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PLUS: Full reports from our Lancashire County Council hustings event this week
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
We hope you are having a lovely long weekend (or have some time somewhere soon to get a rest in if you’re working). We wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on our 2025.
This year our reporting has gone from strength to strength, with coverage on issues big and small that otherwise wouldn’t see the light of day.
In February we exposed the local councillor who had managed to rack up council tax debts despite being a property director.
Our reporting set the agenda with the Lancashire Telegraph and LancsLive soon following up with their own versions based on the information we had obtained - this came from our investigative reporter Jamie Lopez.
The long wait for the former Lancashire County Council leader to stand trial won’t come to an end until 2027.
An investigation into alleged wrongdoing at the authority began in 2013 with Driver first being arrested in 2017. It’ll be ten years from arrest to trial as a result. It’s taken so long that Lancashire County Council might not exist by the time it happens.
But this update into what is admittedly a very complex (and expensive) investigation was only brought to you by The Lancashire Lead.
When the first ever Brig Against Reckless Driving meeting took place in February, it was The Lancashire Lead who attended the meeting to listen to concerns from residents. We met Katie Barton, who campaigns for changes to the roads around her home which is also opposite a school, at the meeting.
That resulted in a freedom of information request that showed that 20mph are not being enforced by police.
The roads are an issue that is always close to the hearts of readers of any news publication.
In March, a particularly bad crash on the M6 brought central Lancashire to a complete standstill. It proved especially disruptive, with the M6 closed for 18 hours for repairs to take place.
Crashes are going to happen - but invariably there are things that can be done to tackle the impacts of those crashes.
We were able to report how Preston’s MP Sir Mark Hendrick was writing to the government to call for action to be taken. A number of options were mooted, including a new bridge to ease traffic from the M6 to the M55 and lower speed limits which are proven to reduce accidents on motorways.
Over 1,500 words were written by The Lancashire Lead on the topic, where usually you will find no more reporting than details of the crash that has happened.
These are just a small selection of articles we have written this year that you simply weren’t able to read from the more established news outlets that operate in Lancashire.
We produce this on a platform that is free of annoying ads that bring your phone or computer to a halt, and with headlines that are free of clickbait.
There are fewer journalists than ever plying their trade in Lancashire but we think, thanks to the efforts of reporters like Jamie and the rest of our team, proper old-school reporting is alive and well at The Lancashire Lead.
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Thanks and we hope you’re having a great long weekend.
Politicians clash at Lancashire County Council election hustings
By Paul Faulkner
Two leading Lancashire politicians have condemned the concept of a directly-elected mayor for the county – with one of them also promising a referendum on the issue if their party wins power at next month’s local elections.
During a debate ahead of the Lancashire County Council poll next month, the Green Party and Reform UK were united in their assessment that an Andy Burnham-style figurehead was not good for democracy.
In a display of the extent of the political split over what has long been a controversial subject in the county, Labour’s opposition group leader said he was “a convert” to the idea, while the Liberal Democrats offered only lukewarm support and the ruling Tories sat firmly on the fence.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced plans for the whole of the North of England to have a mayor by May next year – seemingly removing any choice in the matter for Lancashire, which has danced around the subject ever since it began to discuss devolution almost a decade ago.
Gina Dowding, the Green Party group leader at County Hall, said her personal view was that the role was “not a good idea”.
“[We would be] investing an awful lot of power in the hands of one person, elected [by] first-past-the-post, so it doesn’t actually [give] a representation of the whole mix of an area.
“Most people are assuming it means devolving power [and] resources to a significant extent. Actually, what it really feels like is…national government making life easier for themselves to impose their agenda [on] local areas.
“What we’ll end up with is the councils [being] responsible for services…no matter how many resources we’ve got, but when it comes to strategic issues – where we actually shape our…area – that’s all going to be decided by one person. So I don’t feel as though it increases democracy,” County Cllr Dowding said.
Meanwhile, Reform UK’s Stephen Atkinson – who does not currently sit on the county council, but is standing for election – said a local referendum was vital to give people a say. His view, however, was clear.
He suggested Sir Keir Starmer was hoping to build up a bank of Labour mayors that would end up “dancing to [his] tune”.
