Local Elections 2026 - Every candidate running in Lancashire

Residents across the county will head to the polls at the start of May, with insurgent parties Reform UK and the Green Party hoping to make gains amid ongoing dissatisfaction with the Labour government since it came to power in July 2024.

The Conservatives are also expected to make big losses across the country and follow on from results in 2022, when the then-government was trailing Labour in the polls in the wake of the Partygate scandal.

In East Lancashire, elections will take place in Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle, where several notable figures are seeking re-election to their respective councils.

There will be 17 councillor positions up for grabs across Blackburn with Darwen, although it is unlikely to remove Labour from power, which currently holds a majority of 16.

Key battlegrounds include the current mayor, Conservative Jacqui Slater, who is facing off with Daniel Matchett, a Lancashire County Councillor in Bacup, for the Blackburn South and Lower Darwen ward.

Additionally, Elaine Whittingham will stand as an Independent in Ewood after resigning from the Labour Party due to ‘toxic politics’ at the end of February.

It will be interesting to see how votes fall for Labour and official opposition 4BwD, and if Reform UK is able to make any headway in the borough.

Afrasiab Anwar, leader of Burnley Borough Council and the independent group, is up for re-election.

He quit the Labour party - which he was last elected to represent - over its stance on Gaza in 2023 and will face a battle with his former party, plus Reform UK candidate Trevor Williams, to hold Bank Hall ward.

Elsewhere in the borough, former Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle will face a challenge from Reform County Councillor Tom Pickup, who was briefly suspended from the party last year for his involvement in a ‘far-right’ WhatsApp chat.

Hyndburn turned red in 2024, which previously had no party in overall control, with Labour winning 22 seats.

Two senior Tories, Steven Smithson and Peter Britcliffe, who were initially tipped to run against one another, with Cllr Britcliffe running as an independent, are now both set to be on the Conservative ballot.

Cllr Smithson will run in Immanuel, whilst Mr Britcliffe will aim to win his way back into the council in St Andrew’s, after being chosen over current mayor Josh Allen, who has quit the Tories and will run against Cllr Smithson.

Also aiming for a return is ex-leader Miles Parkinson. He was a Labour councillor before going independent and losing his seat, and now is running under the colours of Reform.

READ MORE: Burnley candidate 'misinformation' claim over aligning with ruling Independent Group

READ MORE: Local elections 2026: Where are they happening and what is at stake?

In Pendle, 11 of the 33 council seats are up for election, with the possibility that one party will gain overall control of the council, with power currently shared between the Independent Group and Liberal Democrats.

Leader of the council David Whipp will defend his ward in Earby and Coates.

Full list of candidates in 2026 local elections in Lancashire

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Audley & Queen’s Park

• Aadil Chopdat – Independent
• Zain Ghulam – Independent
• Yusuf Jan‑Virmani – Independent
• Tristan Marrow – Conservative Party Candidate
• Michael Nickson – Green Party
• Ehsan Raja – Labour Party Candidate
• Catherine Richards – Reform UK

Bastwell & Daisyfield

• Parwaiz Akhtar – Labour Party Candidate
• Shakeel Choudhry – Independent
• Matthew Khan‑Dyer – Green Party
• Reece Macaulay – Conservative Party Candidate
• Fajila Patel – Independent
• Maurice David Robinson – Reform UK

Billinge & Beardwood

• Imtiaz Ali – Conservative Party Candidate
• Aimee Louise Dewse – Green Party
• Shabbir Dudhara – Labour Party Candidate
• Tasleem Fazal – Independent
• Danny Wilson – Reform UK

Blackburn Central

• Isaac John Cowans – Reform UK
• Simon Pearce Huggill – Liberal Democrat
• Zamir Khan – Labour Party Candidate
• Keith Murray – Conservative Party Candidate
• Aliraza Tariq – Independent
• Saul Whittle – Green Party

Blackburn South & Lower Darwen

• Daniel Matchett – Reform UK
• Jacquie Slater – Conservative Party Candidate
• Hazel Marie Walsh – Green Party

Blackburn South East

• Ahmed Abdelrahman – Green Party
• Henry Arnold – Conservative Party Candidate
• Andy Mahon – Reform UK
• Jim Shorrock – Labour Party Candidate

