A bad elections by every measure for the established parties
The degrees may vary, but in Preston, Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Chorley, Burnley, Pendle and West Lancashire there was rejection of Labour and the Conservatives
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.