Local Election results: The latest in Lancashire
Last updated 6th May 2022
People across Lancashire have cast their votes in the local elections, to decide who they want in control of their local areas.
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre are areas where elections haven't taken place, as they were held back in 2019, and they only come around every four years.
So far the results are as follows:
In Preston, the overall control stays with Labour, made up of the following seats:
Labour - 30
Conservative - 11
Liberal Democrat - 7
In Chorley, Labour also has the overall control:
Labour - 32
Conservative - 10
In Rossendale, Labour have gained seats but there's no majority
Labour - 19
Conservative - 11
Independent - 5
Green - 1
In Wigan, Labour have held their majority and gained two seats
Labour - 61
Conservative - 7
Independent - 7
In Blackburn with Darwen, Labour has also held the majority:
Labour - 36
Conservative - 13
Independent - 1
Liberal Democrats - 1
In Pendle, the Conservatives have held the majority:
Conservative - 17
Labour - 11
Liberal Democrats - 5
There is no party majority in Burnley
Labour - 18
Liberal Democrat - 8
Conservative - 8
Green - 6
In Sefton, Labour have held onto their majority:
Labour - 48
Liberal Democrat - 8
Conservative - 7
Independent - 3
There is no overall control in Stockport:
Liberal Democrat - 28
Labour - 25
Conservative - 5
Green - 2
Independent - 3
There is no overall control in Hyndburn, with Labour losing control:
Labour - 17
Conservatives - 14
Independent - 3
Vacancy - 1
No overall control in West Lancashire, same as we started:
Labour - 24
Conservative - 20
Our West Lancashire - 7
Independent - 3
Labour have held St Helens
Labour - 29
Independent - 7
Green - 6
Liberal Democrat - 4
Conservative - 2
So what's happened so far in Lancashire? A bit more detail...
Preston
The local elections in Preston served up no shocks this year – with not a single seat changing hands on the city council.
It means Labour remains in comfortable control at the town hall, with a 12-member majority. The ruling group holds the 30 seats that it did after the 2021 poll, with the Conservatives still on 11 and the Liberal Democrats remaining on seven.
Seventeen out of the 48 seats on the authority were up for grabs in Thursday’s vote – Labour took 11 and the Tories and Lib Dems three apiece.
Turnout for the election was just 27.8 percent and Labour council leader Matthew Brown acknowledged that it was difficult to ensure that the residents were “inspired enough” to want to have their say at the ballot box.
However, he hailed the fact that his party had defended all of its seats, as well as increasing its majority in wards which, until recently, had not been held by the group.
“I think it’s testimony to the hard work of the Labour council…as well as, obviously, dissatisfaction with the Conservative government.
“I think people know about our ambition and that we do, radically, want to change things,” Cllr Brown said.
Meanwhile, Conservative opposition group leader Sue Whittam said she was satisfied that her party had maintained the status quo against a tough national backdrop.
“I think the national politics have come into play, because some of the results were close, but we managed to hold on to the seats.
"We could not have worked any harder than we did locally,” added Cllr Whittam, whose husband, Stephen, was elected to the authority for the Preston Rural East ward.
Lib Dem group leader John Potter said his party had recovered from being “walloped” when it lost two seats last year and also its place as joint main opposition group with the Conservatives.]
“We build from here now – last year now looks like an oddity and now we’re back in the game."
Following the election result, a Preston City Council ward will, for the first time ever, be represented by a trio of female councillors – with Labour’s Mel Close and Naoimh McMahon elected to serve alongside sitting councillor Nerys Eaves in the Brookfield ward.
Wigan and Leigh
The Conservatives were left feeling blue in the local elections after losing their leader in a shock upset in Orrell. Michael Winstanley was ousted from his long held seat by Labour’s Dave Wood with a margin of just 34 votes.
Mr Winstanley said he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ to lose by such a small margin. He pointed to the national picture to explain why the Conservatives faltered so heavily on the night. “I’m obviously bitterly disappointed to lose by 34 votes, but that’s politics and you’ve just got to take it on the chin,” he said.
Coun Wood received 1387 votes, Mr Winstanley was close behind with 1353 while the Liberal Democrat candidate for Orrell Neil Duncan gained 313 votes. Speaking afterwards, Dave Wood said he felt ‘elated’ to beat the leader of the opposition and said Labour’s performance nationally sent a strong message regarding the future of Boris Johnson.
“I feel great to take the scalp of the Tory leader, there’s nothing to beat that, I feel elated about it. I’m so thankful to the people of Orrell who turned out to vote for me. It was a small margin but it was very important that every person who wanted to vote Labour got out and voted.
“I predict a telephone call to Downing Street, followed very shortly by a taxi for Johnson. He’s a liability, the Tories know it, they’re very ruthless people, I think he’ll be gone shortly. Sooner rather than later.”
Labour now control 61 seats in Wigan Council, a gain of three for 2022. The loss of the Orrell ward sees the Conservatives whittled down to seven councillors.
The other two Labour gains were losses for the independents in Wigan which leaves only seven of them in the council. The Independent Network has four out of these seven.
This year’s local elections saw a low turnout for Wigan at 26 per cent and Ashton-in-Makerfield at 26.7 per cent.
Edward Houlton, retained his seat in Lowton East for the Conservatives. After his victory he sent a fiery message to the Labour party by stating he had “never seen such a vile election in my entire life”.
At the Leigh count, Independent Network leader Stuart Gerrard retained his seat in Atherton with a healthy majority. Independent candidate Andy Brown came close to Labour’s Barry Taylor in the second closest contest in Leigh – but fell short by just over 200 votes.
Coun Keith Cunliffe, deputy leader for Labour in Wigan, said: “I think it has been a fantastic election for the Wigan borough Labour group, especially considering we took Orrell. All the increases we were hoping for came off.
“Bearing in mind last year we kept hold of all of our seats, this year we actually gained some. It came down to the cost of living crisis and energy prices and how the Government was incapable of coming up with a solution for people on low wages.
“We have gained seats in the council where we have very little to actually gain. We will continue to run Wigan Council and we hope to continue to be one of the most outstanding councils in the country.”