The will-they, won’t-they go ahead local elections are now just under two weeks away.
At Blog Preston we’re looking forward to seeing the five-way clash of the five main parties on Monday evening in the Preston decides debate.
And this week and next Sunday we’ll round up some news from the campaign trail as candidates pound the streets of Preston, leave comments on social media posts or refresh the latest Westminster psychodrama playing out above them.
Read more: Preston City Council local elections 2026: Full candidate list, how to vote and more
‘Man the Garrison, Matty’
Widely shared this week has been a call to arms by The Guardian for Prestonians to ‘defend the hilltop city’ and the much-vaunted Preston Model. Known within the council itself as Community Wealth Building, it has a jacket-potato like influencer vibe to how Preston is referenced in local government and political circles beyond the city.
Andy Beckett, who appears to have visited the city twice in the last eight years, lavishes praise on the city’s Labour group, comparing the contrasting the fortunes of the Town Hall with nearby Reform-run County Hall, in the past 12 months.
But there is a tinge of sadness in his writing, as if time is about to be called at the bar and a frustration at why such a radical and apparently successful model for local government has not been picked up and carried across the country by a party which has now been in government for nearly two years.
Labour and Lib Dem manifestos for the city
The city’s Labour group officially published their manifesto this week – although the similarity with the recently published full council budget doesn’t need an AI-similarity tool to tell you it’s similar. Cllr Martyn Rawlinson turned on the taps with big spending commitments – and a big two-fingers up at County Hall who are currently swinging the axe to budget lines on any spreadsheet they can find. Interestingly, there’s no appearance of the city’s leader and deputy leader on the front page, with Cllr Wise and Hindle taking top billing (which they rather deserve for enduring a night spent on the concrete at Deepdale for the Big PNE Sleep Out, and strategically distancing themselves from their fellow comrade Peter Kelly).
Last month the Lib Dems launched their manifesto for the city, with a smattering of sandals, cups of tea and stirring speeches at a parish hall in the North West of Preston – their bright yellow stronghold.
Cllr Darby took a bit of a steamrolling in the full council meeting in March with Valerie Wise chastising him as a fibbing schoolboy over a rather clumsy attack claiming the council is spending £5m on 19 new council houses. If Cllr Darby had read Blog Preston as closely as his own manifesto, he’d know this is just one a few different schemes planned rather than it all being spent on just a handful of new properties. Cllr Bailey shouted something at them about the Avenham Park café and John Potter was accused of being fibber-in-chief over the document which includes lots of pictures of Lib Dems shaking hands with people.
All to play for…
Given that Preston City Council won’t exist in two years time you’d wonder why there’s such a focus to these local elections? In part it’s the national situation – it’s being seen as a mini referendum on the Labour government to date (always an odd thing given there’s little a councillor in Deepdale can do about such a thing).
But Labour’s majority on the city council has been slowly decreasing in recent years with defeats in the west of the city in particular as the haunting of the Ashton Park Sports Hub (not mentioned in The Guardian, that) continued and the leafier parts of Fulwood withdrawing their support for the red rose.
Pollcheck predicts Preston will be a close run thing. Sixteen seats are up for election and Labour has a working majority of two, and is predicted to lose one seat, with Reform gaining two (likely from the Tories) and the Lib Dems and Greens each picking up one. Any additional loss and this would likely leave Labour governing on as a minority and seeking support in the shape of independents Carol Henshaw and Liz Atkins (both former Labour councillors) to soldier on until the all-out elections in 2027 for establishing a new unitary authority.
So it is literally, every ward to play for. And in a twist it may be the likes of Garrison ward, the scene of victory for Labour in the past as they steamrollered into Fulwood seats with the likes of Freddie Bailey and Peter Kelly winning a decade ago, which are the key flashpoints. Mild-mannered planning cabinet member Amber Afzhal will have to dig deep to come through a six-way fight in her ward as the Preston Independents also stand to send the vote-share going all over the place.
She’ll need every bit of strong tea from wingman Peter Kelly while pounding the pavements as whether she and others retain a seat at the cabinet table may literally rest on her shoulders.
And some of her leaflets appear to show she’s putting the emphasis on being just Amber, rather than Labour Amber…
The green and light blue factor
We’re expecting a longer than usual count on Friday 8 May as we await the results. Why? Because often local elections see three, maybe four, candidates. But this is now the era of multi-party politics. Preston has become more of a three-party state with the rise of the Lib Dems recently, Reform shattered that in the county elections last May, and now the Greens have sprung onto the stage with the by-election breakthroughs.
Prestonians in every ward will have a minimum of five candidates to pick from. We’ll have ward-by-ward profiles on Blog Preston between now and polling day so you can find out more about the name on your ballot paper when picking.
The King of the North backs Preston Labour
Seen by many as the man to receive the crown when Keir Starmer eventually falls, Andy Burnham has suggested he’ll be more of a friend to Preston Labour.
He’s sent a video, hastily shot in the street in Manchester, backing the city’s Labour group and name-checking their economic model.
It does feel a bit like my daughter getting one of those videos from her favourite popstar on her birthday – but an endorsement is an endorsement none the less.
And speaking of video Matthew Brown has been channelling his walk and talk with the release of the party’s election video – with knock-off Preston Pulse vibes – as he, Mel Close, Valerie Wise and Martyn Rawlinson urge Preston to face down Reform.
And despite recently branding local media as ‘sickening’ in their latest social media meltdown, the party includes a good rump of Blog Preston stories where we’ve been covering what’s happening in the city and announcements made by the council. Those pesky local journalists eh?
All quiet on the Reform front
After last year’s bin stickers, egg rolling rumpus and more it’s been a relatively quiet campaign for Reform so far. Neither of the two successful Preston county councillors have stood in the city elections.
It seems the now installed Preston Reform leader ex-Tory, Stephen Thompson, is taking a more traditional approach to campaigning. And with the party nationally riding high in the polls it may be he and others are content to let Nigel ride them to victory in their target seats.
Farewell to big Trev
A former Mayor of Preston, and school teacher, and despite being a Conservative, a popular figure across all parties in the city. Taking a big side swipe at the Lib Dems for fibbing, Trevor Hart has decided not to stand again.
Hear it yourself
We’re joining forces with the Lancashire Post and Lancashire Lead to hold an election hustings. Now most people go ‘what’s a hustings?’, basically imagine Question Time but for Preston.
Taking place at Cotton Court Business Centre from 7pm on Monday 27 April it will see Matthew Brown (Labour), John Potter (Lib Dems), Stephen Thompson (Reform), Harry Landless (Conservatives) and Avery Greatorex (Greens) quizzed by the public and everyone’s favourite Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Faulkner. The debate will be live streamed, but do come along if you want to experience the debate truly live – register now for your place.
Seen something interesting on the campaign trail? Drop us a line and let us know. Inboxes always open.
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