“It’s [the] total opposite of devolving power – it’s centralising power through a party political system. And if you were a Labor candidate, you’ve got to think about re-selection. So are you going to challenge the government of the same party the way Andy Burnham challenged the Conservatives?
“It will also politicise investment. Marginal seats will get investment, because that’s where the votes are for the mayor,” said Cllr Atkinson, the outgoing leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council and a former Tory.
Labour opposition group leader Matthew Tomlinson admitted to having previously been “a sceptic” over a mayor – but said that one moment had changed his mind.
“Three days after the general election someone took a selfie on the steps of number 10 and in [it were mayors from across the North]. They were all going in to speak to the Prime Minister. And who was there speaking for Lancashire? No-one.
“The idea [that] if we don’t have an elected mayor, nothing [good] will happen [is] just nonsense. Of course good things will still happen, but better things can happen if we have an elected mayor – I’m a convert,” County Cllr Tomlinson said.
He added that he was not a “not a fan of single-issue referendums”.
John Potter, from the county’s Liberal Democrat group, said he was also opposed to what would be a costly referendum when a mayor was likely to be “imposed” by the government regardless.
He told the audience he was “pretty indifferent” about the post, but believed that, on balance, it was worth having.
“Do I believe in figurehead politics? Not really. Do [mayors] come with any benefit and strategic overview of an area? Yes.
“And, sometimes, that’s politics – there isn’t much black and white, [there is] that whole [area] of grey in the middle, where you make incremental steps to improve the lives of people – and if the mayors do that, then I’ll vote for it.,” County Cllr Potter said.
Meanwhile, representing the ruling Conservative group, County Cllr Scott Smith championed the devolution deal that his administration had secured with the government – together with Labour-led Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils – 18 months ago.
That agreement came without a mayor and so was one rung down from the top of the ladder of powers and cash that come with different degrees of devolution.
“We’ve always been clear that…if people want to go further in the future, this is the first step.
“It’s ultimately for the residents of Lancashire to decide how [things] should look and we…will engage in that with good faith, as we have all the way through with the government.
“But I’m not going to sit and prejudge that process here tonight,” County Cllr Smith said.
Why were our children let down?
A mother demanded to know why some Lancashire children – including one of her own – were let down to such a degree that they began self-harming while waiting for support with special needs.
Cheryl Semple said that she had started advocating for parents and carers who had found themselves in a similar situation to her family when their youngsters “weren’t getting the help that they needed in school and at home”.
She said: “Some of these parents actually suffered breakdowns, because they were trying to get…help for their children, but were being turned away and, in some ways…treated with disdain [by] Lancashire County Council – because funding was being withdrawn or withheld for months…and years, sometimes.
“Why is it that you have treated some of the most vulnerable…children in Lancashire that way?” Ms. Semple asked.
Responding for the authority’s ruling Conservative group, County Cllr Scott Smith said there had been an explosion in demand nationwide for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services – and that the authority had invested an extra £5m this year to help to speed up the process of obtaining education, health and care plans (EHCPs) so children receive the support they require.
“We know that once a child gets that EHCP, it’s like a key that unlocks those services – it makes such a difference to that child and their family,” he said, adding that SEND provision was “a partnership” between the county council and the NHS.
The question came against the backdrop of a damning Ofsted report into SEND services in the area, which described “unacceptable delays” in the EHCP process, along with other “systemic” failings.
Liberal Democrat John Potter said the situation had reached “rock bottom”.
“We’re not talking about a couple of isolated cases – we’re talking about hundreds upon hundreds…of families let down.”
County Cllr Potter accepted that the reasons for the failure were complex – including the fallout from the pandemic – but said there was currently “no slack in the system”.
“We’ve got to have more flexibility. Any school that is expanded or new school that is built should be thinking…[about how it can have] SEND provision added to it,” he said.
Labour opposition group leader Matthew Tomlinson condemned what he said was the absence of any apology from the Tories in the wake of the Ofsted report in February.
“We’ve committed to getting the waiting list down by 90 percent. There are some families who are waiting four times the legal limit to get an [EHCP].