Darwen East

• Yasmin Monique Gabrielle Connell – Green Party
• Christine Dawson – Reform UK
• Martin McCaughran – Labour Party Candidate
• Ryan Slater – Conservative Party Candidate

Darwen South

• Kevin Connor – Conservative Party Candidate
• Bradley Langford – Reform UK
• Denise Veronica Morgan – Green Party
• Sue Skipper – Labour Party Candidate

Darwen West

• Janine Crook – Reform UK
• Steve Duncan – Conservative Party Candidate
• Eleanor Jean Hill – Green Party
• David Smith – Labour and Co‑operative Party
• Ian Charles Thomas – Liberal Democrat

Ewood

• Les Cade – Conservative Party Candidate
• John Alan Clayton – Reform UK
• Willem Evans – Green Party
• Elaine Whittingham – Independent

Little Harwood & Whitebirk

• John Black – Reform UK
• Haroon Khan – Independent
• Salim Lorgat – Labour Party Candidate
• Emma Macaulay – Conservative Party Candidate
• James Paul Schofield – Green Party

Livesey with Pleasington

• Paul Anthony Florentine – Green Party
• Derek James Hardman – (no description stated – likely no party description)
• Oscar Marshall – Labour Party Candidate
• Rick Moore – Conservative Party Candidate
• Helen A R Voegt – Reform UK

Mill Hill & Moorgate

• Charlotte Audrey Bradley – Green Party
• Tillie Delaney – Conservative Party Candidate
• Stephen James Hartley – Reform UK
• Donna Marie Talbot – Labour Party Candidate

Roe Lee

• Sajid Ali – Independent
• Sarah Morrison – Conservative Party Candidate
• Mudassir Shaheen – Workers Party
• Liyakat Sidat – (no party description shown in the excerpt – appears to be no description)
• Tommy Temperley – Reform UK
• Hassan Ul‑Haq – Green Party

Shear Brow & Corporation Park

• Hussain Akhtar – Labour Party Candidate
• Adrian Hoole – Conservative Party Candidate
• Suleman Khonat – Independent
• Christopher John Powell – Reform UK
• Alex Wareing – Green Party

Wensley Fold

• Mags Marrow – Conservative Party Candidate
• Tahyub Naser – Labour Party Candidate
• Altaf Patel – Independent
• Maulana Siddiq Patel – Independent
• Safvan Patel – Independent
• Jordan Andrew Sands – Reform UK
• Jane Wareing – Green Party

West Pennine

• Simon Charlesworth – Green Party
• Angela Crane – Reform UK
• Jude David Rowley – Labour Party Candidate
• Julie Slater – Conservative Party Candidate

Burnley Council

Bank Hall

• Mohammed Alkas Ali — Labour
• Afrasiab Anwar — Independent
• Trevor Williams — Reform UK

Briercliffe

• Pete Coles — Labour
• Pippa Lishman — Liberal Democrat
• Susan Margaret Nutter — Conservative
• Mark Poulton — Reform UK

Brunshaw

• Josh Graham — Reform UK
• Jack Launer — Green Party
• Maison McGowan-Doe — Conservative
• Millie Towers — Labour

Cliviger with Worsthorne

• Gail Barton — Labour
• Frank Bartram — Liberal Democrat
• Simon John Bonney — Conservative
• Affan Khan Burki — Green Party
• Gavin Theaker — Reform UK

Coalclough with Deerplay

• Gordon Birtwistle — Liberal Democrat
• Abbey Hartley — Conservative
• Tom Pickup — Reform UK
• Jeffrey Slee — Labour

Daneshouse with Stoneyholme

• James David Harrison — Labour
• Shah Hussain — Independent
• Eddie Kutavicius — Reform UK
• Muhammad Shahid Mahmood — Liberal Democrat

Gannow

• Daniel Sam Armitage — Labour
• Alex Hall — Green Party
• Neil Mottershead — Conservative
• Angela Radcliffe — Reform UK

Gawthorpe

• Alun Lewis — Labour
• Edward Lee Swift — Green Party
• Victoria Taylor — Reform UK
• Rhys Williams — Conservative

