Preston City Council Labour Leader - Plungington and Preston Central West. UK Senior Fellow (Democracy Collaborative). Unite and Coop Party member. Changemaker.

Preston
Joined September 2012
This has been the toughest set of elections @prestonlabour has faced for decades and out of the 8 seats we defended we held half. All brilliant Labour women🌹. So gutted for comrades we lost caught up in forces outside their control which is no reflection on their hard work, talent and dedication. We remain the largest party by far with 22 seats out of 48 and I am confident our administration will continue with the radical zeal we are known for.
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Matthew Brown retweeted
This is an important and brave message from workers at Meta, where the CWU have members. If the allegations are true that big tech firms have been suppressing the voice of @LulaOficial and ignoring extreme right-wing disinformation, everyone who believes in fair play should be seriously concerned. American tech billionaires must not be allowed to interfere in democratic elections - the future of Brazil must be decided by the Brazilian people alone.
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Please stay safe everyone in this unsettling weather🙏. Some important advice and contact numbers from @prestoncouncil in the event of falling trees and blocked highways etc ⬇️.
Amber Weather Warning The wet and windy weather set to continue throughout the day and an Amber weather warning remains in place for Lancashire till 9pm tonight. /1
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Brazil votes on Sunday in an election that'll help shape the future of the world: fascism or social progress. I’ve joined 40 MPs & 10 union general secretaries warning against Trump’s interference in Brazil, which is a blatant attempt to stop Lula winning nocoupinbrazil.wordpress.com…
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Matthew Brown retweeted
Preston Reform Councillor ditches Brookfield after just 5 months…
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Preston's wages jump 10%+ in one year, ranking 6th out of 70 UK areas! 🚀 Critics dismiss the #PrestonModel but our choice to invest £120m in publicly owned city centre regeneration supporting local supply chains alongside fairer working practices and the Real Living Wage delivers real results.
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The big banks are leaving Preston and the North West behind! While mega-banks like Barclays boast £2.3bn in quarterly pre-tax profits, they have closed 75% of local branches over the last ten years and now 5,000 jobs are at risk. The system is broken. That is why at @prestonlabour we are supporting @MutualNorth as a member-owned, ethical regional cooperative bank to reopen community branches and back local families and businesses.
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Great news the Real Living Wage is rising substantially this year from £13.45 to £14.10 per hour. In 2012, we proudly became the first local authority outside London to achieve Living Wage accreditation, and we remain central to promoting it across our city. Once again, we will lead by example and implement this increase early for our own staff and within our contractual arrangements. This long-term commitment has already delivered pay rises to over 4,200 Preston workers - lifting a quarter of the city's lowest paid employees out of working poverty. While other political parties in #Preston previously opposed and even ridiculed this commitment, we rightly stayed the course. For us in @prestonlabour tackling poverty and reducing inequality is central to everything we do.
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We either challenge vested interests in #Preston's housing market or we risk it turning into something that resembles the wild west. That is why we are cracking down on the growth of private children’s homes (and HMO's) across our city. The current explosion of private care homes isn't working for children or the wider community. From now on, planning permission will only be granted if a clear local need can be demonstrated. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cknv…
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20 years ago 'Community Wealth Building' was coined by @DemocracyCollab to describe how we can build a new and fair economic model challenging decades of systemic failure. Twenty years on from Cleveland, Ohio to Preston, Scotland to Amsterdam, Canada to St Louis, South Korea to Ireland and New Zealand to East Poland, Community Wealth Building has become a fast growing and exciting movement to build the democratic economy. This new compendium of essays on the achievements of Community Wealth Building across the globe highlights progress with many brilliant contributions. I have been privileged to be involved for many years and have contributed a chapter on the #PrestonModel from Page 164. Read or download the full anthology: democracycollaborative.org/w…
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Matthew Brown retweeted
It was an honour to join Mark E Smith's sister Caroline, former Fall member Ed Blaney, Peter Hook and of course Mark Kennedy the amazing artist behind this work, to unveil a brand new mural celebrating the late Fall founder and frontman.
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For a second year, and as part of our £1m+ 2026/27 cost of living package, pensioners in Preston who receive Council Tax Support but not Pension Credits will receive £100 this winter. These are lower income residents who missed out on the £200 winter fuel payment in 2024/25 with over a thousand pensioners able to benefit. Further details available ⬇️:
Preston City Council Renews Financial Support For Vulnerable Pensioners Preston City Council is once again offering additional financial support to help vulnerable pensioners with the rising cost of living. preston.gov.uk/article/13883…
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Some brilliant news to support our artistic and creative sector. Our @prestonlabour council is providing £200,000 funding to a local not for profit to allow local artists to take up space in the city centre. This will be a great addition to our creative economy. blogpreston.co.uk/2026/10/ne…
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Matthew Brown retweeted
The trade union movement stands for equality, respect, and fairness for all workers. ✊❤️ This Friday, we encourage workers that can to wear red for #WearRedDay in support of @SRTRC_England. Let’s show that unity works and solidarity is our strength against racism.
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Matthew Brown retweeted
Communities benefit from £1.5m Labour cash investment…
NEWS: PROJECTS APPROVED FOR PRESTON’S PRIDE IN PLACE IMPACT FUND Following Cabinet meeting on 7 October, a list of projects to deliver improvements to our neighbourhoods & community assets has been approved utilising £1.5 million Pride in Place Capital funding for Preston. /1
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Our Global Lead for CWB @nmcinroy is currently in South Korea for a #CommunityWealthBuilding conference organized by Gwangmyeoung CIty and the @hope_institute "Much to learn for many other places (...) as they seek to rewire the economy," Neil said 📷3 courtesy Gwangmyeong City
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The winners of our food waste vehicle artwork competition and their families recently visited the Council's Argyll Road depot to see their designs brought to life before the vehicles head out across Preston, helping to promote food waste recycling and reduce waste.
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Out and about in #Plungington this weekend with several sessions to talk to residents and campaign for @prestonlabour across the city🌹.
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Matthew Brown retweeted
90 years since The Battle of Cable Street, we’re remembering the trade unionists long history of fighting fascism.
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Matthew Brown retweeted
I want to be honest about how we’ve got to a place where British billpayers are paying some of the highest energy costs in Europe. Over the past 40 years, we’ve given up control of our necessities, outsourced our essentials and privatised the basics. Water, transport, housing. And of course, energy. Now the public are paying the price. We haven’t invested in the infrastructure we need. Conflict overseas has pushed up energy costs and it’s hurting our businesses and families. That’s why we need to take back greater control of our energy system. This week, I announced Great British Grid, which will speed up connections and push down bills. We’re also giving mayors, local leaders and communities a stronger role. With funding for People’s Power projects, communities will be able to build solar panels on libraries and town halls, hydro schemes in rivers or publicly owned windfarms on local land. But it’s not just energy we need stronger public control over. It’s also water, housing, transport and care. So we’re repealing the ban on public ownership of water companies. We’re building more council homes than this country has seen since the end of World War Two. We’re reforming the leasehold system so families aren’t squeezed for every penny. And we’re opening up home ownership for first time buyers who can’t rely on the bank of mum and dad. This week I also announced my determination to introduce a National Care Service, to put people above profit and to give pensioners peace of mind. Together, we’ll rewire the country from top to bottom so that it works for all people in all places. That is the only way to put Britain back on the right path. It’s the only way to put power back in people’s hands. And it’s the only way we will bring hope again.
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