Editing Lancashire (section)

==Governance==
{{Main|Lancashire County Council|Borough of Blackpool|Borough of Blackburn with Darwen|Lancashire Combined County Authority}}

===Local government===
[[File:Arms of Lancashire County Council.svg|thumb|The [[coat of arms]] of [[Lancashire County Council]]]]
The ceremonial county of Lancashire is divided into fourteen [[Local authority district|local government district]]s. 

The twelve districts of [[Burnley (borough)|Burnley]], [[Chorley (borough)|Chorley]], [[Fylde (borough)|Fylde]], [[Hyndburn]], [[City of Lancaster|Lancaster]], [[Borough of Pendle|Pendle]], [[City of Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], [[Ribble Valley]], [[Borough of Rossendale|Rossendale]], [[South Ribble]], [[West Lancashire]], and [[Borough of Wyre|Wyre]] are part of the two-tier [[non-metropolitan county]] of Lancashire, which is administered by [[Lancashire County Council]] and twelve district councils.<ref name="vob_lancs_divisions">[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10097848 Vision of Britain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235607/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10097848|date=30 September 2007}} – Divisions of Lancashire</ref><ref>[http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/lancashire_handbook/districts_of_lancashire/index.asp Lancashire County Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070415113304/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/lancashire_handbook/districts_of_lancashire/index.asp|date=15 April 2007}} – Lancashire districts</ref> The county council is based in [[County Hall, Preston|County Hall]] in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], and has 84 councillors.<ref>"Opening of the new Town-Hall at Preston". ''The Times''. 15 September 1882</ref> It has been controlled by [[Reform UK]] since the [[2025 Lancashire County Council election|2025 local election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Council |first=Lancashire County |title=Previous elections |url=https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/elections/previous-elections/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=Lancashire.gov.uk}}</ref> 

[[Borough of Blackpool|Blackpool]] and [[Blackburn with Darwen]] are [[Unitary Authority Area|unitary authority areas]], meaning their councils combine the functions of a district and county council. They were formed in 1996, before which each district was part of the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 July 1996 |title=The Lancashire (Boroughs of Blackburn and Blackpool) (Structural Change) Order 1996 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1868/part/II/made |website=legislation.gov.uk}}</ref> Both authorities currently have a majority Labour administration.

[[Lancashire County Council]], [[Blackpool Council]], and [[Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council]] collaborate through the [[Lancashire Combined County Authority]], which was established in February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-05 |title=New Combined County Authority is officially launched |url=https://news.lancashire.gov.uk/news/new-combined-county-authority-is-officially-launched |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Lancashire County Council |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[File:Lancashire County Hall, Preston.jpg|thumb|[[County Hall, Preston]]]]
The ceremonial county itself only has a minor administrative function, being the area to which the [[Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire]] is appointed; the [[shrieval county]] has the same boundaries and is the area to which the [[High Sheriff of Lancashire]] is appointed.

===Parliamentary constituencies===
{{see also|List of parliamentary constituencies in Lancashire}}

The ceremonial county is divided into sixteen [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituencies]] for the purpose of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary]] representation.
{| class=wikitable
|+ General Election 2019: Lancashire<ref name="BBCresults">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2019/results/england|title=Results of the 2019 General Election in England|work=BBC News}}</ref>
|-
! Conservative !! Labour !! Liberal Democrats !! Green !! Brexit Party !! Others !! ''Turnout''
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| '''331,000'''<br />−7,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 270,000<br />−92,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 37,000<br />+9,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 19,000<br />+10,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 16,000<br />+16,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 41,000<br />+39,000
| ''716,000''<br />−34,000
|}

{| class=wikitable
|+ Overall Number of Seats as of 2019
! Conservative !! Labour !! Liberal Democrats !! Green !! Brexit Party !! Others
|- style="text-align:center;"
|| '''11'''<br />+3
|| 4<br />−4
|| 0<br />—
|| 0<br />—
|| 0<br />—
|| 1 ([[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]])<br />+1
|}

===Duchy of Lancaster===
{{see also|History of Lancashire}}
The [[Duchy of Lancaster]], the private estate of the sovereign, exercises the right of [[the Crown]] in the County Palatine of Lancaster.<ref name="duchyoflancaster.co.uk">{{cite web |title=County Palatine |url=http://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/about-the-duchy/history/county-palatine/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713121602/http://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/about-the-duchy/history/county-palatine/ |archive-date=13 July 2017 |access-date=24 August 2015 |work=Duchy of Lancaster |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The most prominent effect of this is that the Duchy administers ''[[bona vacantia]]'' within the County Palatine, receiving the property of persons who die intestate and where the legal ownership cannot be ascertained.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bona Vacantia {{!}} Duchy of Lancaster |url=https://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/about-the-duchy/duties-of-the-duchy/bona-vacantia/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=duchyoflancaster.co.uk}}</ref> The county palatine boundaries remain the same as the [[Historic Counties of England|historic boundaries]], ignoring subsequent local government reforms.<ref>{{cite web |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 15 Jun 1992 |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1992-06-15/Writtens-2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120191520/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1992-06-15/Writtens-2.html |archive-date=20 November 2017 |access-date=2 September 2017 |work=parliament.uk |df=dmy-all}}</ref>