Annual Town Meeting - Wednesday 13th May 2026

23rd of April, 2026

Your town, your opinions — come and have your say

Lytham's first Annual Town Meeting is taking place on Wednesday 13 May 2026 at the Lytham Institute. It's your chance to hear directly from your Town Council, ask questions, and help shape the future of the town.

Date: Wednesday 13th May 2026
Time: 6:30pm (Doors open from 6:15pm)
Venue: Lytham Institute, Clifton Street, Lytham
Open to: All registered electors of Lytham.

One year ago, Lytham got its own Town Council for the first time. Since then, your elected councillors have been busy — setting up the foundations of a new local institution, meeting regularly, establishing committees, undertaking environment & maintenance 'Patch walks', engaging with community groups, and beginning to invest in the things that matter to Lytham.

Now, for the very first time, they want to hear from you.

The Annual Town Meeting is a special occasion. It is not a council meeting — it is a meeting of you, the people of Lytham. Every registered elector has the right to attend, to speak, and to vote. It is democracy at its most local and most direct, and it only happens once a year.

"This is your meeting. We want to tell you what we've done in our first year — but more importantly, we want to listen."

What will happen on the night?

The meeting will be chaired by the Town Council's Chair for 2026/27, having just been elected the week before. It will run from 6:30pm, with the aim of finishing by 8:00pm. There will be a full report from the Chair on the Council's first year of operation and a summary of the Council's finances for 2025/26, including an overview of how your precept has been spent.

But the centrepiece of the evening is the open session — where you can ask questions, raise concerns, suggest ideas, and tell your councillors what matters most to you about life in Lytham.

What is on the agenda?

Welcome and introductions from the Chair
Chair's annual report - Lytham Town Council's first year
The Financial Overview of 2025/26
Community Grants - updates about the local groups we have supported
Your questions - your views. An open forum to all electors
Community priorities - What should we focus on for 2026/27... and beyond.

Why does it matter?

Lytham Town Council is still a young institution. The decisions made in the coming years — about how the precept is spent, what projects are pursued, which local issues the Council champions — will be shaped in part by conversations like the one on 13th May.

The Council is keen to develop a strategic plan, which is looking 3 to 5 years ahead - so your views are fundamentally important. We are preparing for the Local Government Reorganisation programme which will see changes to how local services are delivered across Fylde and Lancashire and the Council wishes to be ready for these changes.

This is not a rubber-stamping exercise. If electors at the Annual Town Meeting pass a resolution, it must be reported to and considered by the Full Council. Your voice at this meeting carries real weight.

And it is worth remembering: this is your money. Lytham residents pay a precept — a share of their council tax — directly to the Town Council. The Annual Town Meeting is one of the few moments in the year when you can look your elected representatives in the eye and ask: what have you done with it?

"The Annual Town Meeting only happens once a year. It's the one evening when every resident has an equal voice — and that's something worth turning up for."

Who can attend?

The Annual Town Meeting is open to all registered electors of Lytham — anyone on the electoral roll for the parish. If you're registered to vote in Lytham, you are welcome and encouraged to come.

Members of the public who are not on the electoral roll are also welcome to attend and observe, though only registered electors may speak and vote. The press are welcome to attend and report on the meeting.

How to get involved

No registration is needed — just turn up at the Lytham Institute from 6:15pm on Wednesday 13 May. Refreshments will be provided. You'll be asked to sign an attendance register on arrival. If you have a question you'd like to raise, you're welcome to submit it in advance to the Clerk at Clerk@lythamtowncouncil.gov.uk — or simply raise your hand on the night.

A note on what this meeting is — and isn't

The Annual Town Meeting is not the same as an ordinary Town Council meeting. It is a distinct legal gathering, held under the Local Government Act 1972, and it belongs to the electors of Lytham — not to the councillors. That is an important distinction, and one the Council takes seriously.

Think of it less like a public consultation and more like an annual general meeting of the whole community: a proper, structured, democratic forum where the Council is formally accountable to the people it serves.

Join us on Wednesday 13 May from 6:30pm at the Lytham Institute, 27 Clifton Street, Lytham FY8 5EP. Doors open 6:15pm. Refreshments provided.

The Annual Town Meeting is held under Schedule 12, Part III of the Local Government Act 1972. All registered electors of Lytham are entitled to attend, speak, and vote. For more information contact the Clerk at Clerk@lythamtowncouncil.gov.uk or visit www.lythamtowncouncil.gov.uk