 Party politics played a limited role in Lancashire politics at the time, and would remain limited until the First World War.As a result, the election saw limited competition, with only 38.1% of divisions contested, in contrast to the 56.3% average across England & Wales in the 1889 local elections.The limited role of party politics was also seen in the composition of the council leadership, with the first county Chairman being a Liberal, whilst his Vice-Chairman, C. R. Jackson, was a Conservative.