalton quit as the cabinet member for adult social care at Lancashire County Council having fired the starting gun on an overhaul that he said would change the current set-up “for the better”.

No reason has been given for his decision, but the leader of the Reform UK-run authority, Stephen Atkinson, paid tribute to what he said was the departing portfolio holder’s “exceptional dedication”.

County Cllr Tom Pickup has taken over the post, relinquishing his previous position as lead member for finance and resources. Cllr Pickup is no stranger to readers of The Lancashire Lead, as we broke the story of his suspension from Reform in November last year.

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During County Cllr Dalton’s year-long stint at the top table at County Hall, he led a controversial review into the future of five county council-run care homes and five day centres, amid concern over the poor condition of their buildings.  The potential closure of the services sparked protests and petitions – although the authority insisted no pre-determined decisions had been made.

Following a public consultation – during which the cabinet member urged respondents to “be emotional” in making the case for the facilities in their existing form – it was ultimately decided all of the homes would remain open, along with the three day centres that are currently operational.

Last Tuesday (19th May), County Cllr Dalton – who will continue to represent his Lancaster Rural North division – won the support of cabinet colleagues to embark on work to develop a new ‘model of care’ for all of the adult care services that the county council delivers directly or commissions from other providers. He stepped down later in the week, meaning the task – which is due to be completed by September – will now be overseen by his successor.

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One of the last big infrastructure projects to be built before district councils are abolished was opened in a blast of pomp, ceremony and civic pride to mark the Bank Holiday weekend - amid glorious sunshine too which is not very Preston.

The tram bridge story dates back to February 2019 when the old bridge was declared unsafe, and community campaigns, petitions, government funding bids, rows over ownership and land rights, all of that was settled when the ribbon was cut and the £8million bridge was unveiled.

It’s already proven hugely popular with more than 5,000 people attending the opening ceremony alone and many more taking a stroll on the bridge which crosses the Preston and South Ribble border on the River Ribble. The new deputy leader of the city council was quizzed over whether it was a good use of public funds - primarily obtained from the government’s old Levelling Up scheme - given the closeness of other crossings.

She pointed to how it was a publicly-owned and maintained bridge and crossing as being the key to its future - rather than uncertain private ownership and future for a nearby former railway bridge.

One thing is for sure, as people basked in the Bank Holiday sunshine, the people who visit Avenham Park in Preston and walk the Old Tram Road in Penwortham and Walton-le-Dale seem to like it.

Lancashire Briefing

🧪 Worried residents living close to an area of Thornton polluted by ‘forever chemicals’ raised fears about health and property prices during a busy public meeting. And they were told blood tests could be available to those living nearest to areas deemed to be ‘contaminated’ by chemicals known as PFAS, which are used in many household products but have been linked to cancer. More than 60 residents have sought help from legal experts over fears the land their homes stand on, close to the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone, are contaminated. Testing carried out by Wyre Council and the Environment Agency found one of the chemicals, PFOA, in “a majority of properties tested”, with Wyre council saying seven properties had been categorised as “high risk”.

Leigh Day partner Sarah Moore said after the meeting: ”Our independent experts were able to help answer these questions, but a lot of information about the testing undertaken by the Environment Agency and Wyre Council has not yet been published. This means that there is a significant information gap regarding the extent of the contamination and what the Council, in the first instance is intending to do about it.” Wyre Council has made it clear it has no legal remit for, nor expertise in, health matters and that these issues need to be addressed by UK Health Security Agency and Lancashire County Council, which provides public health services across the county. A spokesperson for Wyre Council said: “We are working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that information and results are published as soon as they become available at each and every stage of the investigation.”

♻️ A Lancashire-based recycling company has been fined after attempting to illegally export plastics contaminated with household waste – including sanitary products and nappies – three times in one year. MV Recycling (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to all three charges related to the exports and was ordered to pay £30,400 in fines and prosecution costs. The company’s sole director, Noormohammed Master, claimed on the official paperwork accompanying the waste that it was clean, uncontaminated plastics, also known as ‘Green List’ waste. MV Recycling (UK) Ltd entered into a business agreement with companies in Türkiye to carry out the scheme. After obtaining waste from other businesses in the UK, the company was caught attempting to transport containers contaminated with electricals, including wiring and circuit boards and other mixed household waste. MV Recycling (UK) Ltd has since changed its business model, moved premises, and has remained compliant since. Environment Agency checks have found no evidence of further offending and the company and its director had no previous convictions, cautions or reprimands.

🗳️Conservative and independent OWL councillors have become the new leaders of West Lancashire Council – sparking a controversial Labour comparison to indistinguishable ‘men and pigs’ from a betrayal scene in George Orwell’s book Animal Farm. Conservative and OWL councillors insist they are not a coalition but simply creating a practical arrangement to get things done. And OWL’s leader angrily rejected Labour’s comparison. The shift in power follows Labour losses in the local elections and losing control of the council. And new Reform councillors have taken their seats too for the first time. Tory Coun David Whittington was elected the new council leader while Adrian Owens of Our West Lancashire (OWL) was elected deputy at the council’s annual meeting.

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Preston’s new tram bridge defended as ‘absolutely merited’ despite being short walk from existing crossing

By Ed Walker and Paul Faulkner

A new bridge costing more than £8million that’s just yards from another river crossing has been defended as ‘absolutely merited’.

Preston’s tram bridge was opened to a huge fanfare to kick off the Bank Holiday weekend and will be a publicly owned and maintained crossing.

It comes as questions were asked why such focus had been put on the bridge when an old railway bridge, which is in private ownership to a European family and is steadily deteriorating, just downstream, is already a crossing point.

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Deputy leader of Preston City Council councillor Valerie Wise defended the use of the funding to restore the tram bridge crossing.

She said: “It’s symbolic, [as demonstrated by] the fact that we’ve got so many people here today. I think this is something that’s really important – and the other bridge is nowhere near as good as this one.”

Cllr Wise said of the opening ceremony: “I used to live near here and took my kids across [it], walking, cycling [and] rollerskating – it’s a real part of Preston and I’m delighted so many people are here to see it reopened.

“It’s also a good link for people on the other side of the river to come over and see [the] wonderful things that we have here in Preston, like the Harris Museum, Animate [cinema and leisure complex] and the market.”

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It was fitting that a meeting to set Lancashire down the road to an elected mayor was cancelled - and then days later a release dropped about the multi-billion pound pipeline of investment opportunities for the North.

The Great North Investment Summit set out some wonderful plans this week - if you live in basically anywhere in the north that’s not Lancashire.

And unfortunately, while Lancashire County Council were invited to the table and helped to promote the investment, there’s no getting around the fact that The Great North describes itself as a mayoral-led partnership. Little surprise then, that nobody could tell The Lancashire Lead what’s in it for us.

Today’s edition looks at the delays to the mayoral process in Lancashire and then scroll to the end to get my analysis about what it actually means for the county.

In good news, The Lead’s local network - which includes us - has been nominated for Best Local & Community Newsletter at the Publisher Newsletter Awards 2026. It is judge-led, rather than votes, but thank you for your continued support. The best way to keep it going is to take a paid subscription.

