There was cross-party representation at a protest against the cancellation of the 2026 local elections in Preston.
Voices from the Green Party and Labour were heard at the protest, which was organised by Reform UK’s Jemma Rushe.
The cancellation of local elections in Lancashire was approved by the government earlier this month with the view that local authorities could focus on a reorganisation that will mean Preston City Council is abolished by 2028. Elections for new authorities are set to be held in 2027.
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This follows a precedent set by reorganisation processes in areas like Cumbria in recent years.
But opposition parties allege that it is being done out of fear that Labour would be embarrassed by the results.
The protest, at lunchtime on Saturday (31 January) saw around 25 people attend – including one man wearing a US flag with the words ‘Justice for Charlie’ who was also waving the county flag of Lancashire.
Jemma Rushe, the organiser and an unsuccessful Reform UK candidate at the County elections in 2025 said: “The fact is we have the elected councillors who have served their terms, they are no longer elected councillors. They were elected democratically for four years, no more, no less. That was a decision made by the people of Preston.
“There was no caveat in the ballet box when you place your X on your chosen candidate, their term is up.”
She has also challenged those due to be up for election to resign their seat, which would then trigger a by-election.
Avery Greatorex, chair of The Green Party in Preston, told Blog Preston: “I joined the protest today as an observer because in principle I agree that we should restore democracy in Preston and the rest of the country.
“In the heat of the protest I took a chance and stepped forward because fundamentally I wanted this not to be a Reform demo because this is a cross-party issue. After I stood up and spoke, I encouraged a Labour voter to speak – solidifying the cross-party element.
“A lot of students and non-Reform supporters were present at a distance and they weren’t comfortable participating or being nearby, I wanted this to be a space for them as much as anyone else.”
Harry Spillman, a Preston Labour member who also spoke at the protest, and said: “There are many in the Labour Party, in Preston and elsewhere, like myself, who believe in the values of democracy, which are greater than whether we happen to win one seat or another in a particular year in a particular election”.
Cllr Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council, spoke to Blog Preston on the cancellation of elections earlier this month.
He said: “The process of restructuring our authorities is going to be very intense and it’s so important for the people of Lancashire that we get it right. So that’s why we don’t think that suspending elections for a district council, that is going to cease to exist soon, is unreasonable.
“There will be capacity issues in terms of our ability to deliver elections while still getting the best reorganisation process over the line.
“Due to internal squabbling over the last decade, we’ve not had the funding that you might see in Greater Manchester and Merseyside and look at the recent Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement that mainly left Lancashire out, for example.
“A failure to get this process done efficiently is really holding us back. Reform UK at Lancashire County Council are putting pressure on district councils to hold elections while wanting to delay the process of reorganisation including elections for much larger unitary councils next year for as long as possible.”
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