Lancashire to hold first mayoral election in 2028 as new system confirmed

Lancashire is on course to finally get a county-wide mayor after more than 20 years of political debate, the Government has revealed as part of a slew of measures introduced with the first Budget of Andy Burnham’s premiership.

The concept of directly electing a mayor to represent and lead Lancashire’s diverse communities has proved divisive for many years, with the county’s complex patchwork of local authorities and political leaders struggling to unite behind the idea.

Advocates have long argued that creating a mayoral system would unlock potentially billions in Government and private investment in Lancashire, an argument that has only gained strength since former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and made it clear that areas with an elected leader would be first-in-line for funding.

But now the people of Lancashire are set to receive a much-needed slice of this devolved funding, with the Government announcing that an election will be held in 2028 to select the county’s first-ever mayor.

This major change to county’s political structure follows years of campaigning and one all-important meeting between members of the Lancashire County Combined Authority and devolution minister Jim McMahon in Preston last month.

There, county leaders were told that the creation of a Lancashire mayor was ‘a priority’ for the Burnham government, as per the Local Democracy Reporting Service. He also reportedly shared that a mayor could unlock a further £1bn in funding over the next 30 years.

LCCA member and Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Cllr Phil Riley has long been one of the main proponents of the Lancashire mayoral system, arguing that Lancashire has been ‘left behind’ areas like Manchester and Liverpool that have embraced the model of devolution.

Reacting to the news that Lancashire was now finally set to elect a mayor, Cllr Riley said: “The big local news is that the government have agreed to establish a mayoral authority in Lancashire with an election in 2028.

“But money will start to flow into Lancashire before then and this will start to bridge the gap between Lancashire and our neighbours in Manchester and Liverpool. This is really welcome news.”

The case for Lancashire having a directly-elected mayor was only made stronger by Chancellor Healey’s announcements.

At today’s Budget, he announced an even more lucrative package for areas with elected mayors, with local authorities now on course to retain 100 per cent of business rates by the end of the decade, and even a share of the income tax raised in their area.

From 2028, mayors will also be empowered to levy their own “tourism tax” on overnight stays, allowing regions to reinvest the proceeds in local infrastructure projects.

That is on top of a £1.5bn “Good Growth Fund” that will provide a large cash injection to mayoral authorities so that they can enable major regeneration schemes and boost local economies, as part of what the Chancellor called the “most radical” shift towards devolution in years.

But the mayoralty has struggled to gain support among right wing parties in Lancashire, with previously the Conservatives and now Reform UK questioning whether another layer of political bureaucracy would address Lancashire’s financial and structural issues.

However, this opposition to a mayoralty has wavered in recent weeks, with Lancashire County Council leader Stephen Atkinson telling the Lancashire Telegraph, during party leader Nigel Farage’s recent Accrington visit, that his party were open to the idea but would have to closely examine any proposals.

But now, it appears that Whitehall has decided to sidestep the local indecision that has racked the 12 various authorities that govern different portions of the county.

In a business statement supplied alongside the Budget announcement, the Government states: “The government is in the final stages of agreeing Mayoral Strategic Authorities for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; Hertfordshire; Lancashire; Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; Stoke and Staffordshire; Surrey; Thames Valley (Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon); and Wessex.”

Further details on how the new mayoral system will work for Lancashire will be announced at a later date.

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