‘What’s the difference between you?’ Councillors quizzed in Lancashire County Council election debate

Representatives of the five groups that currently sit on Lancashire County Council were asked to put some clear water between themselves during a hustings debate ahead of the poll for the authority on 1st May.

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

This is how each of them responded to the question, which was submitted by a member of the public:

Scott Smith (part of the ruling Conservative group, Lancashire County Council)

‘Managing the money is key’

“The fundamental of running a council is how you manage the finances.

“The last time Labour were in control, they lost control of the finances [and] cut bus services, cut highways – that will never happen under the Conservatives.

“And you’ve heard it here tonight… if Reform were ever to take control, [the] first thing [that they would] do is to knock on [Deputy Prime Minister] Angela Rayner’s door and ask for help.”

Matthew Tomlinson (Labour opposition group leader, Lancashire County Council)

‘It’s about fairness’

“I think we would all sit here and say we want the same things. We want a better place for our residents to live in, we want better services for our residents to benefit from.

“How we differ is how we deliver that – and it’s about emphasis.

“I bought into the Labour Party’s values of fairness and equity a long, long time ago – and my vision around those values hasn’t changed.”

John Potter (Liberal Democrats, Lancashire County Council)

‘We aim to make people’s lives better’

“One of the things about [not being] one of the big two parties is you can never take the privilege…of power for granted. It’s a colossal honour to do it, but you have to graft for it… week in, week out, in the community and in the chamber.

“And you’ve got to remember the people that put you there – because so many councilors get in and think, ‘Look at me, look how special I am’…when actually the best thing about what I do is knocking on doors and speaking to real people, because it keeps you grounded [in] what you’re there to do in the first place, which is to make their lives better.”

Gina Dowding (Green Party group leader, Lancashire County Council)

‘We want to help people cope with challenges’

“We can’t take any vote for granted. I get the support I get because I work really hard in my community.

“I think that’s the essence of what is different about the Greens…we listen to people, we knock on doors, we compromise and we help find solutions to things. And I think that’s ultimately what we are about – actually making all of our communities more resilient to the challenges, whether they’re financial, climate, environmental [or] economic.

“All of those things are coming down the line, if they’re not already here, and helping our communities to help themselves – but with support to be resilient – is what, fundamentally, the Greens are about.”

Stephen Atkinson (Reform UK, outgoing leader of Ribble Valley Borough Council and standing in county council elections)

‘It’s about time residents were put first’

“Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. [We are] a fresh pair of eyes, a fresh political party that is going to put residents first.

“On county council reports, you have an assessment against legal risks [and] environmental risk – you never have an assessment that says ‘residents’ It never asks you how [the proposal is] going to affect the residents.

“We’re going to start putting residents front and centre in everything we do. We’ve got to go through the budget, line by line, and if it doesn’t improve the lives of residents, we’ve got to ask why we’re doing it.”