Chorley local elections 2026: this is what the parties are promising you

With polling day looming on 7th May and postal votes having already been distributed to households, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has given each of the parties standing in the Chorley Council elections the chance to make a direct appeal for your support by setting out a ‘mini-manifesto’.

So why not cut out the national noise and see what you are being promised locally by the politicians who want to represent you at the town hall?

Fourteen seats on the authority are up grabs at the election – a third of the total and one in each ward.

Half of the contests will be four-way battles between the ruling Labour group, the Conservatives, Reform UK and the Green Party – all of which are fielding candidates in every part of the borough.

The Liberal Democrats are contesting six wards and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition two, while an independent is also entering the fray (Barrie Duckworth in the Croston, Mawdesley and Euxton South ward).

Here is what each of the parties had to say (in order of of the number of seats being contested and current level representation on the authority):

Labour

Contesting all wards

Chorley Labour have made the borough “The Best of Lancashire All In One Place”.

Chorley is recognised as a great place to live and work - and the Labour council has worked to ensure that residents are helped out with everyday life issues, in an increasingly uncertain and fast changing world.

Over recent years the council has delivered:

*** a freeze in Chorley Council’s part of your council tax, with the second-lowest council tax rates in Lancashire;

***planted 150,000 trees across the borough and invested £5.1m in decarbonising buildings to support our environment;

*** re-developing the town centre with a £44m project to create jobs, accommodation and new retail opportunities;

***supporting health and wellbeing with a £4.5m overhaul of leisure centres;

*** vital bus & transport services to rural areas by subsidising bus routes;

*** investing £150,000 per year in youth services and school readiness;

*** quality parks and open spaces with 8 green flag awards;

*** support to families most in need, and helping residents with the cost-of-living crisis;

*** creating hundreds of jobs with a business grants programme which supports employers across the area;

*** providing events such as Chorley Flower Show, Chorley Live, Picnic in the Park, What’s Your Story Chorley and many events to attract visitors to our area and provide entertainment for residents of all ages.

We are very concerned that national politics may influence how people vote on 7th May and ask that residents vote based on our local performance, which we believe has helped make Chorley the great place it is.

Reform is wrong to claim that Chorley is Broken – we believe there is a continuation of the great work undertaken still to be done by all of us.

We have faith in residents to continue to help us deliver this - and please maintain your own faith in Chorley by voting for Chorley Labour. Thank you.

Conservatives

Contesting all wards

As the leader of the Conservatives on Chorley Council, I have lived in Euxton for over 30 years and worked locally for two of the parish councils in the ward. I worked for Croston Parish Council for 20 years and Ulnes Walton Parish Council since 2013.

My involvement with the parish councils gives me a good understanding of the issues affecting residents.

I have experience as a councillor, having been a Chorley borough councillor for nine years and I served as a parish councillor for Euxton for 11 years. I have been the volunteer poppy appeal organiser for the Croston district for 23 years.

I will continue to do my utmost to put the interests of residents first and my Conservative colleagues and I will also fight to ensure a fairer distribution of spending towards the rural areas.

I was a member of the Ulnes Walton Action Group fighting the Third Prison at Wymott and spoke against the application at the planning committee. Unfortunately, the decision to refuse the application was later overturned by the Labour Government.

We will also continue to oppose inappropriate development being forced through by the Labour Government and will continue to support local residents fighting planning applications for Moor Road in Croston and Applethwaite’s in Mawdesley.

I am opposed to Reform’s proposal for a two-unitary model, which will merge us with East Lancashire Councils, dominated by Blackburn. If this unitary model goes ahead, then we support the plans put forward to join up Chorley, South Ribble and West

Lancashire councils as this appears to be the best of the options available.

Finally, I would just like to point out that, contrary to information being put out, the Conservatives in Chorley did NOT vote to cancel these elections. Instead, we believe residents should have their right to vote.

Green Party

Contesting all wards

So many people feel let down by the division and empty promises of politics right now. We need a new direction. We need a politics that benefits people’s lives, that improves their living standards, lowers their bills and redistributes money into our communities.

Across the nation, Greens do politics differently. For the past six years, Chorley Green Party have been listening, understanding and working hardest on the issues residents tell us they care most about.

We have been tackling issues from litter, fly-tipping, overgrown bushes, potholes, broken streetlights, road markings, and anti-social behaviour. We have acted on long standing issues such as unadopted roads, speeding hotspots and dog waste.

We have championed residents with developers, utility companies, police, schools, housing associations and councils. We think this is how democracy should work and we are here to represent residents.

As elected Greens, we will stand up for:

*** improving living standards;

*** tackling the housing crisis, and promoting affordable housing;

***the protection of our green spaces;

*** ensuring the council takes action to support our public services, in particular our A&E.

We trust this election will see Chorley elect its first Green councillor, who can bring an independent voice to Chorley council.