Hapton with Park

• Elaine Julie Cotterell — Labour
• Steve Keogh — Reform UK
• Jamie McGowan — Conservative
• Sue Price — Green Party

Lanehead

• Raf Ali — Independent
• Sue Graham — Labour
• James Halstead — Reform UK
• Andrew Robert Newhouse — Green Party
• Asif Raja — Liberal Democrat

Queensgate

• Zulkernehn Hayat — Independent
• Carol Lukey — Labour
• Javad Mokhammad — Liberal Democrat
• Felix Nowell — Reform UK

Rosegrove with Lowerhouse

• Christopher Paul Bridges — Green Party
• Arthur Gordon Lishman — Liberal Democrat
• Kate Mottershead — Conservative
• Liam Thomson — Reform UK
• Daniel Thomas Andrew Tierney — Labour

Rosehill with Burnley Wood

• Laura Coles — Labour
• Dale Joseph Ferrier — Conservative
• Kathryn Haworth — Liberal Democrat
• Fin Hewitt — Green Party
• Jeff Sumner — Reform UK

Trinity

• Julie Ann Hurt — Green Party
• Dylan Edward Rea — Labour
• Kev Shackell — Reform UK

Whittlefield with Ightenhill

• Janet Hall — Green Party
• Helen Frances Heap — Independent
• Charlie Allen Hindle — Labour
• Mike John Steel — Conservative
• Chris Weekes — Reform UK

Chorley Council

Adlington & Anderton

• Neil Baglow — Conservative
• Amy Hardcastle — Green Party
• June Molyneaux — Labour and Co-operative Party
• Graham Keith Thornton — Reform UK

Buckshaw & Whittle

• Christine Turner — Conservative
• Rachel Smith — Green Party
• Dedrah Cecilia Moss — Labour
• Craig Tommony — Reform UK

Chorley East

• Mark Grandi — Conservative
• Louise Elizabeth Hall — Green Party
• Ian Daniel Cardwell — Labour
• Martin Andrew Topp — Reform UK
• Carole Ann Sasaki — Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Chorley North & Astley

• Jeffrey Johnstone Green — Conservative
• Jon Royle — Green Party
• Alistair William Morwood — Labour
• Mark Perks — Reform UK

Chorley North East

• Wendy Paterson — Conservative
• Mark Worsley Tebbutt — Green Party
• Jen Whiffen — Labour
• David Golden — Liberal Democrat
• Paul Robert Hazzard — Reform UK

Chorley North West

• Peter Malpas — Conservative
• Anne Frances Calderbank — Green Party
• Emma Louise Walker — Labour and Co-operative Party
• Shaz Malik — Reform UK

Chorley South East & Heath Charnock

• Diana Khan — Conservative
• Jane Elizabeth Weston — Green Party
• Samir Khan — Labour
• Mark Hill — Reform UK

Chorley South West

• Dorothy Livesey — Conservative
• Olga Cash — Green Party
• Terry Howarth — Labour
• Barry Young — Reform UK

Clayton East, Brindle & Hoghton

• Greg Morgan — Conservative
• Amy Louise Coxley — Green Party
• Michelle Beach — Labour
• Stephen John Fenn — Liberal Democrat
• Ellie Close — Reform UK
• Geoff Fielden — Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Clayton West & Cuerden

• Sam Chapman — Conservative
• Simon Cash — Green Party
• Neville Grant Whitham — Labour
• Alexandra Katherine Simpson — Liberal Democrat
• Lesley Durose — Reform UK

Coppull

• Harold Heaton — Conservative
• Debbie Brotherton — Green Party
• Steve Holgate — Labour
• Mark Robert Frost — Liberal Democrat
• Joe McCartney — Reform UK

Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South

• Josh Collins — Green Party
• Caroline Elizabeth Turner — Labour and Co-operative Party
• John Wright — Liberal Democrat
• Alan John Platt — Local Conservatives
• Mark Wade — Reform UK
• Barrie William Duckworth — Independent

Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard

• Sef Churchill — Green Party
• Arjun Singh — Labour
• Rowan Power — Liberal Democrat
• Ethan James Howarth — Local Conservatives
• Fred Laithwaite — Reform UK

