Transitioning councils seek to postpone elections

Six out of seven Lancashire councils are to ask the government to postpone this year's local elections amid concerns about capacity issues and the cost of holding them.

Pendle and Burnley borough councils are the latest to make a decision on the matter following council meetings this week.

The government has given all authorities facing local government reorganisation the option to ask for a postponement as they prepare for the transition.

But the move has proved controversial, with some opposition parties claiming it would be anti-democratic.

The councils due to hold elections this year are Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston and West Lancashire.

They are all due to be up by a third, which means a third of councillors are up for election, rather than the full the council.

Four of these councils - Blackburn, Chorley, Hyndburn, and Preston - had already written to the government to ask for a postponement and it is expected that they will do so again.

This week Pendle council also voted in favour of a postponement.

Liberal Democrat leader David Whipp said it was "disappointing" as he was in favour of holding the election.

He said: "I've had plenty of battles in the ballot box but this is the first time I've had to battle to save the ballot box.

"I am really desperately disappointed that we've taken a slippery step towards losing our democracy."

In favour of the move, independent councillor Mohammed Iqbal said: "The elections in May would have cost £100,000 and Pendle's staffing structure is down to the bone already. I don't believe that we have the capacity to hold the election."

Meanwhile, in Burnley, independent council leader Afrasiab Anwar said the decision was made "very reluctantly" and he was critical of the way the government had handled the process.

He said: "The government should be making this decision, to pass it on to local leaders so late in the day is passing the book."

He also condemned the threats some councillors had received online and said they had employed security for the meeting as a result.

He said: "We talk about resources for councils that are already under pressure and yet we're having to fork out for paying for security. I think it's appalling."

The only council not to have asked for a postponement so far is West Lancashire Borough Council.

Ahead of a meeting to discuss the matter later, Labour leader Yvonne Gagen also said it should be the government's decision to make.

The government said if any council voiced "genuine concerns", it would take them seriously and "be minded to grant a delay in those areas".

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