The practice of holding local elections in three years out of every four generally costs more than double the amount of a less frequent voting pattern, it has been claimed.

All councillors serve four-year terms, but local authorities can either elect their memberships in thirds - resulting in votes being held in three consecutive years with a fourth year off - or in so-called ‘all-out’ polls, where every seat is up for grabs at the same time, in elections held once every four years.

Out of Lancashire’s 15 councils, seven - Preston, Chorley, West Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle - stage elections via the three-in-four system.

Research by the Taxpayers’ Alliance found that the average cost for a district council electing by thirds between 2021 and 2024 was £455,221 per election cycle. In comparison, those with all-out elections averaged at £201,566.

The argument usually made for more regular voting is that keeps councils more engaged with the electorate seeing as residents are passing judgements more years than not.

However, Jonathan Eida, researcher at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “At a time when councils are stretched and cutting vital services, it’s extraordinary that millions of pounds are still being spent on unnecessarily frequent local elections.

“Whole council elections arguably offer clearer accountability, reduce voter fatigue and, crucially, save taxpayers a substantial amount of money.

“Councils need to seriously ask whether the marginal benefits of elections by thirds are worth the very real financial cost being imposed on residents.”

A small number of councils across the country elect in halves, whereby elections are held every two years.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance estimates that if all councils that hold elections in thirds or halves had staged all-out votes between 2021 and 2024, they could have saved almost £25m.