Euxton

• Geoff Turner — Conservative
• Pauline Margaret Summers — Green Party
• Gillian Frances Sharples — Labour
• Jonathan Close — Reform UK
• Tommy Gray – Labour and Co-operative Party - Withdrawn

Hyndburn Council

Clayton-le-Moors

• Richard John Downie – Labour and Co-operative Party
• Jayde Holmes – Conservative Party
• Sara Michaels – Green Party
• Miles Parkinson – Reform UK

Huncoat

• Jodie Green – Green Party
• Nick King – Labour Party
• Andrew Libberton – Conservative Party
• Anthony David Mitchell – Reform UK

Immanuel

• Josh Blayne Allen – Independent
• Steven Smithson – Conservative Party
• Anna Stanislawska – Reform UK

Milnshaw

• Andy Clegg – Green Party
• Hannah Mae Fisher – Labour Party
• Foyzun Nur – Conservative Party
• Joel Michael Tetlow – Reform UK

Netherton

• Jodi Clements – Labour and Co-operative Party
• Colleen Rose Dickinson-Jones – Reform UK
• Wayne Fitzharris – Green Party
• Barry Walker – Conservative Party

Overton

• Scott John Brerton – Labour and Co-operative Party
• Jordan John Fox – Reform UK
• Judith McKelvey – Conservative Party
• Zoe April Thomas – Green Party

Peel

• Ashley Joynes – Reform UK
• Lex Kristan – Green Party
• Joyce Plummer – Conservative Party
• Malcolm Eric Pritchard – Labour Party

Rishton

• Bernard Dawson – Labour and Co-operative Party
• Carole Haythornthwaite – Conservative Party
• Lee Anthony Macneall – Green Party
• Lance Miles Lee Parkinson – Reform UK

Spring Hill

• Sohail Asghar – Independent
• Jan Evans – Reform UK
• Graham Peter Jones – Labour and Co-operative Party
• Saeed Ullah – Conservative Party

St Andrew’s

• Peter Britcliffe – Conservative Party
• Gaynor Louise Hargreaves – Reform UK
• Julie Carole Stubbins – Green Party
• Jade Leighanne Wellings – Labour Party

St Oswald’s

• Paul Brown – Reform UK
• Vinette Davitt – Conservative Party
• Caitlin Pritchard – Labour Party

Pendle Council

Barnoldswick

• Chris Church – Liberal Democrat
• Euan Robert Clouston – Labour
• Sean Robertson – Reform UK
• Julie Sutcliffe – Conservative
• Richard Whiteley – Green

Barrowford and Pendleside

• Anthony William Chamberlain – Liberal Democrat
• Elektra Ellis – Green Party
• Susan Frances Nike – Labour
• Vanessa Robinson – Reform UK
• Martyn Warren Stone – Conservative Party

Boulsworth and Foulridge

• Patricia Josephine Hannah-Wood  - Liberal Democrat
• Jack Alexander Hustwit – Conservative
• David Phillip Johns – Labour
• Lyndsey Taylor – Green Party
• Alan Mark Whitehead – Reform UK

Bradley

• Mohammad Ammer – Independent
• Ryan Thomas Andrew – Green Party
• Drew Dixon – Reform UK
• Muhammad Huzaifa – Labour
• Nigel Pearson-Ashed – Conservative
• Howard Philip Thomas – Liberal Democrat

Brierfield East and Clover Hill

• Sajjad Ahmed – Independent
• Benjamin Harrop – Green Party
• Pauline Anne McCormick – Conservative
• John Metcalfe – Reform UK
• Mary Elizabeth Thomas – Liberal Democrat
• Adam Thomas Walsh – Labour

Earby and Coates

• David Andrew Hunter – Labour
• Jane Pratt – Conservative
• David Whipp – Liberal Democrat
• Glenn Robert Whittaker – Reform UK
• Jane Wood – Green Party

Marsden and Southfield

• Riaz Ahmed Bashir – Independent
• Philip Alfred Berry – Liberal Democrat
• Claire Brightley – Green Party
• Gary Anthony Hood – Reform
• Marie Mary Stone – Conservative
• Sheila Wicks – Labour and Co-operative