“Then, when they do get assessed…we don’t have the provision to look after these children – we’ve got children being bused all over the county, traveling two hours a day to get to school and back,” County Cllr Tomlinson said.
Green Party group leader Gina Dowding said SEND services needed to be “responsive to local people”.
“You need to be listening – and you need to work together to find solutions,” she said, adding that all political parties on the authority should co-operate on the plan for the future.
“We know that staff are really working hard, that they are trying their best there [and] they are up for improvement,” County Cllr Dowding said.
Meanwhile Reform UK’s Stephen Atkinson said it was wrong that parents were going through “hell on earth”.
“They love their children and they can see [them] suffering and getting more withdrawn and…frustrated – so the damage that’s done takes far more to undo because of these delays,” said Cllr Atkinson.
He added that some parents were having to pay to put their children into private schools, because they “can’t get” an EHCP assessment from the county council.
Pothole problems remain a priority for the public
Potholes are the biggest local concern for a significant number of Lancashire residents, those involved in the debate agreed.
Representatives of the ruling Conservative and Labour opposition groups said that was the message they got from voters.
Labour opposition leader Matthew Tomlinson acknowledged that people were most preoccupied with those services that were integral to their lives – but stressed that, in many cases, their priority was the state of the roads.
“If you’ve got an elderly relative who needs care, then adult social care is the main thing that will attract your attention. But…for most people, when we go out and speak to them, the issue that attracts the most attention is the crumbling state of our highways and footpaths,” County Cllr Tomlinson said.
The Conservatives’ lead member for highways and active travel, Scott Smith, concurred that the roads were “the most important thing to a lot of residents across the county – it’s the thing that most people see every single day”.
There was less agreement, however, over who would do a better job of looking after them.
County Cllr Smith said it was his administration’s recognition of the roads as a major issue that had led to it committing an extra £45m in funding over the next three years, which he claimed was “more than any other party” proposed at February’s budget.
However, County Cllr Tomlinson said that suggestion was “not true” – because his party’s defeated amendment for an additional £12m in 2025/26 was on top of anything the Tories had already put in.
He was backed up by Liberal Democrat John Potter, who said the same applied to his party’s proposed extra £10m for highways in the current financial year.
Pressed on where the real difference was between Labour and the Conservatives, given that they both supported the same 15-year strategy for Lancashire’s roads, County Cllr Tomlinson said that the plan could be “flexed” differently and “funded better”.
County Cllr Smith told the audience it would take £160m to “get our roads up to the condition that we would want…and we get a guaranteed £34m a year from the government”, which he acknowledged was a similar story whoever was in power nationally.
Meanwhile, County Cllr Potter said it was important not to “trivialise” the issue as a mere annoyance, because of the dangers road defects can pose.
“My next door neighbour, in a car with her kids, hit a pothole and blew a tyre out. Luckily, she was not hurt, [but] that was extraordinarily scary and could have led to an accident.
“If you’re on a bicycle or a motorbike…[hitting a pothole] could end in your death,” he warned. “If the public rate potholes as the number one issue, then you probably need to think about whether you’re producing a good enough service.”
Reform UK’s Stephen Atkinson said every survey of public opinion showed “potholes [are] what we really care about”.
He claimed the Tories were actually planning to cut £31m from the overall highways maintenance budget in the next two years – but that his party had found £35m in the coffers that could avoid that.
Cllr Atkinson said “money and productivity” were the key to securing better roads and asked the audience: “Have you seen county council employees where there’s one working [and] there’s four talking?
“We need to work harder, we need to deliver more, and we need to spend more.”
Green Party group leader Gina Dowding said she backed increased investment to clear the “huge backlog” in maintenance work and suggested potholes were regarded as such an important issue by so many because they were “symbolic”.
“It’s what they see in the public realm – it’s a little bit like litter – it reflects on us as a society,” County Cllr Dowding said.
She added that the current situation had occurred because local government had been “hollowed out” over the last 20 years and adult social care pressures left to increase – making it difficult to do “what should be basic maintenance on our highways”.
“There are…new ways of fixing the potholes coming out all the time – so we have to be willing to try that.”