Govt fires starting gun on Lancs governance consultation
Residents across Lancashire’s 14 boroughs have until 26 March to contribute to the discussion about how the county will be carved up as part of Labour’s efforts to overhaul local governance.
Lancashire’s local authorities do not see eye to eye on how to split up the county, with five different options put forward to government last year.
Scroll down to see the five reorganisation options on the table in Lancashire.
Residents are now being given the opportunity to say which option they prefer.
In a written ministerial statement published yesterday, Alison McGovern, minister for state for local government and homelessness said the reforms are about achieving “better outcomes for the people we serve” rather than “funding formulas or lines on a map”.
She added that local government reorganisation would bring an end to “the disjointed two-tier council system”.
“We will finally put an end to two-tier system that slows down local decisions, sees local economies fragmented with different councils responsible for different priorities, and means outdated boundaries stop our towns and cities from growing,” she said.
Elections for the new shadow authorities could take place in May 2027, with the new councils assuming full responsibility for services from 1 April 2028.
The five options on the table in Lancashire are as follows.
Two unitary authorities – this option proposes dividing the county in half with the River Ribble as the dividing line.
North – Lancaster, Fylde, Wyre, Blackpool, Preston, and Ribble Valley.
South – Blackburn with Darwen, West Lancashire, South Ribble, Chorley, Hyndburn, Burnley, Rossendale, and Pendle.
Lancashire County Council is the only one of the 15 authorities in favour of the two-way split.
Three unitary authorities – this option proposes a three-way reorganisation comprising Coastal Lancashire, Central Lancashire, and Pennine Lancashire.
Coastal – Lancaster, Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre.
Central – Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire, and Preston.
Pennine – Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley, and Rossendale
This option is preferred by Blackburn with Darwen, Fylde, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Wyre councils.
Four unitary authorities option one – a four-way split proposing North, East, South, and West council areas.
North – Lancaster; Preston, and Ribble Valley
East – Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, and Rossendale
South – Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire
West – Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre
This is the preferred option of Chorley, Lancaster, Preston, Ribble Valley, South Ribble and West Lancs councils.
Four unitary authorities option two – largely the same as option one save for some important differences concerning Wyre, Preston and Ribble Valley.
North – Lancaster, rural Wyre, and North Ribble Valley
East – Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, and south Ribble Valley
South – Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire
West – Blackpool, Fylde, Preston, and urban Wyre
This is otherwise known as the Blackpool option, given that Blackpool Council is the only authority promoting this split.
Five unitary authorities – a five-way split that introduces a fifth ‘middle’ authority area, as well as North, East, South, and West, incorporating Blackburn with Darwen Hyndburn, and Ribble Valley.
West – Blackpool, Fylde, and Preston
South – Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire
Middle – Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, and Ribble Valley
North – Lancaster and Wyre
East – Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale
This is the preferred option of Burnley and Pendle councils.
