At the Full Council meeting on 22 May 2025, Lancashire County Council elected Councillor Alf Clempson as Chairman and Councillor Lee Hutchinson as Vice-Chairman. The council also re-elected Councillor Stephen Atkinson as Leader of the County Council, who then announced his cabinet. Councillors approved the Constitution of the County Council for 2025/26 and the membership of various committees, as well as appointments to outside bodies including the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority.

Election of Council Leader and Cabinet Appointments

Councillor Stephen Atkinson was re-elected as Leader of the County Council. Following his re-election, Councillor Atkinson announced the members of his cabinet:

• Councillor Simon Evans - Deputy Leader of the Council & Cabinet Member for Children and Families
• Councillor Ged Mirfin - Resources, HR and Property
• Councillor Graham Dalton - Adult Social Care
• Councillor Daniel Matchett - Health and Wellbeing
• Councillor Matthew Salter - Education and Skills
• Councillor Brian Moore - Economic Development and Growth
• Councillor Warren Goldsworthy - Highways and Transport
• Councillor Joshua Roberts - Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities
• Councillor David Dwyer - Data, Technology, Customer and Efficiency

Committee Membership and Chairs

The council approved the constitution and membership of its committees for 2025/26, ensuring that the makeup of each committee reflects the proportions of seats held by each political group, in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The appointed chairs and deputy chairs are:

• Regulatory: Councillor Ian Duxbury, Chair; Councillor Graeme Austin, Deputy Chair
• Development Control: Councillor Simon Gummer, Chair; Councillor Thomas Lord, Deputy Chair
• Audit Risk and Governance: Councillor Hannah Whalley, Chair; Councillor Richard Edwards, Deputy Chair
• Pension Fund: Councillor David Shaw, Chair; Councillor Clive Balchin, Deputy Chair
• Health and Adult Services Scrutiny: Councillor Nigel Swales, Chair; Councillor Hamish Mills, Deputy Chair
• Children Families and Skills Scrutiny: Councillor Joanne Ash, Chair; Councillor Michael Lavalette, Deputy Chair
• Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny: Councillor Mark Poulton, Chair; Councillor Ella Worthington, Deputy Chair
• Community, Cultural and Corporate Services Scrutiny: Councillor Shaun Crimmins, Chair; Councillor Simon Gummer, Deputy Chair
• Scrutiny Management Board: Councillor Mark Poulton, Chair; Councillor Joanne Ash, Deputy Chair
• Urgency: Councillor Stephen Atkinson, Chair; Councillor Simon Evans, Deputy Chair
• Employment: Councillor Stephen Atkinson, Chair; Councillor Simon Evans, Deputy Chair
• Conduct: Councillor Thomas Lord, Chair; Councillor Joanne Ash, Deputy Chair
• Health and Wellbeing Board: Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Chair; Non-LCC appointment, Deputy Chair
• Political Governance Working Group: Councillor Ged Mirfin, Chair; None, Deputy Chair

Lancashire Combined County Authority Appointments

The council appointed its representatives and substitute members to the Lancashire Combined County Authority. Councillor Stephen Atkinson and Councillor Simon Evans were appointed as the two representatives, with Councillor Ged Mirfin and Councillor David Dwyer as reserves.

The political balance on the Combined County Authority Committees was also determined:

Nominations from the Reform, Progressive, and Conservative groups are to be provided to the Monitoring Officer.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The council approved appointments to various outside bodies, including:

• Lancashire Combined Fire Authority: 19 members were appointed based on political proportionality.
• Police and Crime Panel for Lancashire: Councillor Joanne Ash was appointed, with Councillor Ged Mirfin as the reserve.
• Local Government Association (LGA):
  • General Assembly: Councillors Stephen Atkinson, Simon Evans, Ged Mirfin, and Azhar Ali will represent the council. Councillor Atkinson will carry the council's 12 votes.
  • Coastal Issues: Councillor Alice Jones
  • Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum: Councillor Josh Roberts
  • Rural Services Network: Councillor Ged Mirfin
• County Councils Network: Councillors Stephen Atkinson, Simon Evans, Ged Mirfin, and Gina Dowding
• North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority: Councillors Alice Jones and David Shaw

Constitution of the County Council 2025/26

The council approved the Constitution of the County Council for the year 2025/26, noting the changes made since the 2024 Annual General Meeting. The Political Governance Working Group will convene to consider any proposals for further changes following the election.

Reports from Committees

The council noted the reports from various committees, including:

• Cabinet
• Urgency Committee
• Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
• Employment Committee
• Pension Fund Committee
• Overview and Scrutiny Committees
• Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board
• Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

Other Business

The council confirmed the minutes from the meetings held on 13 March 2025. The Chairman announced the retirement of Dr James Adeley, His Majesty's Senior Coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, after 20 years of service.