Vivary Bridge

• Andy Bell – Liberal Democrat
• Karen Clark – Conservative
• Mark Porter – Labour
• Michael Waddington – Reform UK
• Kelly Whiteside – Green Party

Waterside and Horsfield

• Reece Bailey – Conservative
• Philip Heyworth – Labour
• Alice Mann – Liberal Democrat
• Nathan McCollum – Reform UK
• Jacky McGeoch – Green Party

Whitefield and Walverden

• Ajaz Ditta – Independent
• Sean Eastwood – Reform UK
• Manzar Iqbal – Labour
• Adrian Mitchell – Conservative
• Mohammad Sakib – Independent
• David Sparrow – Liberal Democrat
• Gemma Taylor – Green Party

Preston Council   

Ashton

• Rachel Gill – Green Party
• Ronan Hodgson – Liberal Democrats
• Andrew David Maclaren – Labour Party
• Keith Sedgewick – Conservative Party
• Lee Slater – Reform UK

Brookfield

• Mel Close – Labour Party
• Daniel Duckworth – Conservative Party
• Rebecca Potter – Liberal Democrats
• Rob Walsh – Reform UK
• Robin Stewart Weston – Green Party

Cadley

• Flo Emmanuel – Reform UK
• Daniel Gregg – Liberal Democrats
• Jono Grisdale – Green Party
• Isaac Oluwasuji Omopariola – Labour Party
• Lakwinder Singh – Conservative Party

City Centre

• Tina Balmer – Green Party
• Lorenzo More – Reform UK
• Andy Pratt – Conservative Party
• Mark Francis Routledge – Labour Party
• Sam Zhang‑Peak – Liberal Democrats

Deepdale

• Nathalie Cain – Liberal Democrats
• Zafar Coupland – Labour Party
• John Knight – Reform UK
• Nigel Antony Lister – Conservative Party
• Kevin David Rigotti – Green Party

Fishwick & Frenchwood

• Stephen Gregson – Reform UK
• Ash Jariwala – Conservative Party
• Joanne Joyner – Liberal Democrats
• Christopher Soames – Green Party
• Valerie Wise – Labour and Co‑operative Party

Garrison

• Amber Afzal – Labour Party
• Aran Bailey – Independent
• Claire Craven – Liberal Democrats
• Helen Disley – Green Party
• Simon Holmes – Reform UK
• Al‑Yasa Khan – Conservative Party Candidate

Greyfriars

• Joanne Afrin Black – Labour Party
• Andrew Craig Bielas‑Barnes – Conservative Party
• Jacob Bilsborrow – Green Party
• Simon Crowe – Reform UK
• Fiona Duke – Liberal Democrats

Ingol & Cottam

• Derek Barton – Labour Party
• Neil Darby – Liberal Democrats
• Sarah Jane Hart – Conservative Party
• David Preston – Reform UK
• Toby Worth – Green Party

Lea & Larches

• Bill Adams – Labour Party
• Keith Berry – Green Party
• Sean Little – Liberal Democrats
• Javaris Maharaj – Conservative Party
• Jemma Louise Rushe – Reform UK

Plungington

• Pav Akhtar – Labour Party
• Susan Tracey Brown – Reform UK
• Penelope Dawber – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
• Frankie Kennedy – Conservative Party
• Gabie Lowe – Green Party
• Ruth Van Mierlo – Liberal Democrats

Preston Rural East

• Karen Kendall – Green Party
• Beth Moore – Labour Party
• Daniel Paul Nuttall – Reform UK
• Steve Whittam – Conservative Party
• Liam Yip – Liberal Democrats

Preston Rural North

• Daniel Bennett – Green Party
• Lynne Brooks – Labour Party
• Stephen Geoffrey Thompson – Reform UK
• Rene Van Mierlo – Liberal Democrats
• Fay Elizabeth Whittam – Conservative Party

Ribbleton

• Vasile Alecu – Reform UK
• Edward Craven – Liberal Democrats
• Michael Christopher McGowan – Labour Party
• Tes Slater – Conservative Party
• Daniel Thompson – Green Party