Whatever happens in these elections, with only one third of seats up for election, it will still be a Labour run council and we will need to hold them to account to make sure the council puts people and the environment first.

At these local elections voters across Chorley have a chance to vote for hard-working Green candidates with a commitment to residents’ top priorities and a track record of getting stuff done. When you vote Green on Thursday 7th May, you will help to elect councillors committed to making Chorley a better place to live.

Reform UK

Contesting all wards

Reform UK has a strong team of 14 candidates, ready to bring accountability to Chorley Borough Council. Labour holds 37 of the 42 seats and it's vital we restore some balance and common sense. After many years of mismanagement, our council's debt stands at a staggering £88m which is accruing interest at £62,000 per week. This cannot go on.

Our stance on local issues is clear:

***we will oppose planning for housing in Chorley to be converted to HMOs for inappropriate use, like housing illegal migrants. We will also push for changes to local planning regulations to effectively ban them completely;

***we will oppose Labour's disgraceful plan to dissolve Chorley Borough Council and merge us into a much larger unitary council. This will mean less funding for our communities as money will be diverted to more deprived areas of Lancashire. Funding for 'levelling up' should come from central government, not from Chorley Council taxpayers;

***we believe that women and girls should feel safe in their community, free from harassment or intimidation. We will work closely with local police to ensure that anti-social behaviour is dealt with, and the streets of Chorley are a safe place to be;

***we will protect our remaining green & brown belt sites from further inappropriate development. Industrial warehouses should be built away from towns, and new housing should be appropriate and justified, with matching infrastructure.

Remember, your Chorley Labour councillors voted to cancel these elections on 7th May to avoid facing you at the ballot box. They now expect your vote again without so much as an apology. We think this is a disgraceful affront to democracy.

Our Reform UK candidates are on your side. We will hold Labour to account and ensure our wonderful town thrives for years to come! Vote Reform UK on May 7th. Thank you.

Liberal Democrats

Contesting the Clayton East, Brindle and Hoghton, Clayton West and Cuerden, Coppull, Croston, Mawdesley and Euxton South, and Eccleston, Heskin and Charnock Richard wards only.

Your local Liberal Democrats in Chorley are campaigning in the May local elections focused on our four national local government pillars:

***local health services: guaranteeing the right to see a GP or dentist when needed. This includes a proposal for a seven-day GP appointment guarantee and increasing the number of full-time GPs by 8,000;

***environment and water quality: a major focus on stopping water companies from pumping sewage into rivers and beaches;

***infrastructure maintenance: A ‘back to basics’ approach often phrased as ‘potholes and police officers’, focusing on fixing local roads and restoring community policing;

***social care: pledging ‘free personal care’ for everyone who needs it and a fair deal for unpaid carers, including increased Carer’s Allowance.

Locally in Chorley, our “Six to Fix” policies are:

Housing and Planning

***Building more genuinely affordable and social homes.

***New powers for councils to control second homes through a 500% council tax premium.

***Expanding ‘neighbourhood planning’ to give communities more say in development.

Transport

***Introducing youth bus passes for 18–25-year-olds and local family railcards.

***Investing in road maintenance, pavements, and cycleways.

***Accelerating the roll-out of EV charging points.

Community Safety

***Doubling the number of community safety officers and reopening closed police front counters.

***Tackling the root causes of crime through joined-up mental health and addiction support.

Environment and Climate

***Supporting renewable energy initiatives such as the Bretherton Renewable Energy Project to bring cheap electricity to local communities.

***Protecting our open spaces, cleaning up our local rivers.

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Contesting the Chorley East and Clayton East, Brindle and Hoghton wards only

TUSC, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, offers a voice for the millions, not the millionaires. We are standing nearly 300 candidates on 7th May, the sixth highest nationally.

TUSC is alone in:

***making a policy guarantee to oppose all cuts and closures to council services, jobs, pay and conditions and rejecting all increases to council tax, rent and service charges;

***demanding councils fight - instead of just passing on cuts as other parties do - by organising a mass campaign to win the funding needed for jobs and services from central government;

***campaigning for the nationalisation of the big energy firms;

***having all its Lancashire candidates living in the wards that they are standing in on 7th May.

Lancashire TUSC candidates have won good votes in previous local elections and we are campaigning to do the same again in two wards in Chorley this year.

We call for:

***councils to expand their Crisis and Resilience Funds to give emergency support to all households who cannot pay mounting energy bills;

***councillors to set a People’s Budget that restores the services our communities need;

***rent controls and new council homes to provide more genuinely affordable places to live in;

***a future for our kids: Free school meals, end school cuts, reopen youth services;

***no to privatisation – not in the NHS, nor in Lancashire care homes;

***money for public services, not war;

***trade unions to stop funding Labour and build a new party that will stand up for the working-class.