Renewed calls for 2027 Lancashire mayoral election

There are renewed calls for an elected mayor for Lancashire to be brought forward following a government announcement that the leaders will get a share of income tax.

The government is calling it the "biggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation" but some in the county fear Lancashire will be missing out.

It says from next spring mayors will begin "retaining a greater share of locally generated revenues, starting with business rates".

Lancashire is not due to hold elections for a mayor until 2028 and will soon be the only place in the north of England not to have one.

The leader of the opposition at Lancashire County Council, Independent Azhar Ali has already written to Primer Minister Andy Burnham to ask for the mayoral election to be brought forward.

He has welcomed the government announcement, but said: "The only game in town is to have elected mayors and to have more money, more powers, so that we can build our infrastructure, put our transport schemes together, build council houses and attract investment, we can't afford to sit back any longer.

"We haven't even got shillings, we've got pennies that the government's given us and the time is now. We need a mayor and it needs to happen as quickly as possible."

Ali said he was going to write to the leaders of the Lancashire Combined County Authority to ask them to focus on getting the government to hold elections in May 2027.

The combined authority was launched in 2025 and has some devolved powers from the government, but it has fewer powers and less funding than a mayoral model.

It is a partnership between Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, Labour's Phil Riley sits on the combined authority and agreed that a mayor is needed but warned that time was running out.

"There's tonnes of preparation needs to be done but at this current minute it's just about possible, but it will need a very quick agreement from the government but if it can be squeezed in then absolutely the sooner the better."

He said he was worried that Lancashire will get left behind without one.

"By this time next year, if nothing has changed, Lancashire will be the only authority in the north of England that hasn't got a mayor and that just means that all sorts of things that the government will instinctively think about and give to mayoral authorities, they will not give to Lancashire."

The BBC has approached the leader of Lancashire County Council Stephen Atkinson and the leader of Blackpool Council Lynn Williams, who also sit on the combined authority.

The Reform UK leader of Lancashire County Council, Stephen Atkinson, chairs the combined authority.

However, he does not agree that the county needs a mayor and is querying the cost to the taxpayer, while suggesting the money would be better spent by giving it to the authority.

He said: "I think we've got to see what the benefit is and what the costs are to the residents before we can make a decision.

"We're ready to go, we've got the Combined Authority for Lancashire, it's ready to deliver."

The BBC has contacted Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams, who also sits on the CCA for comment.

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