The politician in charge of adult care services in Lancashire has stepped down from the role – and replaced by a politician who had been suspended in November.
Graham Dalton stepped down as the cabinet member for adult social care at Lancashire County Council having fired the starting gun on an overhaul that he said would change the current set-up “for the better”.
No reason has been given for his decision, but the leader of the Reform UK-run authority, Stephen Atkinson, paid tribute to what he said was the departing portfolio holder’s “exceptional dedication”.
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County Cllr Tom Pickup has taken over the post, relinquishing his previous position as lead member for finance and resources.
During County Cllr Dalton’s year-long stint at the top table at County Hall, he led a controversial review into the future of five county council-run care homes and five day centres, amid concern over the poor condition of their buildings. The potential closure of the services sparked protests and petitions – although the authority insisted no pre-determined decisions had been made.
Following a public consultation – during which the cabinet member urged respondents to “be emotional” in making the case for the facilities in their existing form – it was ultimately decided all of the homes would remain open, along with the three day centres that are currently operational.
Last Tuesday (19 May), County Cllr Dalton – who will continue to represent his Lancaster Rural North division – won the support of cabinet colleagues to embark on work to develop a new ‘model of care’ for all of the adult care services that the county council delivers directly or commissions from other providers. He stepped down later in the week, meaning the task – which is due to be completed by September – will now be overseen by his successor.
The cabinet meeting at which the process was given the go-ahead heard that the new blueprint would be based on the “co-production” of any changes with “people who draw on care and their families”.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached County Cllrs Dalton and Pickup for comment via the county council. In a statement, County Cllr Atkinson said he wanted to “sincerely thank” the now former cabinet member for his contribution.
“Graham has shown exceptional dedication in this portfolio, playing a pivotal role in bringing adult social care to a point of real transformation. His experience, insight and unwavering commitment have made a lasting impact and it is clear to all of us just how much he has given to this work.
“I am personally very grateful for everything he has done and I know many others across the council and our communities share that appreciation.
“Tom Pickup brings a strong focus on addressing the ongoing challenges within adult social care – particularly around financial pressures – and will also be looking at how innovation, including the use of AI [artificial intelligence], can support improvements and outcomes.
“I am confident that Tom will continue to develop and strengthen this portfolio and I am delighted that he will be able to draw on Graham’s experience and knowledge as this work progresses,” County Cllr Atkinson said.
County Cllr Pickup – who represents the Padiham and Burnley West division – was suspended by Reform UK last November after the publication of messages he left in a WhatsApp group which suggested the party was keeping quiet in public about the more “hardline” approach it ultimately wanted to take on immigration. He agreed with a statement made by another member of the group that the majority of the British public wanted to see “mass deportations” and said he hoped ousted MP Rupert Lowe would return to the party to replace Nigel Farage as leader.
He was readmitted to Reform UK in February after apologising for what the party said were “unprofessional and inappropriate” comments.
The change of portfolio holder for adult social care comes just weeks after the first reshuffle of the Lancashire County Council cabinet since Reform swept to power in the local elections in May 2025.
Last month, the role of cabinet member for resources was combined with that of digital and efficiency – with the holder of the latter post, David Dwyer (Fylde South), taking on the enlarged responsibility, and the previous resources member, Ged Mirfin (Ribble Valley North East), leaving the cabinet.
At the same time, a new portfolio with responsibility for ‘civic pride’ was created and handed to Ella Worthington (Skelmersdale West) who became the first woman in the county council’s cabinet since Reform took control of the authority.
Taking care of care
The creation of a new care model was, in part, prompted by an inspection by the Care Quality Commission – carried out under the previous Conservative administration – which rated the county council’s adult services as ‘requires improvement’.
County Cllr Dalton, a qualified nurse, said at what turned out to be his final cabinet gathering last week that there was “no better aim” than “changing a [care] structure for the better”.
He added: “People are living longer [and the] complexity of care needs is changing really significantly. Our care market remains largely traditional and in some areas it’s actually quite a fragile …[and] costly market.
“That market needs to evolve to meet the scale and the nature of the demand that we’re now moving into. Residents, families [and] regulators expect more from us than they ever did before…and rightly so.
“We must ensure that our services are person-centred and fit for the future. Above all, people want to remain independent – while those with more complex needs require truly specialist support.
“Don’t think [that] this is just another policy change, this is pivotal. This is not about change being done to people, it’s about working together as equals.”
Progressive Lancashire opposition group leader Azhar Ali welcomed the co-production pledge, but said it was vital for the authority to engage with “the right people” – and to adhere to the principles that underpin the process.
“It’s about ownership and understanding amongst the partners about what their shared commitment is, [as well as] openness and honesty – making sure that the decision-making processes are shared, [with] clear communication so that there’s no barriers to moving forward.
“[It also requires a] respectful culture – among other things – to make that happen,” County Cllr Ali said.
He called for the new model of care – once it has been drawn up – to be put before the county council’s health and adult services scrutiny committee for assessment before being brought before the cabinet for final approval.
As well as the co-production work, development of the model will be informed by feedback given during the consultation carried out late last year, which was largely into the 10 named sites that were then placed under review, but also sought public opinion on the so-called “evaluation framework” for making decisions about changes to any of the authority’s in-house care services.
Forty-three percent of almost 1,600 respondents had disagreed with the assessment criteria proposed at that point, while 37 percent agreed with it.
The evaluation framework that was consulted upon was based around four key areas – service quality, strategic alignment, market assessment; workforce and reprovision, and value for money.
