Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
A mayor for Lancashire in 2028. Shadow elections for new authorities in 2028. But an unhappy set of council leaders who have been knocked about by the headwinds of all the debate and a looming legal threat from Reform UK.
Somehow, we sense we haven’t heard the end of all of this before it actually happening.
But it is the most clarity Lancashire has ever had on both issues at the same time. We unpick it all in today’s issue after a particularly newsworthy week for politics in the county.
Lancashire: A place where everyone agrees
Lancashire briefing
A former high-ranking Lancashire detective who led investigations into some of the county’s most serious crimes of the 1990s – and then went on to have two further careers in academia and politics – has died.
Tributes have been paid to Longton resident Graham Gooch who passed away on Sunday, at the age of 76, after suffering from cancer for the past two years.
The Conservative politician has been remembered as a man of “intellect and humour” and “a good human being” by political friends and foes in the county.
He represented the South Ribble West/Rural West division on Lancashire County Council for 12 years until stepping down ahead of the local elections in 2025. From 2017 until his retirement, he was the authority’s cabinet member for adult services, responsible for delivering social care for vulnerable and elderly people – including at the height of the Covid pandemic.
However, his most high-profile role – during a remarkable working life that crammed three careers into almost 60 years – came during his time at Lancashire Police, where he reached the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent.
Former Lancashire County Council leader Phillippa Williamson, who was at the helm from 2021 until 2025, said of her one-time colleague: “Graham was a brilliant county councillor and wonderful, loyal friend.
“He was tireless in his support of those he represented and dedicated to improving adult social care across Lancashire as cabinet member for adults services.
“Working alongside Graham was an absolute joy. We will miss his kindness and empathy, his intellect and his wonderful mischievous sense of humour.”
🏠 A council is looking at leasing properties for homeless people in efforts to reduce its spend on temporary bed and breakfasts.
Pendle Borough Council could create new homeless temporary accommodation in Nelson, Colne and Brierfield.
The council says demand for temporary accommodation ‘remains high’, with these measures aimed at cutting its spending on bed and breakfasts and ‘nightly paid’ accommodation for homeless people.
The council said it could save around £50,000 annually.
🐔 An animal rights charity says it would still be interested in transforming a former KFC branch on the Fylde coast into a museum dedicated to keeping chickens alive.
Back in the summer, animal rights charity PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) proposed that the food chain’s former branch in Fleetwood should be transformed into a Chicken Empathy Museum.
It would mean that visitors could learn about chickens’ intelligence, emotional lives, and social bonds, meet PETA’s famous chicken mascot and enjoy vegan food, the production of which the organisation says does not require any animals to suffer or be killed.
The branch, at 54 Lord Street, has been permanently closed since 2024 and remains closed, but PETA say that have had no luck in trying to track down the building’s current owners who acquired it in an auction.
A mayor for Lancashire and local government reorganisation: Clarity, kinda
By Luke Beardsworth and Paul Faulkner
Lancashire will get an elected mayor and shadow elections for new local authorities in 2028, we learned in an especially newsworthy week for politics in the county.
It was confirmed by Chancellor John Healey on Wednesday (28 October) that Lancashire is in the final stages of agreeing a mayoral strategic authority - with an election pencilled in for May 2028.
It is the first time Lancashire has been so advanced in the process to have an elected mayor - and the £35m per year funding that comes with it - after more than a decade of debate, disagreement and delays.
And in the same week, the government confirmed it was going to re-run the assessment of each of the local government reorganisation options - with all five proposals back in play and the abolition of the existing local authorities now down for Spring 2029.
Neither move is universally popular - though it is the latter which has caused the most consternation in local politics with Reform UK at Lancashire County Council now likely to consider a legal challenge, or at least keep the option in their pockets.
Lancaster City Council’s Green Party leader Caroline Jackson said the process had been “rushed” and resulted in “foreseeable legal complications” that would be felt by residents who did not support the changes in the first place.
“The government appears to have no idea that their ill thought-out plans for reorganisation have stolen our precious time and officer resources, which should be used for local priorities.
“We have local arts and culture to support, new waste disposal regulations to work on, climate change mitigation, economic development projects, work with young people, health, housing and leisure needs. All of these are affected and have proceeded more slowly as officers have spent their time on LGR.
“Mr McMahon said in 2024 we had to get rid of counties and districts in order to stop people getting confused about them. Can he possibly understand the confusion our local residents now feel caught up in this shambles of a process?” Cllr Jackson asked.
Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent described that situation as “absolutely bonkers” – and said it risked making a mockery of the vote next spring.
“Ahead of an election in May, we will likely already know [the shape of] the council that is going to replace the one people are being asked to vote for.
“What is that going to do to [voter] turnout? How is that going to encourage engagement with local government and district councils?” Cllr Vincent asked.
The Conservative leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, David Whittington – although a supporter of the originally chosen LGR option – echoed concern about the new timetable because of the practical problems it would pose during the remaining lifespan of the existing councils.
“Financially, it causes us a problem, because central government are cutting our funding. We got a decent grant for the current year, but there’s a big reduction next year.
“We thought we could live with that because it’d be our last year, but now it isn’t. So suddenly we’re having to find millions of pounds for things we didn’t think we would still have responsibility for.
“Also, when I became leader in May, there were things that I wanted to do, but realised couldn’t be done in the two years [before the council’s abolition] – so they were forgotten. But now we’ve got an extra year and so we’ve got to scrabble around and see what more we can achieve in that period,” Cllr Whittington explained.