Lancashire politicians make pitch for your votes at local election debate

Leading figures from the five political parties currently represented on the authority were invited to take part in a hustings debate, during which they were quizzed by the public and local media on the big issues facing the county.

Staged by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Lancashire Post, Blackpool Gazette, Lancashire Lead and Blog Preston, the ‘Lancashire Decides’ event was held at the MacDonald Tickled Trout Hotel, on the outskirts of Preston, on Wednesday evening.

Subjects on the agenda – which was shaped by questions submitted in advance by the audience – included potholes, poorly-rated services for children with special needs, whether Lancashire should have a mayor and the issue of county council debt.

Some members of the audience had the chance to put their questions directly to the politicians vying for votes ahead of the poll on 1st May.

>>> Complete list of candidates standing for the Lancashire County Council elections

On the panel were County Cllr Scott Smith, a member of the ruling Conservative group and the lead member for highways and active travel; County Cllr Matthew Tomlinson, leader of the Labour opposition group; County Cllr John Potter, for the Liberal Democrats; County Cllr Gina Dowding, Green Party group leader; and Stephen Atkinson, not himself currently on the county council, but standing at the local elections for Reform UK and the outgoing leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council.

Before the cut-and-thrust of the proceedings – chaired by local democracy reporter Paul Faulkner – got under way, each of the party representatives were given their chance to make an uninterrupted 60-second pitch to the people of Lancashire. A draw took place to decide the order in which they would speak and, in that order, this is what they each had to say:

STEPHEN ATKINSON, Reform UK

It’s my great pleasure to stand here on the banks of the River Ribble, in the centre of this great county that changed the world. The industrial revolution started here, transforming the lives of millions of people. But why here? Well, because of the Enlightenment, sometimes called the age of reason. Those underlying values of freedom of speech, liberty, the rule of law [and] reason transformed this county into a prosperous and proud place.

“These values are now under attack – and I believe we are entering the age of non-reason, affecting our families, communities and country. That’s why, in the next two years, the Conservative administration is reducing investment in roads by £30m per year and bringing forward over £100m of cuts, which we don’t believe they can deliver – they didn’t deliver £50m this year.

“And whilst looking at financing [their] borrowing with interest rate swaps – remember the 2008 crash?”

MATTHEW TOMLINSON, Labour

“It would be very easy just to stand here and point to things that are wrong at Lancashire County Council – and you’ll forgive me if I do just that for a while. Whether it’s the crumbling highway network, a disastrous inspection of our special education needs and disability service, record waiting times for adult social care or the disastrous, half-baked devolution deal that we’ve signed up to with the government.

“But it’s not enough just to say what’s wrong. You have to come here tonight and go to the public and say what you’ll do about it – and that’s what we’ve been doing. We’ve got a five-point plan to improve life in Lancashire. We see Lancashire as a fairer, healthier, cleaner, safer and better-connected county – and that is the message that we’re taking to the people.

“We’ve also got a terrific activist base [and] we’ve got some terrific candidates from a wide range of lifestyles…and I recommend every single one of them to you.”

JOHN POTTER, Liberal Democrats

“Thank you all for coming out in beautiful Lancashire weather, but despite the weather, Lancashire is an amazing place to live – top-class businesses, wonderful nature and brilliant people everywhere across our great county. But what we can’t say is great is Lancashire County Council – our roads, our care and our school programmes are not fit for what they should be doing and not good enough for the money you’re paying for the county [council].

“Lib Dems are community activists to our heart – and we know, every time you vote for a Lib Dem, you get a community champion. And tonight you’ll hear all sorts of questions – some people promising easy solutions to complex problems. Now, if you believe [that] to be true, you are absolutely leaving yourself open to be lied to. Things are very complicated. They’re always more complicated than what you think in politics,

“But what Lib Dems do better than anybody else is represent our communities [and] work hard, week in, week out, for you.”

SCOTT SMITH, Conservatives

“Thank you all for coming this evening. Eight years is a long time – and it’s easy to forget how much of a mess the county council was in when the Conservatives took over. Labour left a £200m black hole in the finances and everything that matters to residents was going in the wrong direction. Matthew [Tomlinson’s] then boss, now his deputy, even announced that the council would be out of money by 2019 – and clearly that didn’t happen, because Conservatives took control and turned things around.

“We’re investing more than ever in our roads. We’ve reopened the libraries and museums that Labour closed and our children’s services are rated good once again, We’ve done so much more, too, which I’m sure we’ll come on to, but for now, I want to address the choice before all of us at this election.

“I know it’s tempting to vote for Reform or Lib Dem or Green at this election, just to give the two main parties a kicking. But everyone up here this evening knows that after the election, LCC will either be led by Labour or by the Conservatives. So my message to you this evening is this, you’ve seen what Labor have done to the country [in] the time they’ve been in power, the only way to stop them doing the same to the county is to vote Conservative.”

GINA DOWDING, Green Party

“Good evening, everyone, thanks for coming. What’s absolutely clear is that many voters at this election are feeling very let down by both the Conservatives and the Labour Party and they’re looking for a positive alternative – and that’s why they are turning to the Greens. The Greens are a party of environmental and social justice.

“Our priorities for the county council are to invest in…good quality public services, to take action on the environment and invest in solutions to the climate crisis – and to underpin all of that with an approach that is about reducing inequalities. Because it’s increasing inequalities in society that are causing fear [and] that actually cause ill health.

“People know when they vote Green, that they get principled and effective local councilors.”