Lancashire briefing

🗳️ The Green Party has won a Lancaster City Council by-election, retaining its strong presence in the area amid wide political changes across Lancashire and beyond. Will Farley has been elected to the city council with 845 votes, followed by the Labour Party in second place, Reform UK in third and the Lib Dems fourth. The Conservatives did not stand in this by-election. The full results, in order of the number of votes gained, are Will Farley (Green) 845, William David Evans (Labour) 190 votes, Marco Wright (Reform UK) 132 and Malcolm Allan Martin (Lib Dem) 41. The Green Party’s result was over 300 votes higher than in the last Castle ward by-election of 2024. Speaking about the Green victory, new councillor Will Farley, who lives in the ward, said: “I’m extremely proud that the people of Lancaster have continued to put their faith in the Green Party. We will build on the standards that many of you have come to expect – and also prove ourselves to those of you who believe we can do more. “I’ve had so many interesting conversations with people across the campaign, some of whom are completely apathetic to voting, others sceptical of the Green Party. Yet when people come together and talk about what we have in common, the results can be surprising. There are few people who would suggest that the UK is not facing many crises – but divisive politics ultimately only works to the detriment of our communities. “This campaign has proved to me that, despite the news headlines and the constant feed of despair in our social media algorithms, when people talk to each other, not at each other, we can build on what we share in common rather than only fight over what divides us. And, together, we can work to improve people’s lives. “Whether on a national or local level, we need to remember how to talk with one another, solve problems together and ultimately do our job as elected officials. That job is to serve our community – and not to prove that any sole party has all the answers.”

🌹 Preston City Council will be run by a minority Labour administration after the authority’s leader was re-elected to his post. Matthew Brown retained the top job after a meeting on Thursday which saw him fend off a challenge for the role from Liberal Democrat opposition group leader John Potter. It means the group will always now need the backing or abstention of four non-Labour councillors to be sure of being able to pursue its policies – as it did to re-elect Cllr Brown. Following the vote, Cllr Brown said: “Rumours of my political death have been greatly exaggerated – so here I am again.” He also declared that there had been “absolutely no deals with anyone here” – prompting jeers and laughter from the Liberal Democrat contingent. That wry mirth came in the wake of earlier votes for the chairs of the authority’s two scrutiny committees. Cllr Brown said the scrutiny function at the city council had “traditionally always gone to opposition politicians, [but] we just think there’s better opposition politicians to do it”.

🚧 Lancashire County Council has announced it will spend an extra £5m on road maintenance over the next 12 months. The Reform UK-run authority says the additional funding will focus on “preventative” treatments designed to “accelerate improvements” in the condition of the road network. That means the money will be poured into pre-planned surface upgrades covering substantial stretches of highway, rather than spent filling individual potholes as they appear. The authority’s leader, Stephen Atkinson, said it was part of a planned transformation of the highways service. Progressive Lancashire opposition group leader Azhar Ali welcomed the investment, but called for engagement with county councillors over decisions about where the cash is spent. “People always question, ‘Why was it this road and not the other [that has been resurfaced]?’” County Cllr Ali said. “I think…that [some] discussion would instil confidence in the elected members, [who] would also then be able to explain [the situation] to the members of the public.” However, cabinet member for highways and transport Warren Goldsworthy said spending would not be a matter of choice – but the result of a “data-driven” process.

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Left behind: Lancashire will be last area in the north without a mayor

By Paul Faulkner

A meeting that could finally have put Lancashire on the road to getting an elected mayor was cancelled last week – for the second time in as many months.

It is understood that the plug was pulled on the crunch gathering – between local authority leaders and the government – which had been due to take place in Whitehall on 12 May.

It was called off because the State Opening of Parliament had subsequently been scheduled for the following day. But political turmoil would have torpedoed the talks in any case after the government minister who was set to lead them resigned hours before they were due to begin.

Devolution minister Miatta Fahnbulleh quit on the morning the meeting had been planned, as she became the first member of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s team to walk out over his leadership.

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Her departure means Lancashire has lost the key government contact with whom it has been negotiating the next steps on its devolution journey since last September – a period during which there have been substantial developments, including a demand for a guaranteed £1bn investment package for Lancashire over the next three decades to go with any mayor.

Last week’s meeting had been scheduled to enable the leaders and chief executives of the county’s three top-tier local authorities – Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council – to discuss with Ms. Fahnbulleh how Lancashire might move towards the creation of an Andy-Burnham type figurehead.

The event – which would also have been attended by officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – had originally been scheduled for March, but had already been cancelled once at the request of the government, because of the timing of Parliamentary business. The LDRS understands no new date has been set for Lancashire’s representatives to meet with the newly-appointed devolution minister, Nesil Caliskan MP.

It is unclear whether the ongoing leadership speculation surrounding the Prime Minister will delay work within the government on Lancashire’s devolution progress – or provide an impetus to speed it up.

The cancelled meeting had been set to revolve around a series of requests previously made by the trio of council leaders who would have been in attendance – as well as consideration of the outcome of a local “governance review” of Lancashire’s devolution arrangements.

In unpublished correspondence sent shortly before Christmas, Lancashire County Council’s Reform UK leader Stephen Atkinson and the respective Labour leaders of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils, Lynn Williams and Phil Riley committed to exploring “the principle” of a mayor-led system for Lancashire.

However, what they described as their willingness to “engage positively” over the subject was set out as being “contingent” on confirmation of the funding that would come with the post, the timescale for the introduction of the role and the outcome of a public consultation into the new set-up.

The three also formally floated the idea – previously mooted by County Cllr Atkinson, a longstanding opponent of elected mayors as part of the devolution process – of Lancashire being able to access that mayoral finance before the new, all-powerful politician is actually in place.

The three politicians sit together at the helm of the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) as the heads of its constituent councils.

That organisation was established in February 2025 to oversee the implementation of Lancashire’s existing devolution deal. The agreement did not include an elected mayor – a prospect that has proved politically controversial in the county throughout what is now a decade of wrangling between all 15 main Lancashire councils over the issue.

Devolution is the process by which local areas are handed powers that were previously the preserve of central government – and funding to accompany their new responsibilities.

The letter sent to the government in December was the latest response to a ministerial demand for the LCCA to bring forward plans for “deeper” devolution – widely interpreted as code for moving to a mayoral model and securing the additional cash and powers that the post would bring, including over some elements of transport, housing and economic development.

The top-tier council leaders, in their roles as constituent members of the LCCA, resolved in October to consider introducing a mayor – but only if “clear and substantial benefits” could be demonstrated by the government beforehand.

County Cllr Atkinson was particularly keen to establish exactly how much additional funding would come Lancashire’s way if it took the mayoral route favoured by ministers.

In reply, Ms Fahnbulleh stressed that a commitment to mayoral authority funding being delivered over a 30-year period was laid down in legislation – but would not be drawn on specifics. She said the amount available to Lancashire would be “subject to further decisions following consideration of the Combined County Authority’s proposal to pursue mayoral devolution”.

In their December correspondence, the LCCA members once again attempted to secure a government commitment to a precise figure for a Lancashire mayoral ‘investment fund’, stating that their “fiscal assumption is that this would be in excess of £1bn, or [circa] £36m per annum, when gauged against [those] which have been agreed for other new or emerging Mayoral Strategic Authorities”.

