Paul Faulkner

Preston and Chorley's 2026 local elections in doubt amid 'cancellation' plans A question mark has been placed over the local elections scheduled to take place in Preston and Chorley next year after the leaders of the councils for the two areas said they were likely to back a mo...

What are set to be the final polls for the two councils in their current form might never happen, as leaders cite the need for continuity and stability during Lancashire's local government shake-up. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Sir Lindsay Hoyle gets the government involved in bid to 'save' care home The Commons Speaker and Chorley MP Sir Lindsay Hoyle has brought the case of an under-threat care home in his constituency to the attention of the government.

The Commons Speaker and Chorley MP has approached a senior cabinet member about the question mark hanging over a home in his constituency - although a final decision on the future of the facility is still several months away. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Decision on 'nightmare' Preston HMO with room for 18 people amid community concerns Plans to turn a vacant property in a protected part of Preston into a home for up to 18 people have been rejected by councillors.

Locals persuaded councillors that the bedsit-style development wasn't right for their close-knit area. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'Historic' moment as South Ribble agrees Chorley and West Lancashire merger plan South Ribble Borough Council has become the first local authority to formally back a plan to create four new councils to cover the whole of Lancashire.

The most widely-backed option amongst Lancashire's existing councils for the the shape of the shake-up to come gets its first official seal of approval - with reassurances that savings estimates won't become targets and neighbourhoods will still have a voice. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Lancashire's North-South divide: council plan to cut the county in two Just two new councils should be created to serve the whole of Lancashire when the county's 15 existing local authorities are abolished, Lancashire County Council is set to argue.

The county council believes bigger will be better when it comes to redrawing the local authority map in Lancashire. All the details of a blueprint born out of what has been characterised as a balancing act between meeting need and harnessing opportunity. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'We can save these care homes': Lancashire councillor pushes for rescue plan Lancashire County Council should commit to exploring how - rather than whether - it can continue to operate 10 elderly care homes and day centres which have seen a question mark placed over their futu...

A senior politician says a review of 10 care facilities across Lancashire should aim to answer how - not whether - they can be kept open by the county council. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'Grey belt? You couldn't get any more green': Chorley village housing plans rejected Plans to build more than a dozen homes across two sites in rural Chorley have been kicked out by councillors amid a wrangle over the difference between green belt and grey belt.

Councillors made their feelings clear in a wrangle over the difference between green belt and grey belt. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Major update on huge housing estate planned near Preston city centre Ambitious plans to build almost 400 new homes on the outskirts of Preston City Centre appear to have been put on long-term hold.

One of Preston's most eye-catching residential schemes appears to be on indefinite hold - upending a planned return to council housing in the process. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'We don't want the end of South Ribble - but it's happening': councillors prepare for the future as part of larger area Councillors from across the political divide have declared they would rather the forthcoming abolition of South Ribble Borough Council was not happening.

Bemoaning - but preparing - for the demise of the borough as as a standalone council area. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Burnley and Pendle residents give verdict on 'monster' East Lancashire council Four in five residents across Burnley and Pendle say that if their local councils are to be axed, they should be replaced with one that covers no more than half of East Lancashire - in what one leadin...

The view was that forthcoming local authority mergers should bind together the fewest number of places possible. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Preston city centre pub to be demolished amid claims it 'could have been saved' The fate of a former Preston pub has been sealed after plans to flatten it were given the go-ahead.

The long-running saga over the historic site has come to a conclusion that campaigners insist could have been avoided, but which the city council says was inevitable once public safety was called into question. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

New Spar convenience store and petrol station plans for Preston decided A former car showroom on the outskirts of Preston is to be converted into a convenience store and petrol station – in spite of objections from dozens of locals.

The site's past history meant the proposal was given the green light. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'Detrimental': Preston social club's plans to put 32 storage containers on car park A bid to install dozens of storage containers on the car park of a Preston social club has been blocked.

The residential area was deemed unsuitable for the venture. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'Be emotional': council's advice to supporters of under threat care homes and day centres The quality of the care provided by 10 residential homes and day centres whose futures have been thrown into doubt will be a factor in determining whether or not they remain open, it has emerged.

The authority says the quality of people's care experience will play a part in its final decision about the future of 10 facilities across the county, as opposition politicians line up to condemn the prospect of closures. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Lancashire 'losing jobs to Greater Manchester' as county inches towards a mayor Lancashire could finally be on the path to getting an elected mayor - if the government can persuade the county’s leaders that the role would bring with it “clear and substantial benefits“.

