Local elections Lancashire 2024: Latest results and find out who was voted in your area as it happens

LABOUR'S Clive Grunshaw has won the election to be Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, returning to the job he lost three years ago.

He beat the Tory incumbent Andrew Snowden by more than 34,000 votes .

Mr Grunshaw got 135,638 votes to Mr Snowden's 101,281.

Liberal Democrat Neil Darby came third with 51,252 votes.

Read the full story by clicking HERE.

Of the 16 seats that were up for grabs at this year’s Preston City Council elections, the ruling Labour group were defending 10 of them, with the Conservatives holding five and the Liberal Democrats one.

Take a look at our gallery of photos, taken by Michelle Adamson.

The veterans minister Johnny Mercer has apologised to a former soldier from Fleetwood who says he was turned away from a polling station because his veteran card "did not count as proper ID".

Former Army officer Adam Diver said in a post on X that he was "gutted" he was not allowed to use his pass to vote in the local elections.

"I'm not one for complaining but I am gutted," he said.

"I spent 27 years in the Army and today I was going to vote in my local elections."

Voters have been required to show photo ID at the ballot box following reforms introduced by the government in May last year.

However, the new veteran ID card, which was introduced earlier this year, is not among those accepted.

Mr Diver went on to say he will be "fighting" for his ID to be considered as "more formal".

Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, said he was sorry for Mr Diver's experience and says he will do "all he can" to make the Veteran Card an acceptable form of ID for future elections.

In a statement, Mr Mercer, who is also a former soldier, said: "The legislation on acceptable forms of ID came out before the veterans ID cards started coming out in January this year. I will do all I can to change it before the next one.

"We're delivering on our commitment to roll out Veteran Cards, with tens of thousands of cards issued since launching the online portal earlier this year.

"While the Veteran Card cannot be used at polling stations today, I want to reassure you that we are already consulting on accepting their use in future elections.

"It's important to me that veterans are able to make the most of their card and I will have more to say about this in due course."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hailed Chris Webb’s Blackpool South by-election victory a “seismic win” for the party.

Sir Keir is at Blackpool Cricket Club this morning to celebrate with the resort’s new MP who won the seat with a majority of 7,607.

He said the result in Blackpool South had sent a message “directly to the Prime Minister” demanding a change.

In a speech alongside newly elected MP Chris Webb, the Labour leader said: “It’s a fantastic result, a really first-class result and here in Blackpool a message has been sent directly to the Prime Minister, directly to the Prime Minister, because this was a parliamentary vote.

“This was directly to Rishi Sunak to say we are fed up with your decline, your chaos and your division and we want change. We want to go forward with Labour.”

he added: “That wasn’t just a little message, that wasn’t just a murmur, that was a shout from Blackpool.

“We want change, and Blackpool speaks for the whole country. It says we have had enough now after 14 years of failure, 14 years of decline. We need to turn the page and start afresh with Labour, which has a positive plan for the country.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer is in Blackpool this morning to celebrate his party’s victory in the Blackpool South by-election overnight.

Newly elected Labour MP Chris Webb is celebrating at Blackpool Cricket Club, with Labour leader with Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner.

The by-election was triggered after the resignation of Scott Benton. 

The Preston City Council election results will appear here as they come in...

Of the 16 seats that were up for grabs at this year’s Preston City Council elections, the ruling Labour group were defending 10 of them, with the Conservatives holding five and the Liberal Democrats one.

When the final result is declared later this afternoon, the parties will know whether they have managed to maintain or build upon their positions compared to when this particular set of seats was last contested back in 2021.

Full pre-results report from Local Democracy Reporter Paul Faulkner here.

It was almost 5am before the result was announced.

Nine candidates, six weeks of campaigning but in the end only one winner as Chris Webb was elected the new MP for Blackpool South.

Labour were confident even before counting started their candidate would emerge triumphant following their hard graft on the campaign trail.

As the clock ticked on, more coffee was consumed, candidates stalked the room and campaigners sat exhausted on the sidelines as the counters counted. 

Full report from Local Democracy reporter Shelagh Parkinson

Ahead of the local elections, the Gazette hosted a hustings for Blackpool South candidates.

Questions were put to seven of the candidates standing in the by-election.

This is what was said...