They also noted in other areas working towards an elected mayor that the government now wanted the new role introduced only after completion of any separate changes to streamline the local council set-up in those places. Lancashire is poised to undergo such an overhaul in April 2028, when its existing 15 local authorities will be abolished and replaced with an as-yet-undetermined smaller number of councils.

Against that backdrop – and the resultant minimum two-year wait for any elected mayor that is ultimately agreed for Lancashire – the LCCA said it believes there is “merit in releasing 50 percent of [any mayoral] investment to Lancashire earlier in the process [in order] to create new opportunities to maximise the benefit of existing resources, with the balance available in full when a mayor is in place”.

The letter also highlighted what its authors described as “the unique position which Lancashire now faces regarding reduced levels of capital investment and [combined authority] capacity funding, as one of only two non-mayoral CCAs in the country”.

Meanwhile, on the subject of a public consultation over an elected mayor for Lancashire, the LCCA members stated their desire to “ensure that the views of Lancashire’s residents and stakeholders are fully considered”.

Last week’s gathering would have seen the government respond to the county’s raft of requests – a duty now set to fall to Nesil Caliskan at a later date. She becomes the third person to occupy the post of devolution and local government minister since Labour came to power in 2024, after the original officer-holder, Jim McMahon, was shuffled out of the job last September.

Lancashire is currently the only part of the North of England neither to have an elected mayor nor be formally en route to installing one.

County Cllr Atkinson said back in November that he believes a mayor actually “centralises power” – and so is at odds with the essence of devolution. He also said he wanted Lancashire to “understand exactly what we will get” out of the arrangement before signing up to it.

However, Cllr Riley said it would be “insane for Lancashire to end up being the only place in the North of England that doesn’t have a mayoral authority – it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever”.

Cllr Williams added that the county was “missing opportunities” by not being led by a mayor – and that it had “a lot of catching up to…do” with Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region.

Further delays to mayoral process means Lancashire loses out - rightly or wrongly

Analysis by Luke Beardsworth

In basic terms, it’s not a stretch to imagine that most people do not care whether Lancashire has a mayor or not. If and when it happens, it won’t be quick and anything other than an incredibly combative election period is unthinkable in 2026.

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As a city where students play such a significant role, it is perhaps unsurprising that Lancaster was among the first cities in the UK to have serious Green Party representation.

And on the surface, you would perhaps expect to see the resignation of one Green Party councillor who came to the city for Lancaster University yield the result of another Green councillor.

But these are not straightforward times whatsoever and politics has become increasingly more difficult predict. Reform UK lead the polls, Labour’s vote share for anyone not named Andy Burnham is poor and while the Green Party is more popular than ever - it is also doing so with a leader who is focusing on issues not necessarily always prioritised by the party.

This week sees conversations with people in Lancaster to gauge how they are feeling politically.

Lancashire briefing

🏅 A meeting that could finally have put Lancashire on the road to getting an elected mayor was cancelled last week – for the second time in as many months. It is understood that the plug was pulled on the crunch gathering – between local authority leaders and the government – which had been due to take place in Whitehall on 12th May. It was called off because the State Opening of Parliament had subsequently been scheduled for the following day. But political turmoil would have torpedoed the talks in any case after the government minister who was set to lead them resigned hours before they were due to begin. Devolution minister Miatta Fahnbulleh quit on the morning the meeting had been planned, as she became the first member of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s team to walk out over his leadership. Her departure means Lancashire has lost the key government contact with whom it has been negotiating the next steps on its devolution journey since last September – a period during which there have been substantial developments, including a demand for a guaranteed £1bn investment package for Lancashire over the next three decades to go with any mayor. Last week’s meeting had been scheduled to enable the leaders and chief executives of the county’s three top-tier local authorities – Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council – to discuss with Ms. Fahnbulleh how Lancashire might move towards the creation of an Andy-Burnham type figurehead.

🍺 A Morecambe pub’s bid for later outdoor drinking has sparked objections from some neighbours, claiming their lives are being ruined by customer noise and loud music. Objectors say The Tide and Tap, in Bare, was supposed to be a micro-pub but has grown too big, with customers sitting and standing outside, and ‘spilling’ onto the pavement. Pub bosses want permission from Lancaster City Council to use the area in front of the venue for customer drinking until 10pm, in keeping with the serving hours inside. Currently, the outdoor space can only be used until 8pm. Some neighbours have sent objections to the council, which will consider the bar’s application to vary it premises licence this week.

🚮 The problems that have beset bin collections in Preston in recent weeks are partly due to a delay in the delivery of the new vehicles needed to pick up food waste, the leader of the city council has said. Matthew Brown has issued a lengthy statement apologising to the “small minority of residents” affected by disruption to all types of rubbish collection since changes introduced last month following the biggest overhaul of Preston’s waste service in 14 years. The wider shake-up coincided with the start of weekly food waste collections in the city on 20 April, as part of a national rollout required by government legislation. The authority took the opportunity to revamp the rest of its waste removal arrangements at the same time – but the move has seen households in several parts of the city left with their bins unemptied when they were due to have been collected. Cllr Brown said the late arrival of the specialist new lorries was beyond the authority’s control – and that they were now expected “imminently”. He added that other “short-term issues” had resulted from the scale of the changes being implemented.

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A by-election in the city that voted Green long before it was cool

By Robbie Macdonald

Four candidates will battle it out for a place on Lancaster City Council tomorrow (21 May).

The Castle ward is set for a poll after the resignation of Green city councillor Isabella Metcalfe-Riener, who was also a Lancaster University student. She was elected two years ago but is moving away having found a new job. Currently, the ward’s two other city councillors are both Greens.

There are 61 councillors at Lancaster City Council and the authority is operating under a Green-led minority - they are just about the biggest party with Labour just behind and then a mixture of Lib Dems, the Conservative party, and various Independents.

Lancaster is an intriguing area for the Green Party. Along with Bristol (until recently the biggest collection of Green councillors in the country) and Mid Suffolk, the city was early in electing a councillor. The first five were elected in 1999 - for comparison, Preston and Chorley have this year elected their first ever Green councillors.

That means that while the Green Party is surging currently under Zack Polanski - although some way behind Reform UK in polls - the party is nothing new for Lancaster.

Reform UK and the Green Party’s rise; city centre shops and jobs; night-time safety and students active in politics were among the big issues for people in Lancaster when asked about politics.

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The Labour Party recently claimed residents ‘deserve a full-time councillor’. But the Greens said Isabella made a valuable contribution including representing young people. University students and staff have been elected as city councillors over the years for different parties, building a tradition of university representation at the council.

The Greens, Labour, Lib Dems and Reform UK are all standing for the one vacant seat – but the Conservatives are sitting it out.

Anne Bell said: “I think city centre shopping is a key issue. We’ve got TK Maxx, Next and Primark but not much else. There’s not a lot of choice. However, I like Lancaster, it’s nice in the day, and I think public transport is good. I usually get the bus but sometimes use my car. But the roads are full of potholes.

