Green Party’s Caroline Jackson elected as Lancaster City Council leader for third time

Coun Jackson was elected as council leader on Monday night this week at a full council meeting attended by all councillors. She won the support of a majority of councillors while Labour’s Jason Wood was the other nomination.

Coun Jackson’s first tenure as city council leader was from 2021-23. Then she was elected to the top role a second time in November 2024.

That came after Labour councillors unexpectedly resigned from the council’s cross-party cabinet at the time, ending what had been a Labour-led cross-party cabinet under Coun Phillip Black.

Now, Coun Jackson has a brand new two-year stint, in keeping with council rules. Election of the council leader was a simple process with votes by councillors.

Coun Jackson received 31 votes in total while Labour’s Coun Jason Wood gained 19 votes.

The Green Party remains the largest group at Lancaster City Council with 23 councillors. Its latest member is Wilson Colley, a Lancaster University student who was recently elected in a city council by-election for the John O’Gaunt ward.

The council’s Labour opposition group has 21 councillors, led by official opposition leader Jason Wood. There are also seven Lib Dems, seven Conservatives, five Morecambe Bay Independents, three non-aligned councillors and one Independent.

Councillors also decided the membership of some important committees and committee chairperson’s roles this week.

Labour councillors Chris Hanna, Sandra Thornberry and Jason Wood gained some key roles in those, which includes holding the leadership to account.

Following her election as leader, Coun Jackson announced her new cabinet this week. It remains more or less unchanged from the previous cabinet formed last November.

Cabinet members include Lib Dem Peter Jackson, who is deputy leader of the council and has a communities, well-being and partnerships role. Morecambe Bay Independent Martin Bottoms has a Morecambe regeneration and local economy remit, and Green councillor Sam Riches has taken on the cabinet role for climate action previously held by fellow Green Gina Dowding.

Separately, Coun Dowding was re-elected as a Green Party councillor to Lancashire County County earlier this month. Also elected to the county were Green city councillors Paul Stubbins and Hamish Mills.