Preston local elections 2024: all you need to know as the polls open

Polling stations in the city council area are open from 7am until 10pm – and voters must take a suitable form of photo ID with them in order to cast their ballot (see list of options below).

If you have a postal vote that you have not yet returned, it must be handed in at your nominated polling station before 10pm in order for it to be counted.

Sixteen of Preston City Council’s 48 seats are up grabs – one in each ward. Thirty-one seats are currently held by Labour, with the Conservative oposition holding 10 and the Liberal Democrats seven.

The majority of the contests are three-way battles between candidates representing the ruling Labour group, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

However, in two wards there are candidates for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on the ballot paper, a Reform UK candidate is contesting one seat and independent candidates are standing in two others.

Residents also have a vote in the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

WHO CAN I VOTE FOR?

These are the candidates in each of Preston City Council’s 16 wards, along with the parties they represent (an asterisk denotes an incumbent councillor in the ward):

Ashton

DANIEL DUCKWORTH - Conservative Party

JAMES HULL* - Labour Party

REBECCA POTTER - Liberal Democrats

Brookfield

EDWARD CRAVEN - Liberal Democrats

SARA HOLMES - Labour Party

AL-YASA KHAN - Conservative Party

Cadley

PAUL BALSHAW - Independent

JONO GRISDALE - Labour Party

SARAH HART - Conservative Party

JULIE VAN MIERLO - Liberal Democrats

City Centre

SALIM DESAI* - Labour and Co-operative Party

PETER LAWRENCE - Liberal Democrats

ANDY PRATT - Conservative Party

Deepdale

SIRAZ NATHA* - Labour Party

HASAN TUNAY - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

JURGEN VOGES - Liberal Democrats

NILLI WILLIAMSON - Conservative Party

Fishwick and Frenchwood

ALANA MULLEN - Liberal Democrats

MARTYN RAWLINSON* - Labour and Co-operative Party

ISHAQ VAEZ - Conservative Party

Garrision

CLAIRE CRAVEN - Liberal Democrats

PETER KELLY* - Labour Party

LAKWINDER SINGH - Conservative Party

Greyfriars

AVERY GREATOREX - Labour Party

DAVE LEME DA SILVA - Conservative Party

MICHAEL PEAK - Liberal Democrats

Ingol and Cottam

TREVOR HART* - Conservative Party

ADAM MALIK - Labour Party

DAVID PRESTON - Reform UK

BEN WARD - Liberal Democrats

Lea and Larches

ANN COWELL - Independent

MARK JEWELL - Liberal Democrats

JENNY MEIN* - Labour Party

TRACY SLATER - Conservative Party

Plungington

NWEEDA KHAN* - Labour Party

MARTIN MCKEEVER - Conservative Party

CRISTINA MYLROIE - Liberal Democrats

JOEL PATTON - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Preston Rural East

MARK BELL* - Conservative Party

VICTORIA BLUNDELL - Labour Party

JOANNE JOYNER - Liberal Democrats

Preston Rural North

TAYLOR DONOUGHUE-SMITH - Labour Party

DANIEL GUISE - Liberal Democrats

KEITH MIDDLEBROUGH* - Conservative Party

Ribbleton

KATE BOSMAN - Liberal Democrats

ANNA HINDLE* - Labour and Co-operative Party

MARY KENNEDY - Conservative Party

Sharoe Green

GEORGE KULBACKI - Liberal Democrats

MARK ROUTLEDGE - Labour Party

DAVID WALKER* - Conservative Party

St. Matthews

SOHAIB ASHRAF - Conservative Party

SULEMAN SARWAR* - Labour and Co-operative Party

RENE VAN MIERLO - Liberal Democrats

WHAT DO I NEED TO VOTE?

To vote in person at a polling station, you will need one of the following forms of photo identification (the ID is permitted to be out of date, but must still be a good likeness of you):

***a passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, a European Economic Area (EEA state) or a Commonwealth country;

***a photo driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state;

***a blue badge ;

***an older person's bus pass;

***a disabled person's bus pass;

***an Oyster 60+ Card;

*** a Freedom Pass:

***an identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card);

***a biometric immigration document;

***a Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card);

*** a national identity card issued by an EEA state.