“I come into the city centre now and again at night – but I don’t feel particularly safe at night. Last time, there were too many people who seemed to be drug addicts or have other problems. It was not a positive experience. But they probably don’t have the basics like housing and help. There’s definitely a different vibe at night. But young people probably don’t notice it.”

On housing, she said: “I think rents charged by landlords are extortionate. High rents stop people from saving for a mortgage. And I don’t think there’s enough social housing. We bought our house 40 years ago for £23,000. But over the years, wages have flat-lined and house prices have gone right up.”

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We’ve covered social media conflict at Lancashire County Council in some depth on these pages before - so it was no surprise to see the topic arise when the Local Government Association publish its peer review into the authority.

The report, which is not designed to criticise, highlighted that numerous councillors and staff had raised concerns over the culture at County Hall. Complaints have more than tripled in 2025 compared to previous years.

The authority stresses that there has been no increase in serious breaches of the code of conduct - but the bar for any authority to take action against a councillor over their use of social media is extremely high.

Lancashire briefing

🗳️ Reform UK and the Green Party’s rise; city centre shops and jobs; night-time safety and students active in politics are among the big issues for people in Lancaster as a council by-election approaches. The Castle ward is set for a poll next week following the resignation of Green city councillor Isabella Metcalfe-Riener, who was also a Lancaster University student. She was elected two years ago but is moving away. Currently, the ward’s two other city councillors are both Greens. The Labour Party recently claimed residents ‘deserve a full-time councillor’. But the Greens said Isabella made a valuable contribution including representing young people. University students and staff have been elected as city councillors over the years for different parties, building a tradition of university representation at the council. The Greens, Labour, Lib Dems and Reform UK are all standing on Thursday, May 21 for the one vacant seat – but the Conservatives are sitting it out.

🤝🏻 Conservatives and defectors to Reform UK have been accused of forming an unannounced ‘Conform’ coalition at Ribble Valley Borough Council. Two councillors who recently defected to Reform have kept their influential committee roles despite swapping parties – which indicates a coalition, opposition parties claim. But Reform councillors have rejected the suggestion. The accusations came at Ribble Valley Borough Council’s annual meeting, when influential committee chairperson roles for the next 12 months were decided. No local elections were held in the Ribble Valley last week, unlike other parts of Lancashire where Reform had big wins. But in recent weeks, three Ribble Valley councillors have defected to Reform, creating an official new group of four. The borough is still officially led by the Conservatives, under council leader Simon Hore. At the meeting, he recommended that Ian Brown, formerly a Conservative and then an independent before joining Reform; and Ricky Newmark, also formerly a Conservative but now in Reform, should be the chairmen of licensing and economic committees respectively. Both held the roles previously.

🌹 Matthew Brown is set to remain the leader of Preston City Council after the Labour group on the authority backed him to stay in the post. The veteran politician was re-elected unopposed as local party leader during a meeting of Labour councillors on Tuesday evening. The Labour group decision came after last week’s local election results in which the party lost overall control of the city council for the first time in 15 years. However, deputy council leader Martyn Rawlinson has not put himself forward to remain in that role, which he first took up five years ago. He is, however, intending to stay as the cabinet member for resources. Cllr Valerie Wise – currently the cabinet member for community wealth building – hopes to replace him. She first sat on the city council back in the 1990s and was the authority’s leader between May 1994 and December 1995. She returned to the town hall after a more than 20-year absence in 2022.

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Social media conflict damaging Lancashire County Council’s wider reputation

By Luke Beardsworth

Lancashire County Council must address the social media conflict which is damaging the authority’s wider reputation.

That is one key verdict from the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge which has been published ahead of Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.

It highlights that complaints against councillors have more than tripled from typically less than 20 to 61 in 2025 - with the majority coming since Reform UK took power in May 2025.

And that comes as The Lancashire Lead can reveal that at least one Reform UK councillor is being investigated by Lancashire Constabulary over allegations of harassment centred around social media use.

This investigation is ongoing under the Operation Ford banner, which is designed to protect elected officials from intimidation, harassment and violence.

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The concerns are a blackspot and altogether avoidably risk distracting from what is broadly a positive report into how Lancashire County Council is performing.

It says that the council’s priorities are clear, that the council is working positively with district councils and that there is a clear focus on embedding ‘value for money’ into decision making.

But some councillors privately believe that the report does not accurately reflect the mood at County Hall.

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Any journalist hoping for a quiet week after the 48 hour slog that is the local elections had their hopes dashed - for conversation has now turned to the future of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

It looked for a while on Tuesday that we were seeing the beginning of the end, but as we write to you on Wednesday morning Starmer is reportedly more confident that he will keep his position. As we know however, it doesn’t take much for that to change.

Lancashire MPs have had something of a cool relationship with the government since 2024. We’ve looked at what the Lancashire MPs make of what’s happening this week.

Lancashire briefing

🏠 A bid to build up to 1,300 homes on farmland in South Ribble has been kicked out by councillors – with one of them condemning the planned development as “an absolute crime”. The proposed ‘Cuerdale Garden Village’ would have seen 159 hectares of greenbelt – to the east of the M6 in Samlesbury – given over to a sprawling development incorporating not just housing, but also industrial and commercial units, a new primary school, local shopping centre, green space and a park-and-ride facility into Preston. However, the scheme, which was intended to extend across five parcels of land – four to the south of the A59 Preston New Road and the other on the northern side of the busy route – attracted 1,250 public objections and was recommended for refusal by South Ribble Borough council planning officials. Members of the authority’s planning committee agreed, rejecting the blueprint at a meeting which heard emotive speeches from some of those opposed.

🩺 Lancashire residents who are interested in a career in nursing could get the chance to pursue their dreams via a degree apprenticeship as part of a government plan to make the profession more accessible to people from a broader range of backgrounds. Historically, entry into nursing has come via traditional university study, but an earn-while-you-learn option – leading to exactly the same qualification – was introduced back in 2017. In 2024/25, 57 apprentice nurses were recruited across the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) region – and now the area is amongst 19 nationwide eligible to share in a £65.4m funding boost designed to find the next nursing generation that would like a more flexible route to the NHS frontline. The cash is being targeted towards those locations with the largest training shortages – and also those that are less affluent.

🛏️ A historic Clitheroe town centre shop has been given a new lease of life as affordable rented flats thanks to a council grant. The former Salvation Army shop and worship centre on the corner of Lowergate and King Lane is being turned into three one-bedroom flats by local company Branleigh Holdings. Work is underway on converting it to apartments, which will be available for rent at local housing allowance rates over the coming months to people on Ribble Valley Borough Council’s affordable housing register. The council is offering grants of up to 50 per cent of the cost of converting or renovating properties, to a maximum of £20,000. On completion, the properties must meet the government’s decent homes standard and be let for a minimum of five years, during which time the council will set an affordable rent and have nomination rights over who occupies them.

Five Labour MPs in Lancashire call for Keir Starmer to resign

By Luke Beardsworth

Five MPs in Lancashire are among those who called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign in the wake of the disastrous 7 May local election results.

Paul Foster, MP for South Ribble, Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, and Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood are all among the group of more than 80 to publicly call for Starmer to step aside.

Maya Ellis (Ribble Valley), Mark Hendrick (Preston), Andy McNae (Rossendale and Darwen) and Ashley Dalton (West Lancashire) have not yet made their position known.

