This is why Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre residents cannot vote in this year's local elections

Voters are heading to the polls across various parts of Lancashire on Thursday (5th May) for this year’s local elections.
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However, there are several councils where there is no area-wide poll this year – and Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre are among them.

It has left some people wondering why they are not getting to have their say at the ballot box. The Gazette understands that some Fylde coast residents have even been getting in touch with their local authority to ask why they have not received a polling card.

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The answer is simple – Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre councils stage elections only once every four years.

The memberships of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre councils were fixed for four years back in 2019The memberships of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre councils were fixed for four years back in 2019
The memberships of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre councils were fixed for four years back in 2019

Unlike some Lancashire authorities, which elect their memberships in thirds as part of an electoral cycle which sees polls held in three out of every four years, the Fylde coast trio hold “all-out” elections to determine their make-up for the next term in one go.

They last did so back in 2019, meaning that residents will not be invited to the polls again until May 2023.

Lancashire County Council also elects its membership once every four years, as it did in 2021 - so there will be no fresh vote for county representatives until 2025.