Lancashire County Council approves new priorities and extra £5m for highways improvements

Lancashire County Council has approved a new strategic plan for 2026/27 alongside an additional £5 million investment in highways maintenance as the authority looks to improve frontline services while preparing for future local government changes.

Cabinet members backed the council’s latest improvement framework, titled Building a Better Lancashire: Moving the Dial on our Priorities in 2026/27, which outlines the authority’s key focus areas for the coming financial year.

The programme builds on the council’s wider 2025–2030 strategy and is intended to direct resources towards areas where the authority believes it can deliver the greatest impact for residents amid increasing service demand and ongoing financial pressures.

The plan is centred around four core ambitions — Better Lives for All, Economic Ambition, Stronger Communities and Thinking Differently — with six priority areas identified for targeted action across the county.

Alongside the strategic plan, councillors also approved an extra £5 million of capital funding for highways maintenance, with the money being carried forward from the previous financial year.

The additional investment will primarily support surface dressing and road improvement works across key sections of Lancashire’s highway network as the council seeks to improve road conditions and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Council leader Stephen Atkinson said the authority had made significant progress over the past year in improving services and strengthening financial management but warned that major challenges still remained.

“Rising demand for services, financial pressures and preparation for Local Government Reorganisation mean we must stay focused on where we can make the biggest difference,” he said.

He added that the council’s latest investment programme aimed to deliver visible improvements residents would notice directly, including further upgrades to local roads and infrastructure.

The report also highlighted progress made across other council services during 2025/26, including improvements to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision, reductions in waiting lists for adult services and the creation of hundreds of additional specialist school places.

Lancashire County Council said it is also continuing to support wider economic growth through a £22 billion investment pipeline, which includes preparations linked to hosting part of the 2027 Tour de France route through the county.

The authority expects the event could generate more than £15 million in visitor spending for the local economy.

Cabinet members also reviewed the findings of a recent Corporate Peer Challenge carried out by the Local Government Association, which praised improvements in leadership, organisational culture and financial oversight while identifying further opportunities around data use, local delivery and long-term financial resilience.

The council said progress against its 2026/27 priorities will be monitored through ongoing governance and performance reporting throughout the year.