The Lancashire Lead understands that both Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, and Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, are considering adding their names to the list calling for a leadership contest on Wednesday (13 May) but have so far kept their powder dry.

More than 100 MPs have signed a statement saying it is ‘no time for a leadership contest’ as names like Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband continue to be linked with leadership bids.

The names on that list have been contested by some but it does include Burnley MP Oliver Ryan.

“Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate,” the letter said.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs. We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

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A bad day for Labour and the Conservatives in Lancashire’s local elections - although both will point to potential signs of green shoots in the sturdiness of their vote in at least some areas.

It means that in one borough, we had calls for Keir Starmer to resign.

The Green Party had a historic result in two borough council areas while Reform UK made big gains almost across the board.

Today’s edition, fuelled by journalists at counts across Lancashire, is completely free to read. With that in mind, we would appreciate any sharing of the piece that you can do. And, as a reminder, we can only keep doing this with more paid subscribers.

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Lancashire briefing

🗳️ The Conservatives claimed a double win in the Ansdell Park and Kirkham South wards parish by-elections, holding both seats. The May 7 polls took place in the Park ward of Ansdell and Fairhaven Parish Council and the Kirkham South ward of Kirkham Town Council. The vacancy on Ansdell and Fairhaven Parish Council came after the resignation of Cllr Amy Barnes, while the vacancy in Kirkham South comes after Cllr Tony Wellings stood down.

⛷️ Rossendale’s much loved ski slope must be saved for youngsters to enjoy, locals say. The future of the Hill dry ski slope in Rawtenstall is in doubt as Rossendale Council reviews all of its leisure sites. The review will also look at The Whitaker museum, also in Rawtenstall, and the Ashworth Centre in Whitworth. Rossendale Leisure Trust manages the venues on the council’s behalf along with sport and leisure centres such as Rawtenstall’s Marl Pits. The review suggests the trust should focus on ‘core’ sports and physical activity in future and other management or ownership options should be explored for The Hill, The Whitaker and the Ashworth.

🌹 A member of Preston City Council’s cabinet has been suspended by the Labour Party. Cllr Freddie Bailey, who held the environment and community safety portfolio on the authority, is not currently sitting with the ruling group while an investigation takes place. The allegations have not been made public but he denies wrongdoing. His suspension became public knowledge ahead of Thursday’s elections, where he was not up for re-election. It was notable, at Friday’s counts, that councillors from all parties went over to express best wishes.

🗺️If you want a view on the local elections beyond just Lancashire, well worth a read of our sister national title The Lead’s analysis of lessons learned from the elections elsewhere with Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald.

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A bad elections by every measure for the established parties

By Luke Beardsworth with Rachel Howarth, Bill Jacobs, Robbie Macdonald and Ed Walker

The disparate nature of Lancashire’s boroughs was there for all to see as seven boroughs went to the polls on Thursday.

It was, by almost every measure, a bad night for Labour and the Conservatives as long-serving local candidates were unseated across the county.

It leaves a number of authorities in no overall control ahead of the looming local government reorganisation which will see all of them scrapped and replaced - something unlikely to make that process more straightforward.

While most Labour leaders refused to be drawn on the future of Prime Minister Keir Starmer - but noted the unpopularity of the government had cost them - there were calls for him to resign from Blackburn with Darwen.

Cllr Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “It’s a disaster. Keir Starmer should resign as Labour leader and Prime Minister.

“It is absolutely tragic that long‑standing Labour councillors who have given years of service to their party and communities are losing their seats all over the country and here in Blackburn with Darwen.

“Sir Keir is the leader and has to take responsibility. As a Labour Party, we cannot go on like this.”

Turnout for the elections across the board was high, whether that’s because of the energising effect of the Green Party and Reform UK or anger aimed at the Labour government.

Preston

Labour lost control of Preston City Council for the first time since 2011 thanks to surges in support for Reform UK and the Green Party coupled with the continued strong showing for the Lib Dems.

In practice, Labour’s position is safer than it seems. The overall make-up of the council includes three independents about whom it is taken for granted that they will support Labour. Their leader, Cllr Matthew Brown, offered his congratulations to anyone who made gains.

But it does leave them in the position where they will need to turn to the Green Party for support on contentious issues.

Avery Greatorex, chair of the Green Party, told The Lancashire Lead after winning their first ever two seats at the authority that they would support Labour when they thought it was in the interests of residents.

She said: There are certainly things that we agree on with Preston Labour, but we are going to disagree on a few things. We are going to be a critical friend, but that’s going to go to all of the parties because we believe our council’s best if we were all cooperating to some extent.”

Reform UK won seats mostly where it would have expected a strong showing, though far from on the scale seen in the rest of the country - and in East Lancashire. Labour was able to hold onto four seats.

It was the Reform UK gain of Lea and Larches, after a recount, that arguably the biggest surprise came - with the Lib Dems losing a seat they were defending for the first time in a good while.

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Chorley

Reform UK won half of the seats contested in an election where it was mathematically impossible for Labour to lose control of the authority.

Labour held onto five - with Emma Walker winning a seat for the first time at 24-years-old a particularly eye catching result.

In 2022, the average age of local councillors in the UK was 60. Emma is 24.

She told The Lancashire Lead: “I feel that young people can make such a big difference, having their voices heard and making big decisions. We have a fresh perspective.”

Like in Preston, there was a historic win for the Green Party. Olga cash said they had been rewarded for focusing efforts on her ward - Chorley South West. The presence of Gorton and Denton Green MP Hannah Spencer on the campaign trail attests to that.

For Reform UK, now the official opposition at Chorley, it’s about scrutiny.

Cllr Martin Topp, the only Reform UK councillor defending a seat in the elections, said: “It’s really about ensuring that what [is] happening is all legit and above board.”

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West Lancashire

Reform UK and the independent Our West Lancashire group have won a host of council seats in West Lancashire – while Labour have suffered heavy losses.

Labour was defending eight seats in the West Lancashire Council elections and lost them all. But Reform had seven councillors elected, OWL had five councillors elected and the Conservatives had three. Fifteen council seats were up for grabs.

Control of the authority is yet to be decided.

Nigel Hudson was elected for Reform UK in Skelmersdale South. He said: “Issues included people feeling they had been at risk of being denied a vote by the government’s original move to cancel the elections, and the Skelmersdale and Ormskirk swimming pools row.

“I’m a real advocate for sport and leisure, and the lack of facilities in the town is pretty stark. I’ve been involved in taekwondo, martial arts and sports for 30 years and more. In some ways, I’ve been involved in politics around sport. But being a councillor in party politics is totally new for me. I’m honoured to have been elected and hope this can bring some hope of real change.”

Our West Lancashire (OWL) had a number of new councillors elected including Michael Crompton, aged 21, in Ormskirk East.

He said: “I got involved with OWL because I was getting angry with what Labour has done to the area and how money was being allocated, such as the leisure centres.

“I’d contacted Labour councillors with questions but didn’t get a reply or an answers from some. However, OWL councillors did respond. So I threw my hat in the ring and stood for election.