Lancashire looks to be in the final throes of its near decade-long internal debate over an elected mayor, as it faces the prospect of becoming the only place in the North of England without one - and so bowing to the inevitable. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Uncertainty over whether local elections will go ahead in these parts of Lancashire in 2026 The government could be asked to cancel some of the local elections scheduled to take place in Lancashire next year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

The door seems to have been left open - locally and nationally - to the cancellation of at least some of the seven polls due to take place across the county next year, ahead of a huge council shake-up. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Vital Lancashire services 'at risk' if council scrappage plan is rushed The government has been asked to delay a shake-up that would see all of Lancashire's councils axed and replaced, amid a warning that key services could be put at risk if the process is “rushed”.

The safety and quality of social care could be jeopardised unless the county is given more time to complete a major reconfiguration of the councils that provide it, politicians have warned. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'We don't want this': Lancashire residents give their verdict on council shake-up plan Almost two thirds of the Lancashire public are opposed to plans that would see their local council scrapped.

The survey results show the public prefer the current set-up to the larger local authorities being demanded by the government. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

New Skelmersdale railway station ‘compromise’ site for town backed by transport chief A new railway station on the outskirts of Skelmersdale could be a cost-effective “compromise” solution to bringing trains back to the town after a near 70-year absence.

The proposed location could provide the value for money that a town centre option was deemed to be lacking. www.lep.co.uk/news/traffic...

Starmer 'understands frustration' of Lancs voters, but claims Reform would be 'a disaster' The Prime Minister has told Lancashire residents he appreciates that they may feel “frustrated” after Labour’s first year in power – but has warned that a Reform government would be “an absolute disas...

The Prime Minister was responding to the dip in local support for Labour since the general election - but Reform have branded his comments "desperate". www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'It was Lancashire versus the world - and Lancashire won', Sir Keir Starmer says of aircraft deal The Prime Minister told BAE Systems workers in Lancashire that they had “beaten the world” – and secured employment for themselves for the next decade – by enabling the UK to strike a deal to supply T...

The Prime Minister heaped praise on a workforce whose jobs he says have been guaranteed by their own skill - which has given them, and the UK, the edge in a global defence market. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Delay to new Preston school explained as project pushed back to the 2030s Plans to develop a new secondary school in Preston were held up for a year by a delay in handing back a small plot of land - temporarily acquired for a roadbuilding project - to its original owner, th...

An unexplained hold-up in handing back a commandeered piece of land has been revealed as the reason for the lack of progress on the project over the last year - but now it's been decided the long-planned school isn't needed for the foreseeable future anyway. www.lep.co.uk/education/de...

This is why some Lancashire libraries have been shut - and what's happening to them next Lancashire’s libraries should be able to return to their normal opening hours once new staff recruited to plug gaps in the workforce take up their posts.

Staff shortages amid a now completed restructure caused hours temporarily to be cut. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

House numbers slashed on new estate where IKEA was once going to be built Dozens fewer houses than originally expected will be built alongside a major new industrial, leisure and retail development in South Ribble.

County councillors were unimpressed that none of properties will fall into the affordable homes category. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Much as I adore it (obviously) and soak it up whenever it's played, there's something slightly jarring about hearing it at this time of year. Both lyrics and release date bind it so inextricably to, er, the summer, that it just hits different then. #fiorgotten80s

Reform lead rejection of allowance rise for county councillors Lancashire county councillors have voted to freeze their allowances – in spite of an independent body saying they should be increased.

Members concluded that they couldn't accept an increase for themselves when council services face budget cuts. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Lancashire Reform reject permanent fracking ban ‘in case technology improves’ The ruling Reform UK group on Lancashire County Council has refused back a permanent ban on fracking - suggesting that technological developments could reduce the risks surrounding shale gas extractio...

The party says it would be short-sighted to close the door on shale gas for good - but opposition politicians and campaigners condemned a decision they warn leaves the county vulnerable to future drilling. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

'Disastrous' £6m cut to Lancashire's nurseries blocked - for now A powerful education body has voted to block a plan by Lancashire County Council to withhold £6m in funding that it currently gives to nurseries and pre-school providers – amid warnings that some of t...

Early years operators have warned some of them could be forced to close if the funding shake-up gets the go-ahead - a decision that might now end up being taken by the government. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...

Upgraded Lancs family hubs will help with parenting skills and child development New government funding will be used to create a dozen flagship family support centres across Lancashire, whose services will include offering help with parenting skills and child development.

The county council will create one flagship facility in each district after it was handed government funding to develop a support network it already provides. www.lep.co.uk/health/lanca...

Preston by-election result: all the reaction amid celebrations and disappointment The Liberal Democrats have snatched a seat from the ruling Labour group on Preston City Council – with the leading party pushed into third place behind Reform UK.

The Lib Dems say they are a party on the march after ousting Labour in Ashton, while Reform snatch second place. www.lep.co.uk/news/politic...