Sharoe Green

• Maxwell Green – Conservative Party
• Brian Martin Ollerton – Reform UK
• Rick Seymour – Labour Party
• Jack Singh – Liberal Democrats
• Amy Strettle – Green Party

St Matthews

• Waqas Ahmed – Independent
• Takhsin Akhtar – Labour
• Gareth Basterfield – Green Party
• Charlie Craig Fitzpatrick – Reform UK
• Tayo Korede – Conservative
• Anita Murray – Liberal Democrat

West Lancashire Council

  Aughton & Holborn

• Simon T Cockburn – Green Party
• Geoff Courtney – Reform UK
• Paul Hennessy – Labour
• Anne Marie Hughes – Our West Lancashire
• Bruce Porteous – Conservative

Burscough Bridge & Rufford

• Richard Luke Bradshaw – Our West Lancashire
• Conor Robert Lyth Edwards – Green Party
• Alison Jones – Reform UK
• Eddie Pope – Conservative
• Swin Purple – Labour and Co‑operative
• Ruxandra‑Mihaela Trandafoiu – Liberal Democrat

Burscough Town

• Joe De Freitas – Conservative
• Gareth Fairclough – Reform UK
• Andy Fowler – Labour
• Jess Riding – Our West Lancashire
• Richard S Taylor – Green Party

North Meols & Hesketh Bank

• Thomas Andrew De Freitas – Conservative
• Noel Delaney – Labour
• Clare E Edwards – Green Party
• Nigel Swales – Reform UK
• Karen Taylor – Liberal Democrat

Old Skelmersdale

• Richard Patrick Ainsworth – Conservative
• Freya E J Matthews – Green Party
• Karl Taraldsen – Labour Party
• Ella Worthington – Reform UK

Ormskirk East

• Michael John Crompton – Our West Lancashire
• Simon Evans – Reform UK
• Archie Thomas Fitzgerald – Conservative
• Julie Gibson – Labour and Co‑operative Party
• Paul Hamby – Green Party

Ormskirk West

• Charles Robert Berry – Our West Lancashire
• Gareth Dowling – Labour and Co‑operative Party
• Paul French – Green Party
• Graham Gilbert – Reform UK
• Ruth Melling – Conservative

Rural North East

• Nicola Crawford – Reform UK
• Adriana P Dent – Green Party
• Katie Juckes – Conservative
• George Francis Oliver – Labour and Co‑operative Party

Rural South

• Caitlyn Madden – Green Party
• Paul Anthony Rochford – Labour
• Michael Sharples – Reform UK
• Paul Vincent Turpin – Conservative
• Linda Marjorie Webster – Our West Lancashire

Rural West

• Jeffrey Christie – Liberal Democrat
• Michael Hugh Cooper – Labour
• Charlotte M Houltram – Green Party
• Jane Margaret Marshall – Conservative
• Gareth Oakes – Reform UK

Skelmersdale North

• Peter John Chandler – Liberal Democrat
• Paul Hogan – Your Party
• Susan Ingrid Janvier – Conservative
• Jay D Lowe – Green Party Candidate
• Tom Phillips – Labour
• Lizzie Urquhart – Reform UK

Skelmersdale South

• Dave Beeston – Our West Lancashire
• Susan Carole Brake – Conservative
• Tom Brown – Liberal Democrat
• Vickie Cummins – Labour and Co‑operative
• Nigel Hudson – Reform UK
• Connor Patrick Scott Rudge – Green Party

Tanhouse & Skelmersdale Town Centre

• Aaron Body – Reform UK
• Ron Cooper – Your Party
• Terry Devine – Labour
• Peter Nicholas Gorrod – Liberal Democrat
• Neil D Jackson – Green Party Candidate
• Julie Peel – Conservative

Tarleton Village

• Kate Anderson – Labour
• Norma Marjorie Goodier – Conservative
• Karl Hunter – Reform UK
• Suzanne J Smith – Green Party
• Tina Stringfellow – Liberal Democrat

Up Holland

• Peter Andrew Cranie – Green Party
• Richard Lee – Reform UK
• Suresh Patel – Labour Party
• Neil Ronald Pye – Our West Lancashire
• Jayne Louise Rear – Conservative

Local elections will take place on Thursday, May 7.