“We’ve got two years before West Lancashire Council could be merged with other councils, under the local government shake-up in 2028. That’s still a significant time in which we can push for good things. I’ve grown up in West Lancashire and the borough council has been here all my life. So I want to do my bit to put things right.”

Simon Evans, deputy leader at Lancashire County Council, was not among the successful Reform UK candidates.

Hyndburn

Hyndburn went through a seismic change at this year’s local elections, with both main parties struggling to hold onto any seat and Labour losing control of the borough council while remaining the biggest party.

Across every one of the 11 wards where thousands of voters went to the polls on Thursday, the resounding response from the electorate was that they wanted change, with five Conservative and three Labour councillors losing their seats – almost entirely to Reform UK.

The surge in support for Reform could be seen in almost every seat, with their mostly first-time candidates sweeping aside four incumbents. The exception being former Labour council leader Miles Parkinson, who has been returned to Accrington Town Hall under the light blue banner of Nigel Farage’s insurgent party.

Reactions in the hall were muted as the scale of Reform’s success became apparent, even unseating one of the Green Party’s two councillors, despite the party picking up hundreds of votes in many wards.

At one point, there was some consternation about the occasional candidate refusing to shake hands, and even the occasional boo breaking out as Reform captured yet another ward from the two main parties.

Sarah Smith, Labour’s MP for Hyndburn, said: “These are obviously disappointing results and highlight the need for us to deliver serious change to people’s lives.”

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Burnley

In Burnley, Reform UK’s wins were even more dramatic as they became the biggest party at an authority which remains in no overall control.

Reform UK won 11 of the 15 seats up for grabs, bringing its total on the council up to 13.

The Liberal Democrats lost a seat despite former MP Gordon Birtwistle holding on, while Independents gained three. Labour, the Conservatives and the Green Party won none.

Council leader Afrasiab Anwar won Bank Hall for the Independents.

He said: “I’m grateful to the people in Bank Hall for supporting me.

“I’m an activist who works with my communities and does whatever to support them.”

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Pendle

In Pendle, Reform UK won four seats, including the council’s Liberal Democrat leader David Whipp’s Earby ward.

Independents gained one seat, the Conservatives lost three and the Liberal Democrats two, leaving the council in no overall control. Its new make‑up is Independents 13, Conservatives eight, Liberal Democrats seven and Reform UK five.

Blackburn with Darwen

The result in Blackburn with Darwen means Labour is not in charge of the borough for the first time since it regained power in 2011, after four years of no overall control which included a Conservative‑led coalition administration from 2007 to 2010.

The election saw Labour lose a net seven seats, despite veteran former councillor Hussain Akhtar wresting Shear Brow and Corporation Park from 4BwD group Independent Suleman with a majority of 95 after two recounts.

Six Independents linked to 4BwD – whose councillors left Labour over the party’s stance on the Gaza conflict in 2023 – won seats the group did not previously hold, while the Conservatives lost three.

Talks have now begun over how the council will be run following Thursday’s dramatic results, with insiders predicting Labour and the 4BwD group will come to at least some form of understanding, if not a formal coalition.

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It is local elections week, which means I am gearing up for a stint from late Thursday night straight through into late Friday covering the results and reaction from across the county.

What actually happens is challenging to predict. But it is hard to see a world where Labour don’t lose total seats, and the Greens and Reform UK don’t make gains.

Lancashire, though, is especially interesting as an area that has one year of Reform UK leadership at Lancashire County Council already to inspire voters.

A bad result for Labour will be viewed as a verdict on Keir Starmer. Would a disappointing night for Reform UK be viewed as a verdict on how Lancashire County Council is being led?

Today’s edition is our big election preview.

Lancashire briefing

✂️ A political row has broken out after the Reform UK group that runs Lancashire County Council announced that it plans to “withdraw” the local authority from two government schemes that rehome refugees in the area. The party says a proposal to end its involvement in the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) will be put before cabinet later this summer. However, opposition groups branded the move a “stunt” and a “dog whistle” – claiming, variously, that it will not stop refugees from being housed in the county, but could cut off funding for those who have already arrived. Reform UK says the county council will remain within the Homes for Ukraine initiative – designed to help those who fled to the UK after Russia’s invasion of their country – which it describes as having “a legal obligation” to provide. But it has pledged to pull out of what it calls “discretionary” schemes. When quizzed, Reform UK did not answer and Lancashire County Council said ‘ask the Home Office’.

🚔 Lancashire Police has no immediate plans to introduce a new type of speed camera that can see into vehicles and capture other motoring offences. The artificial intelligence-powered devices – which are designed to catch drivers using a mobile phone, not being in proper control of their vehicle or not wearing a seatbelt – first appeared on UK roads during trials three years ago. They have since been rolled out more widely, with Sussex Police becoming the latest force to deploy the new kit – which continues to monitor speed – last month. However, Lancashire Constabulary said that it was “not currently” planning to bring the technology to the county’s highway network – but was exploring “lots of options” surrounding the latest advancements in enforcement.

🏰 Historic Clitheroe Castle, a key Lancashire tourist attraction, could come under new ownership in a shake-up of councils expected in 2028. The landmark 12th Century fortress draws visitors to Clitheroe and the wider region. And it is currently having repairs, as part of a £2.3million investment programme on the castle and grounds by Ribble Valley Borough Council. But the borough council, which owns the whole castle site, could be merged with Preston and Lancaster or scrapped under government plans to reorganise all Lancashire councils. This raises questions about who might own and maintain it in future. Now, Ribble Valley Borough Council is looking at options which could involved transferring the castle to another owner, if the 2028 shake-up happens. Other council-owned buildings, like Ribblesdale Pool, and land could be transferred too.

Will local or national issues win the day as Lancashire goes to the polls?

By Luke Beardsworth

Seven of Lancashire’s 15 councils will head to the polls this week in a set of local elections that will - rightly or wrongly - be portrayed as a referendum of the performance of the Prime Minister.

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister since 2024’s Labour landslide on the back of 14 years of Conservative rule, is under pressure for a multitude of reasons ranging from the Peter Mandelson scandal all the way to pressure from core party voters who believe he is not being radical enough.

That means that many voters are looking for alternatives - and those alternatives are most likely to take shape in the form of Reform UK, the Greens and Lib Dems.

And while there is plenty of truth in the notion that a party’s national perception can affect performance locally - where decision-making is often massively distant from whoever the party leader is - there are no shortage of issues on the ground that will impact how people vote in these elections.

Leading national polls comfortably at the moment are Reform UK - which throws up some interesting questions for Lancashire in particular.

All of Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston and West Lancashire returned Reform UK candidates to varying degrees in the 2025 Lancashire County Council elections, meaning the electorate in these areas now has some experience of being under their leadership.

For that reason, it is perhaps unsurprising that the council Reform UK are expecting to perform best in is Blackburn with Darwen - which has the chance to vote for the party in a full election for the first time.

Pollcheck - to be taken with a hearty pinch of salt, particularly where independents are involved in the mix - predicts that Reform UK will win 10 of the 17 seats up for grabs on Thursday.

This is despite high-profile revelations involving at least two of their candidates in the build up.

