A local authority has elected a non-Conservative councilor for the first time since 1999.
An Independent candidate decided to stand in a by-election as an act of resistance against a controversial planning application.
Collette Rushforth was elected as the Borough Councillor for Preesall with a total of 595 votes.
The poll took place on Thursday, August 18 in order to fill the empty Preesall ward seat on Wyre Council, after Councillor Andrew Cropper resigned.
The three other candidates were Steven Taylor-Royston (Conservative) who received 495 votes, William Jackson (Labour) who received 315 and Gary Wright (independent) who gained 102 votes.
The mum-of-two centred her campaign mainly to oppose the quarry proposals put forward by Wyre councillor Callum Baxter – a director at the building firm Baxter Homes Ltd.
The quarry-on-land project would see the removal of approximately 460,000 tonnes of sand and gravel and the insertion of 300,000 tonnes of soil, clay and hardcore.
Cllr Rushforth and other concerned residents on a Facebook group called Preesall and Knott End Against Quarry Application, say that the project would be damaging to the health, wealth and wellbeing of the community.
Mr Baxter argued that there is a need for the sand and gravel amenities in Lancashire and says he is keen to work with the community to put people’s minds at rest.
Councillor Rushforth shared how determined she is to continue fighting against the application. She said: “Going forward I will, I will continue the same approach I have taken during the whole process and support the people in the community.”
This is the first time in 23 years a non-Conservative councillor has been elected for Preesall evidencing how strongly residents felt about the Quarry application – which thousands of residents were against.
Speaking on the milestone election result, Cllr Rushforth said: “As it happened I did indeed secure the seat with a rather large majority.
"My approach to this election from the very start was to stay very, very focused on what my campaign centred on and I went out every single day canvassing and campaigning.
“As I got nearer to the day my gut feeling was that I’d win with a landslide. My feeling was that the times are changing and people want change.
“Although there were some people I hadn’t reached, who would be Conservative or maybe Labour – I knew the tides were turning. This result is actually quite exceptional.”
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