Update from Chief Executive Mark Wynn, 8 July 2025

June was a busy month! I’ve included some highlights from my visits at the end of this newsletter. It’s always a pleasure to get out and meet you, and to hear your ideas and suggestions for improvement.

We also held the first meeting of our new Cabinet. Alongside other members of the Executive Leadership Team, I’ve been meeting regularly with our new councillors. They’ve told me how welcoming and supportive you’ve been, so thank you for making such a positive impression.

Members of the Executive Leadership Team and I have also been meeting monthly with our Cabinet. These meetings are helping us to build a strong and effective working relationship. The photo was taken at our first meeting.

Looking ahead, July will bring our second Cabinet meeting and Full Council, along with many other events. I’ll be visiting our school catering teams to help serve meals (don’t worry, I won’t be doing the cooking!) and heading to Tower Wood to learn more about the fantastic outdoor education we offer.

New website

You may remember that we made some changes to our website homepage in January. This was part of a larger project to improve the website.

We’re now moving into the next phase, which means that from now on, we’ll only be making business-critical updates to the current website. This will allow our web team to focus fully on developing the new site.

If you’re responsible for adding content to the website, the web team will have contacted you directly. Please check any web pages you manage to ensure the information is accurate and up to date.

The new website is due to go live later this year and will be easier to use and navigate for all visitors.

If you haven’t been contacted by the web team but believe you should have been, please email: webteam@lancashire.gov.uk. 

Spending Review

Last month, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered her Spending Review statement to Parliament. This set out the government's day to day spending plans at a high level for the next three years and the assumptions of tax revenues to fund public services.

Spending Review 2025 announced an increase in overall funding for local government. While any increase in funding for the sector is welcome, it’s important to remember that demand for our services continues to grow.

In relation to local government funding to individual councils, a detailed consultation setting out the reform of local government finances was announced, and the outcome of this will be reported in the autumn.  We are reviewing the funding consultation to understand what this means for Lancashire to feed into our budget planning, which will result in the Council agreeing the Budget for next year at its meeting in February 2026. The government will set out detailed grant allocations to Councils at the end of November.

In considering our budget planning and how best we are using our resources, Cabinet in June agreed to the commencement of an Efficiency Review. As part of this, there will be the opportunity for staff to get involved in identifying ways we can save money by improving how we work. I’ll share more information as soon as I can.

Out and about

Since my last regular update, I have been out and about, learning more from you about some of our services.

Sign Shop and Cuerden Highways depot

I visited the Highways Depot at Cuerden, where I met members of the team and had a tour from Rob. It was a great opportunity to share updates on current issues and, just as importantly, to hear directly from the team about their work and the challenges they face.

Everyone I spoke to was clearly committed to delivering a high standard of service for residents. Their work is essential in keeping Lancashire’s roads in good condition and ensuring traffic keeps moving.

In the year leading up to the visit, the teams at Cuerden programmed and repaired over 18,000 highway defects, including potholes, and handled more than 12,000 customer enquiries. They also manage several countywide services from the depot, including grounds maintenance, resurfacing, surface treatments, and the surface dressing programme, which is currently underway.

The road marking and street lighting teams, who maintain around 90,000 streetlights across the county, are also based at Cuerden, highlighting the depot’s central role in our highways work.

I also visited the Sign Shop, where I met a small but skilled team providing a valuable service for the council and our partners. They produce everything from temporary road signs to full-colour metal prints for use in our buildings.

Road Safety

During my visit, I joined a regular team meeting with the Road Safety Team. I began by sharing an overview of some of the council’s current priorities, including leadership engagement, ongoing reviews, the County Combined Authority (CCA), and Local Government Reorganisation. This led to a constructive question and answer session with the team.

I then heard updates from Road Safety Manager Tony Crook and Team Leaders Deborah Hall and Keith Bell. They spoke about their education and engagement work, as well as speed assessment activities - all aimed at making Lancashire’s roads safer. It was inspiring to see their passion and the real impact they’re having. They also shared how they collaborate with partners across the county to support road safety initiatives.

Learning Disabilities 

I also had the chance to visit some of our fantastic services for adults with learning disabilities. I was shown around by the wonderful Julie Ray and met many talented and caring staff throughout the day.

The centres I visited, and the people I met, are making a real difference to people’s lives and their quality of life. It was truly heartwarming to meet staff who are so passionate about their roles, and to see service users enjoying our facilities.

When I visited Mornington Road, it was a great (and sunny!) day, made even more special by a guided tour from Stuart, a service user who proudly showed me around in his motorised wheelchair.

The 13 attractive supported living apartments are one of the latest additions to the council’s supported living accommodation. They help adults with learning difficulties and disabilities live as independently as possible, with access to tailored care and support.

Each flat is equipped with cutting-edge technology designed to assist with day-to-day living. This includes multi-sensors that monitor motion, presence, and sound levels - alerting staff if an occupant may need assistance. Doors, windows, blinds, lighting, heating, and temperature can all be remotely operated by the occupant, offering greater autonomy and comfort.

Residents each have their own front door, access to a garden and a communal lounge, and receive a highly personalised package of support and care.

All the facilities I visited were modern, well-maintained, and provided a range of person-centred services for people with high needs and complex requirements. The services are very well managed, with the vast majority rated Good or Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Here are some of the other services I visited:

  • Preston Day Centre: I met with Kelly Smith (Manager) to learn more about the service. Around 400 people across Lancashire attend 12 day centres. These services mainly support individuals who live at home with unpaid parent carers.
  • Preston Short Breaks Service: I also visited the Short Breaks Service and spoke with Kerrie Moir (Registered Manager). This service can accommodate six people. Across Lancashire, there are seven short break services (each with 4–6 beds), supporting around 400 people, many with complex health and social care needs.
  • Preston Supported Living Service: Finally, I met with Lisa Sanderson (Registered Manager). This service supports 52 people. Individuals live in their own homes under tenancy agreements with Registered Social Landlords and receive support from our staff to meet their needs and promote independent living. Across Lancashire, there are 10 schemes supporting around 300 adults in 120 tenancies.

Award winners

I want to take a moment to highlight some fantastic achievements, starting with a big congratulations to our Director of Public Health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi.

He’s been awarded the Faculty of Public Health’s Service Medal for 2025. This national award recognises his outstanding contributions to public health, particularly in his role as the Faculty Adviser for the North West.

It’s a well-earned honour and a proud moment for Lancashire.

You may have seen on Staff News that our Fostering Team won in the Innovation category at the LGC Awards. Well done to everyone involved.

I also want to congratulate our Refugee Integration Team, who were Highly Commended in the Large Team of the Year category.

The awards don’t end there. Congratulations to Faisal Rafiq, who won Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the 2025 Lancashire Apprenticeship Awards.

And finally, we received an award for our Tyre Safety work at the TyreSafe Awards. This recognised the hard work of colleagues in Fleet Services, Public and Integrated Transport Services, and Trading Standards, as well as everyone else who has played a part in making Lancashire’s roads safer.

Have a great week everyone.

Mark

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