Artist launches campaign to get Morecambe included in Lancaster City Council's name

Morecambe-raised Anthony Padgett believes the resort deserves to have more recognition in the district, and has set up a petition asking for a name change for the local authority.

As of 2021, of the 142,934 people living in the district, 52,234 are in Lancaster, 32,758 are in Morecambe, 16,573 are in Heysham and 5,854 are in Carnforth.

"Agreement for a different name is more difficult to reach than agreement that the name should change," said Anthony, who earlier this year was among those who helped in the fight to stop the council from closing The Platform in Morecambe.

"The word 'city' has no place in a 'district' name and is misleading as well as a structural inequality.

"At a minimum it should become 'Lancaster District Council'.

"Ideally it would be more representative and democratic such as 'Lancaster and Morecambe Bay South'.

Anthony, who ran for the Morecambe Bay Independents in the recent local elections, is hoping people will support his latest venture.

"Fifty years ago Morecambe and Heysham councils were put under the control of Lancaster City Council,” he said.

"Changing requirements for councils meant that individually these council areas are not large enough to be their own councils so were required to merge.

"However, despite being two-thirds of the population these two areas are not in the name of the council.

"This has led to preference being given to Lancaster projects over Morecambe and Heysham, and it has led to the demoralising (and generally accepted) view that Lancaster preferences itself over these areas.

"Organisations bearing the name Lancaster (e.g. Lancaster University) then feel they can represent those other areas.

"These is a colonialist and structural inequality that is an oppression of a perceived lower class - intellectually and economically.

"It is a victim blaming that leads to a patronising attitude to these other towns. It is in attitude that is an excuse for not allowing people to manage their own futures.

"Following Lancaster's history as the fourth largest slave trading port in the UK and the negative attitude many in Lancaster have towards Morecambe this petition is to support the simple act of changing the name of Lancaster City Council to include Morecambe and Heysham, e.g. Heysham, Morecambe & Lancaster Council, or to become an acronym e.g. HLM, or a neutral term like North West Lancashire Council or at minimum Lancaster District.

"Any suggestion that Lancaster's special status as a city means that its should be the name that covers Morecambe and Heysham reinforces the sense of structural inequality and prejudice against the towns of Morecambe and Heysham.

"If 'Lancaster City' remains in the name then 'Morecambe Town' and 'Heysham Town' should also be included.”

Anthony said that after contacting the Local Government Boundary Commission for England he discovered that for a council to change its name, it needs a meeting where two-thirds agree with the change.

You can add your name to the petition online at https://www.change.org/p/rename-lancaster-city-council-to-add-morecambe-heysham-or-a-general-name-eg-hlm?source_location=search