John Black, 55, standing in Little Harwood and Whitebirk, is one of three candidates nationwide to be thrown out of Reform UK following an investigation by anti-racist campaign group HOPE Not Hate and the Daily Mirror.

All three feature on a leaked list of BNP members and contacts from 2007-2008. It is believed that the list included members at the time, former members and individuals who showed interest in the party but did not officially join. Mr Black told The Mirror he had never been a BNP member.

Black’s expulsion comes against the background of a continuing row over social media posts by Reform UK’s Blackburn South East local election candidate Andy Mahon.

His now-deleted Facebook messages include the use of the ‘n’ word, sexist and offensive remarks about the new Green MP for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, references to former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner being overweight, and homophobic remarks about Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

In response to Andy Mahon’s social media posts, Reform UK said it believed in free speech.

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We’ve covered a winter of discontent caused by the water network on these pages before and United Utilities told us the same thing: record investment is coming, and bill increases are necessary to pay for it.

But their results, unpicked for today’s edition, show that profits have soared in line with water bills while that investment is happening. Which begs the question: did bills really need to increase so dramatically to fund those long overdue upgrades?

In the last edition, I told you that our two-year offer would come to an end. I’ve kept it in place for today because I think this is an especially important piece of writing that you should be able to read.

To celebrate two years of The Lancashire Lead, we are offering 30 per cent off our annual subscriptions, making it more affordable than ever to support proper journalism in our county. This deal ends by the next edition. Help to keep us going here.

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Lancashire briefing

⛷️ Rossendale’s dry ski slope could be closed in a review of council-owned leisure centres. And there could be changes coming for a Rawtenstall museum and a Whitworth venue too. The Hill Ski Centre, which first opened in 1973 as a centre for skiing, snowboarding and other activities, is the focus of a new Rossendale Council leisure review. The Rawtenstall slope provides many community benefits but is costly and ‘constrained’ in offering new attractions, the council report says. Rossendale Council is reviewing all its leisure sites managed on its behalf by Rossendale Leisure Trust. Running costs, loans and customer income are key factors between the council and trust, which use a mix of cash from the council, Sport England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The report suggests the leisure trust should focus on gym, sport and physical activity sites, including Marl Pits Swimming Pool. And other future options should be explored for the ski slope, the Whitaker Museum in Rawtenstall and Ashworth Centre in Whitworth. The trust manages a ‘diverse and ageing’ network of sites, the report says. And the ski slope’s future is ‘the most complex’ of three recommendations councillors are to consider on Wednesday, May 6.

🏗️ A 30-storey building that will become the tallest tower block in Lancashire is set to spring up in Preston city centre after being given the go-ahead by councillors. The blueprint for the 87-metre-high ‘Altura’ skyscraper was unanimously backed by members of Preston City Council’s planning committee – after they were told it would not be an “dominant” addition to the local landscape. If the now-approved plans come to fruition, the structure – which will incorporate 218 apartments, communal areas for residents and almost 600 square metres of ‘flexible’ office space – will stand on what is currently a small car park at the junction of Derby Street and Lords Walk, close to the city’s bus station.

🚌 A seasonal bus service offering summer day‑trippers easier access to the historic village of Rivington, its Lever Park and famous Pike returns on Sunday, May 3. The route linking Chorley, Adlington and Rivington operates on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Lancashire County Council is reintroducing service 125R, utilising Lancashire Combined County Authority bus grant funding from HM Government. The service will operate on Sundays and Bank Holidays until November 1.

🗳️ A Reform UK candidate in Blackburn with Darwen’s May 7 local elections has been expelled from the party over his alleged former membership of the British National Party. John Black, aged 55, standing in Little Harwood and Whitebirk, is one of three candidates nationwide to be thrown out following an investigation by anti-racist campaign group HOPE Not Hate and the Daily Mirror. The other two are David Prior, standing in the Gateshead ward of Saltwell, and George Parnell, standing in Hampshire (Fleet Town) and Hart (Fleet Central). All three feature on a leaked list of BNP members and contacts from 2007-2008. It is believed that the list included members at the time, former members and individuals who showed interest in the party but did not officially join. Mr Black told The Mirror he had never been a BNP member.

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United Utilities doubles profits while water bills rocket to pay for longer overdue upgrades

By Michael Holmes

It “beggars belief” that water bills are rocketing when United Utilities is making so much money, water campaigners have said.

River Action’s CEO James Wallace hit out after financial results showed the water firm, which supplies seven million people across much of the North West, including Lancashire, enjoyed a more than doubling of pre-tax profits to £779m over the past year.

That is after it hiked bills by 9% last month, adding about £57 to people’s annual bills, under five-year plans agreed with Ofwat that will reportedly see bills rise by a total of 32%.

Wallace said: “It beggars belief that bills are rising to make up for decades of underinvestment since privatisation, while private profits have soared.

“Nothing will change until the privatised water industry is fundamentally restructured for public benefit.

“Anything less risks continuing the normalisation of environmental harm on an industrial scale.”

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The Lancashire Lead asked United Utilities to justify price hikes for customers.

It said it has “built the most comprehensive support scheme in the sector” to help those “struggling to pay their bills”.

It added: “This year, we will help 422,000 households across the North West, with a target to help one in six customers with their bills by 2030.”

But it did not address residents who can afford to pay but are still being stung by the surge in costs.

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At a time when trust in politicians is at an all time low, many try to present their most authentic selves in an effort to appeal.

Every time you see a politician with a pint, this is exactly the vibe they are going for.

But since generative AI stepped into the picture, that approach has been at risk. Because if your image is edited, and your words not written by you, how can you present as authentic?

And there are deeper concerns about the impact on democracy, all unpicked in today’s edition.

To celebrate two years of The Lancashire Lead, we are offering 30% off our annual subscriptions, making it more affordable than ever to support proper journalism in our county. This deal ends by the next edition. Help to keep us going here.

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Lancashire briefing

🌹 A big thank you to everyone who attended the hustings on Monday night in Preston, organised by ourselves, Blog Preston and The Lancashire Post. Representatives from Labour, Lib Dem, Reform UK, Conservative and the Greens all spoke in what was, for the most part, and open and constructive debate ahead of 7 May’s Preston City Council elections. Full coverage will follow.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 The majority of Preston families who need to adapt their homes to help them care for disabled children face “significant shortfalls” in the financial support they will receive from the state, it has been claimed. A meeting of Preston City Council heard that 21 households with children who have complex needs are currently awaiting the outcome of applications for disabled facilities grants (DFGs) from the authority. The Liberal Democrat main opposition group at the town hall warned that the funding provided would be insufficient in most cases – and blamed a recent policy change in Preston that reduced the maximum amount that could be awarded from £50,000 to £30,000. However, the Labour administration defended the new cap, claiming that it enabled more people to receive help under a scheme that had previously been running out of money in the first half of each year.

🌳 Three Ribble Valley councillors have defected to Reform UK. One claims Britain is in a ‘complete mess’ and he joined Reform partly because his father, who fought in the Second World War, ‘would have been shocked’ at issues today. Ian Brown and Derek Brocklehurst, both formerly independents, and Richard Newmark, who was a Conservative, have all moved to Reform. It means the council now has four Reform councillors, including Stephen Atkinson, who moved to Reform last year and is also Lancashire County Council’s leader. But the Ribble Valley remains Conservative-led. Of 40 borough councillors, there now 16 Conservatives, six Lib-Dems, five Labour, four Green & Progressive Liberals, four Reform UK and five independents. Its political make-up has changed a lot in just a few years, including the arrival of Green and Labour councillors.

