England Elections 2022: Partygate and money worries may sway voters

Lancashire is a major battleground for both of the main parties, who have been campaigning hard here over the past few months.

We have seen visits from a number of senior figures - including Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

On 5 May, there will be in elections in the Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale and West Lancashire council areas.

But will it be local or national issues on voters' minds on polling day?

Edge Hill University's Paula Keaveney said the council elections will be decided on a mixture of the two.

"Locally, you've got things like the environment, public transport, roads and fracking - but also nationally, voters will be thinking about issues like Partygate, the cost of living and even the international situation in Ukraine."

Cosima Towneley, who represents Cliviger with Worsthorne on Burnley Council, said it was "immensely frustrating" that councillors lose votes because of national controversies.

"[The public] tend to equate the bad behaviour - or not - of national politicians with hard-working local politicians," the Tory councillor said.

"Your local politicians live among you, they see what you see and they are trying to make the best of the little that they have been given by national government."

In some parts of Lancashire, there is a good chance the balance of power could change after 5 May.

In Pendle, both of the main parties will be hoping to come out of these elections with control.

The authority has been on a knife edge for decades - and the Conservatives have gained and lost control of it three times in the last four years.

Meanwhile, Labour's main target will be Burnley Borough Council.

The party lost control of the authority in 2019, but have continued to run it as a minority administration and only need one gain to win back control.

Last year, the party also lost control of Rossendale Borough Council and need three gains to get back into power.

Labour's Alyson Barnes, who leads the authority, said over the last decade, her group has had to "pedal really hard" to maintain control.

"We haven't had that extra lift from the national scene," she said.

"However, I do detect a different feel on the doorstep now."

Labour will also want to win back control of West Lancashire Borough Council, which they lost last year, partly due to the rise of the independent Our West Lancashire group.

However, with four gains needed, so overall control is a big ask this time around.

Away from the big two parties, the Liberal Democrats are hoping to capitalise on recent national successes.

Preston councillor John Potter said any increase in his party's share of the vote is a victory.

"Given where we were four years ago, I think we can expect Conservative numbers to drop and Lib Dem numbers to go up," he said.

The Green Party have traditionally done well in North Lancashire, but will be hoping to bolster their numbers elsewhere in the county.

Rossendale councillor Julie Adshead said the Greens were looking for "local solutions" to issues such as climate change and the cost of living crisis.

So while it may seem to some that these elections are a good gauge of national feeling towards the parties, to voters in Lancashire, they could represent real local change.

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