Could Tories retake county hall control?
THE magic number to take majority control of county hall is 45 seats.
Four years ago Labour wrested power from the ruling Conservatives with a minority win, securing 39 seats to the Conservatives’ 35.
Tory group leader and former county council leader Geoff Driver says they are confident that on May 4 they will win the 45 seats that will give them an outright majority.
Their party will be hoping that national opinion polls showing the Conservatives well ahead of Labour will be replicated across Lancashire. Labour meanwhile will hope that their message of Tory government austerity being to blame for local cuts will help them consolidate the seats they took from the Liberal Democrats and the Tories at the previous 2013 election, and possibly make inroads elsewhere.
A further element of intrigue is added by the polls taking place against a backdrop of a general election in June being framed by some as an informal second referendum on ‘Brexit’.
The remainder of the council chamber is made up of six Liberal Democrats, one Green and one Independent councillor.