Lancashire local elections 2025: what to expect and closest battlegrounds

The process begins at 10am and the overall result - which will determine which party controls the county council for what will likely be the final term of its existence - is expected at some point this afternoon.

>>> LIVE: Get all the Lancashire County Council local election results as they happen

The Conservatives will be hoping to make it three Lancashire County Council election victories in a row, having been in charge at County Hall since 2017.

The Labour opposition group will want to capitalise on Tory woes nationally in the wake of last year’s general election - but avoid being tainted by any of their own national party’s more controversial policies implemented during its first 10 months in government.

At the time of the last county council vote in 2021, the Conservatives and Labour came first and second in the majority of seats.

Recent national polling - and the results of the general election - point towards a more open contest this time round, with the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and a seemingly surging Reform UK all in the mix. That trio each currently has just two seats - with those for Reform coming after defections just prior to the local elections.

Party leader Nigel Farage has visited Lancashire twice during the campaign - and the party has high hopes for its performance here.

HOW IT WORKS

All 84 Lancashire County Council members will be elected today across 82 'divisions' - which are larger versions of the wards found at a district council level.

A party has to secure at least 43 seats in order to achieve a majority.

The Conservatives, Labour, the Green Party and Reform UK have contested all of the seats, while the Liberal Democrats fielded 62 candidates, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition stood eight, Our West Lancashire put forward four, the Alliance for Democracy and Freedom two and the UK Independence Party and the Workers Party of Great Britain one each.

All bar two divisions return just one county councillor, while Great Harwood, Rishton and Clayton-le-Moors, and Pendle Rural elect two.

The sitting county councillor has stood again in 65 seats.

Amongst those choosing not to seek re-election are deputy leader and fiance portfolio-holder Alan Vincent, highways cabinet member Rupert Swarbrick and his adult social care colleague Graham Gooch. On the Labour benches, former Chorley Central representative Steve Holgate - who was first elected to County Hall in 1997 - has also decided to depart.

The last term saw a slew of changes in political allegiance, meaning several candidates are not standing under the same party colours as they did last time.

The Labour opposition leader at the last election - and for the majority of the last four years - Azhar Ali - was suspended from the party in February 2024, and later resigned, over comments he made about Israel. He has contested his Nelson East seat as an independent.

Three other Labour county councillors became independents in late 2023 in opposition to the national party’s stance on the war in Gaza - Yousuf Motala (Preston City), Usman Arif (Burnley North East) and Sobia Malik (Burnley Central East), although the latter has not stood again this time round.

County Cllr Mohammed Iqbal (Briefield and Nelson West) was amongst a group of Pendle district councillors to quit the party over freedom of speech concerns early last year and has also now sought re-election as an independent.

Following the death of the Tory Chorley Rural West member Keith Iddon in 2023, the seat fell to Labour at the resultant by-election.

Loraine Cox (Accrington North) switched from Labour to the Conservatives during the last term, although she has now stepped down.

In March, Conservatives Matthew Salter (Wyre Rural Central) and Ged Mirfin (Ribble Valley North East) both defected to Reform UK, giving the party a brief pre-election presence at County Hall.

Two incumbent candidates are also contesting different divisions to the ones they previously represented, but for the same parties as they stood for in 2021. Conservative Charlie Edwards - who was the member for Morecambe South - has this time fought the Skerton division, while the Green Party’s Scott Cunliffe has shifted from Burnley Central West to enter the fray for Brierfield and Nelson West.

CURRENT POLITICAL PICTURE

For the purposes of determining whether a seat has been held or gained by a party, comparisons are made with the results from the last election in 2021 - regardless of whether that seat has since changed political hands as a result of a defection or by-election.

After the 2021 poll, the make-up of County Hall was:

Conservatives - 48

Labour - 32

Liberal Democrats - 2

Green Party - 2

By the time the of this election, that had become:

Conservatives - 46

Labour - 26

Liberal Democrats - 2

Green Party - 2

Reform UK - 2

Independents - 5

Vacant seat - 1

SEAT MARGINS

The spread of majorities at the 2021 Lancashire County Council elections - in its single-seat divisions - ranged from a victory by just three votes to one by almost 2,500.

The list below shows the political allegiance of members as when they were elected four years ago.

Morecambe Central - Lab - 3

Burnley South West -Lab - 5

Clitheroe -Con -12

Mid Rossendale -Lab -60

Whitworth and Bacup - Con -60

Rossendale West -Lab -77

Preston West -Lib Dem -136

Heysham - Con - 140

Fylde East - Con - 150

Lytham - Con - 181

Accrington West and Oswaldtwistle Central - Lab - 200

Accrington South - Con - 213

Clayton with Whittle - Lab - 218

Lancaster East - Lab - 228

Leyland South - Con - 250

Burnley Central West - Green - 251

Lostock Hall and Bamber Bridge - Con - 274

Rossendale South - Con - 334

Chorley Rural West - Con - 350

Burscough and Rufford - Con - 352

Preston East - Lab - 359

Skelmersdale East - Lab - 367

Morecambe South - Con - 376

Penwortham East and Walton-le-Dale - Con - 390

Preston South West - Lab -394

Hoghton with Wheelton - Con - 404

West Lancashire East - Con -431

Skerton - Lab - 478

Rossendale East -Lab - 535

Leyland Central - Lab - 583

Accrington North - Lab - 589

Ormskirk - Lab - 602

Burnley Rural - Con - 606

Oswaldtwistle - Con - 668

Fleetwood West and Cleveleys West - Con - 740

Pendle Central - Con -767

Preston Central West - Lab - 813

Euxton, Buckshaw and Astley - Con - 843

Lancaster Rural East - Con - 860

Fleetwood East - Lab - 871

Preston North - Con - 880

Chorley North- Lab - 909

Lancaster South East - Lab - 916

West Lancashire West - Con - 949

Chorley Central - Lab - 970

South Ribble East - Con - 1,042

Nelson East - Lab -1,052

Penwortham West - Lib Dem -1,092

Moss Side and Farington - Con - 1,120

Chorley Rural East - Lab - 1,129

Burnley Central East - Lab - 1,151

Cleveleys South and Carleton - Con - 1,152

Preston South East - Lab - 1,159

Chorley South - Lab - 1,165

Lancaster Rural North - Con - 1,166

Morecambe North - Con -1,187

Burnley North East - Lab -1,242

Brierfield and Nelson West - Lab - 1,276

Pendle Hill - Con - 1,319

Fylde South - Con - 1,328

St Annes North - Con - 1,332

Skelmersdale West - Lab - 1,358

Skelmersdale Central - Lab - 1,376

Padiham and Burnley West - Con -1,380

Preston City - Lab -1,445

St Annes South - Con -1,511

Cleveleys East - Con -1,525

Longridge with Bowland - Con -1,624

Lancaster Central -Green -1,676

Ribble Valley North East - Con -1,686

Wyre Rural Central - Con -1,773

West Lancashire North - Con -1,788

Thornton and Hambleton - Con -1,797

Preston Rural - Con -1,838

Fylde West - Con -1,880

Preston Central East - Lab -1,971

South Ribble West - Con - 2,017

Poulton-le-Fylde - Con - 2,078

Ribble Valley South West - Con -2,241

Wyre Rural East - Con -2,469