🗳️ A group of independent Preston politicians has severed ties with the new socialist party co-founded by Jeremy Corbyn – with one of them branding it “a dreadful waste of a fantastic opportunity”. The trio – who operate under the ‘Preston Independents’ banner and sit as part of the main opposition group on Lancashire County Council – signed up to join Your Party shortly after it was formed by the ex-Labour leader and fellow former Labour MP Zarah Sultana last summer. They briefly considered fully subsuming themselves into the new party once it was formally established, but the broader Preston Independents collective – which has around 55 active members in the city – later settled on retaining their local identity and autonomy, while allowing individuals within the grouping to choose whether to also hold Your Party membership. That decision followed a fractious launch for the new party – and repeated fallings-out between Corbyn and Sultana. Now, however, the three independents elected to County Hall to represent various parts of Preston have walked away from the fledgling left-wing movement altogether.

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Local politicians relying on AI risk deepening ‘very high’ mistrust in democracy

By Luke Beardsworth

Politicians communicating using generative AI are risking deepening the already ‘very high’ mistrust in democracy.

That is the verdict from multiple academics spoken by The Lancashire Lead after the growth in local politicians in the county using programmes like ChatGPT to post on social media.

The way that those politicians use AI varies greatly in regularity and use but our research shows that one councillor in Preston used it to generate the vast majority of their written posts - often to attack political rivals.

Others may use it to generate graphics or to edit photos of themselves to create a more flattering or polished version of themselves - including Reform UK’s deputy leader at Lancashire County Council Simon Evans.

Filip Bialy is a Research Associate within Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy (DiCED) project at the University of Manchester. His research looks at the impacts of AI on the processes of politics and he co-authored ‘The first TikTok election? Social media, generative AI, and data-driven campaigning in the 2024 UK General Election’.

He told The Lancashire Lead that there are several concerns raised by the wider use of AI in politics.

He said: “First, the very fact that the content is AI-generated, rather than crafted by humans, may result in the production and publication of erroneous, if not entirely false, messages. This is why larger political campaigns might be reluctant to use generative AI without proper human oversight that limits the risk of politically costly mistakes.

“Second, over-reliance on AI in political communication, at a time when mistrust in democracy is already very high, may result in even greater distrust in politicians and political institutions among voters. It could also be counterproductive, as voters seem to value authenticity in their politicians.”

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He added that the government is considering requiring the labelling of AI-generated content. But he also believes that there would be no incentive for politicians to be transparent on the matter and that, as AI content continues to improve and therefore harder to detect, it may end up not feasible.

Aidy Riggott is the Conservative leader at County Hall. While the majority of his colleagues were unseated by Reform UK candidates in the 2025 Lancashire County Council elections, he saw off the challenge by 30 votes.

He said that he thinks authenticity in online politics is important and makes it easier for residents to spot him if he’s out in the real world.

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Today we provide some context to a story published by online outrage generator The Telegraph a week ago - about the trust which runs Royal Preston Hospital.

At our titles, we have no problem whatsoever in highlighting failures at hospital trusts when they happen. The public deserves to know when failures happen and what is being done to address them. Over at The Blackpool Lead, we have done this extensively and will continue to do so.

But sometimes we see the nationals peer into our county, publish something which stretches the truth to breaking point, and have to look into it. So that’s what we’ve done.

And no, nobody has been banned from saying ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’. But you probably knew that bit.

To celebrate two years of The Lancashire Lead, we are offering 30% off our annual subscriptions, making it more affordable than ever to support proper journalism in our county. The deal isn’t around forever. Help to keep us going here.

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Lancashire briefing

🕳️ One of Lancashire County Council’s own members is aiming to take the authority to court over the condition of the roads that it is responsible for maintaining. County Cllr Michael Lavalette, an independent who represents the Preston Central East division, is searching for a solicitor willing to mount a so-called ‘class action’, designed to recover the cost of vehicle damage caused by potholes. He said that the Progressive Lancashire main opposition group – of which he is a part – wants to increase the chances of success for individual motorists who make claims against the county council after ending up out of pocket as a result of defects in the road. The Reform UK-run authority stresses on the form that drivers have to complete as part of that process that the majority of such compensation attempts are “successfully defended” – in other words, County Hall does not have to pay out.

🩺 Accident and emergency patients at the Royal Preston Hospital wait less time for a bed on a ward when medics are on strike, new research has found. A study by Lancaster University discovered that admissions from the emergency department (ED) came, on average, five hours quicker during stoppage periods than on non-strike days. The biggest improvements were seen when it was resident doctors – previously known as junior doctors – and consultants who had walked out. Sixty-one days of NHS industrial action were assessed between January 2022 and April 2024 – 40 involving resident doctors, 11 concerning nursing staff, 10 related to consultants and seven by ambulance workers. Resident doctor and consultant strikes coincided on four occasions in that timeframe, which saw an unprecedented number of walkouts in long-running disputes across the health service over pay and conditions. The median waiting time for admission to the Royal Preston from its A&E fell from 18 hours 4 minutes during ordinary periods of operation to 13 hours exactly when strikes were on. The study examined the waits only of those ED patients who were subsequently taken into hospital after their visit, not those who were discharged from – or passed away in – the department.

💩 The Environment Agency (EA) has responded to claims that it is not fit for purpose and has not adequately monitored air quality at a stinking landfill site on the Fylde coast. The government body acts as the primary environmental regulator for operational landfill sites in England and for the past two years has been monitoring the Jameson Road Landfill Site in Fleetwood. Long-suffering residents have had to put up with odorous emissions from the site, run by Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd, for two years and have called for the site to close. Aside from the vile stench of rotten eggs, some residents have complained of nosebleeds, headaches and breathing problems. Despite the complaints, EA says it is holding Transwaste to account.

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No, a Lancashire hospital has not banned staff from saying ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’

By Luke Beardsworth

A hospital trust in Lancashire found itself unexpectedly in the news this week after GB News, the Daily Express and LancsLive all followed the Daily Telegraph in publishing a story which screamed words and phrases had been ‘banned’ to avoid offending foreign patients.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, which runs Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, had carried out the training in 2024 to help staff communicate clearly with all patients under the banner of ‘inclusive language’.

But such phrases are a red rag to the angry bull that is The Telegraph in 2026 and they led on the idea that saying ‘it’s raining cats and dogs is culturally insensitive.

The Lancashire Lead, much like The Telegraph but unlike those gleefully rewrote the original story just enough for Google, obtained the document and - unsurprisingly - found that the section the article focuses on makes zero references to offending anyone.

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Instead, it warns that some phrases which may seem every day - like ‘its raining cats and dogs’ - may not be understood and therefore the advice is to avoid them.

No words are banned in the document.

Speaking with The Lancashire Lead this week, a spokesperson for the trust said: “Points made within The Telegraph’s initial article, and in those that have since run off the back of it, are misleading in a number of ways.

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