Preston East is another six-way fight with the five major parties fielding candidates in the division – along with a trade unionist candidate.

The seat is currently held by Labour with a fairly slim majority of 359 – the smallest Labour majority in any of their Preston divisions.

Anna Hindle – who is the incumbent candidate, has held the seat since 2021 and is also a cabinet member on Preston City Council with the arts and culture brief.

Veteran Tory Keith Sedgewick is standing against her as is controversy-courting Reform candidate Luke Parker who has been ticked-off for illegal fly-posting, got into a row over attending egg rolling and been accused of spreading misinformation about Finney House’s future.

Whoever wins will represent the area as a county councillor within Lancashire County Council – one of 84 across the county.

Where is Preston East?

The division includes nearly all of Ribbleton, the Red Scar area and then up into parts of Fulwood to the north of Andertons Way. You can use this tool on the Lancashire County Council website to see where your voting division is in the LCC elections.

Who are the candidates?

We asked each candidate to complete the following three questions – so you can see more about them, why they are standing and what they believe in. They appear in alphabetical order.

Edward Craven (Liberal Democrats)

Tell us about yourself

I moved to Preston in 2015 with my wife and we are proud to be raising our two young children here. I’ve worked for the NHS for 17 years and have campaigned with the Local Liberal Democrats for the last 10 years.

Why are you standing?

As a parent and an NHS worker I’m deeply let down by the Conservatives at Lancashire County Council and Labour in the City Council. The endless delays in building our much-needed new schools, and in increasing hospital services are unacceptable. The Liberal Democrats are fighting for all of us in our local area. I know that I have the local knowledge and passion for our priorities that will serve our community on the County Council.

Why should people vote for you?

The Preston & Wyre Liberal Democrats work hard all year round for residents and I’m proud to be a part of that. If I am elected, I will be a voice for residents in my local area.

Geoffrey Fielden (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)

Tell us about yourself

I’m 36, born in Preston and have lived in Chorley for most of my life. I now live in Clayton Brook, Preston. I have a daughter and currently work full time. I spent nearly five years in the military coming out in 2013 with the budget cuts. I now work in flood protection in the North of Lancashire. I support PNE and try and go to Deepdale when I can. I used to run a football team and I also used to play rugby for Chorley. I now spend my free time playing bowls and trying to kick box.
Why are you standing?

Why are you standing?

I am standing in these elections to represent a party I strongly believe in. To bring to light a party that represents the working class people and trade unions like Labour used to do and do not any more.

I also believe that by standing I can bring a new perspective to Preston council and an ear that is willing to listen to the people of Preston.

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for me because I promise to be honest, not give a political answer to honest questions and I will do my best to do what will benefit the area. I believe in the ideologies that the trade unions stand for.

I stand to fight the cuts that both Labour and the Conservatives have forced upon our communities. I also want to save the NHS that Reform, Tories and Labour want to sell off.

Anna Hindle (Labour)

Tell us about yourself

I am caring and have experienced great highs and lows in life which makes me good at understanding other people’s issues and empathising. I have acted as a voice for others in the past when I was a volunteer for a Dyslexia charity where we helped families to provide assessments for their children and provide information and support. I have brought these skills into the councillor role.

During the last four years I have set up the Community PACT meetings and helped re-open the Hub on Grange Park. We are working together with neighbourhood Police and finally have an effective plan to tackle anti-social motorbikes which we are excited about, and feel will really help residents.

Why are you standing?

My experiences have given me a desire to improve peoples’ life chances wherever possible. I would like carry-on with the work I’ve started and to continue listening and helping residents with their issues.

I have an interest in nature so care about the green spaces in Preston East, but also the need for play equipment. For example, we are planning a new playground for Brookfield Park and will soon have a 5 a side football pitch in Grange Park.

In my Councillor role I have made positive changes to many peoples lives, such as, assisting with housing problems and School special educational needs issues to name just a few.

Why should people vote for you?

I treat my role very seriously and I’m passionate about community engagement and effective action. I’ve never been a career politician, but I am a community champion. This means I listen to the needs of the community, as they are the experts on local issues. I like to work collaboratively with other organisations and residents to set up meetings and address local issues to look at possible solutions together.

I have found this an effective way of working on issues such as flooding and inconsiderate and dangerous parking. I have gained so much knowledge of local government in the last four years making me an effective advocate for my constituents.

Luke Parker (Reform)

Tell us about yourself

I’m a family man and a small business owner. I’ve lived the real pressures people in Preston face from rising costs to trying to raise a child while navigating a system stacked against working people. I’ve built a business almost from scratch and understand the responsibility of delivering results. I’m not a career politician, I’m someone who gets things done, speaks straight, and doesn’t back down when something needs fixing.

Why are you standing?

Because I’m sick of watching as people are being ignored. Crime is through the roof, antisocial behaviour is everywhere, and the people in charge offer silence or excuses. I’m standing because it’s time someone rolled their sleeves up and started sorting things out. I’m here for action, not applause. I want to bring common sense and urgency into local politics and fight for the people who are fed up with being let down. If something’s broken, I’ll fix it. It’s that simple.

Why should people vote for you?

Because I’ll say what others won’t and do what others don’t. I’m not here to climb ladders or impress the party bosses. I’m here to fight for Preston East, hold people to account, and make sure voices are finally heard. I’ll push for safer streets, lower taxes, and real support for working people and small businesses. If you want someone who’ll turn up, speak up, and get stuck in then vote for me on May 1st. Let’s fix Preston. Together.

John Ross (Green)

Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to find any way to contact John Ross. We’ve made contact with Preston Greens, the agent for the Greens in Preston and other Green candidates but we’ve not heard from Mr Ross. We’ll add his responses in if he responds.

Keith Sedgewick (Conservative)

Tell us about yourself

Born in Slough, Bucks (now Berks) into a military family. When old enough I joined the RAF as a Boy Entrant and after completion of training served in the UK, Germany, the USA and Canada. Post military, we (as a family) moved from Lincolnshire to Fulwood, Preston – to a house we still occupy. then employed by BAE SYSTEMS, Warton until retirement intervened. BAE supported me after my election to PCC Ashton Ward where I served as Councillor, Executive member and ultimately had the great honour of serving as the Mayor of Preston. The seat was lost the following year due to a political swing. I also served as a pre-boundary change Councillor for Sharoe Green Ward and further elected as the LCC County Councillor representing the Preston North East Division – subsequently regrouped as the Preston East Division, as per this election.

Why are you standing?

Frustration largely – created by lack of any visible progress on known problems and lack of a ‘listening ear’ regarding ‘new’ ones. Visibility is essential and I would be quite prepared to ‘Walk the Streets’ to hear of residents’ problem(s), many of which have been worsening for a considerable amount of time, and to work with them and liaise with key authoritative figures ultimately to achieve a satisfactory outcome beneficial to all.

Why should people vote for you?

I reside in the LCC Division of Preston East and offer experience gained from living in the division and having undertaken similar work prior to this with both PCC and LCC, and the ability to work with both residents and authorities towards a practical solution to benefit all parties.

When is the vote?

The local elections take place on Thursday 1 May with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm.

We will then have full coverage of the local election results as the counting takes place on Friday 2 May. We should expect to know the overall outcome by Friday afternoon.

I’m not in Preston or South Ribble…

You can see the full list of candidates for each area on the county council website. You can also see our breakdown of the candidates for Wyre, Fylde, Ribble Valley and Chorley.

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