One of the mild amusements at last week’s Full Council meeting came when the Tory Mayor allowed a Tory councillor time to develop an analogy gleaned from his working life. 
This was about how he once went to Iraq, and how his experience of Sunni and Shi’ite divisions reminded him of his current experience of the Labour and Tory [...]

Below is a transcript of my speech to Full Council last week about the Coalition VAT hike, plus my summing up at the end of the debate.
The only things of note about it all is that I was so sure of the Tories’ response, and the kind of amendment they would put on the night [...]

It look like I’ll have to publish the Tory Council statement on the decision to end free swimming for Over 60s at the end of July.  
Here it is, dated 29th June:
“West Lancashire Community Leisure Trust, in partnership with the Council, currently provides free swimming for the over 60s with a grant from Central Government covering [...]

I received the above leaflet through my letterbox yesterday (click on thumbnail)
So I sent the following email to Customer Services:
 

Dear Sir/Madam
I received your Chief Executive’s ‘interim budget update’ A5 flyer today through my door.
It’s very informative, but, alas, totally irrelevant to me as I live 1.5 miles over the Lancashire border.
I am at 2 Moss [...]

Here’s my press release about the news that the speed limits and safety measures across Bickerstaffe ward are being held up by the Tories’s ridiculous decision to halt ALL capital spending.  It speaks for itself.

A Labour councillor has reacted angrily to the decision by the Conservative administration at Lancashire County Council to put on hold [...]

The Skelmersdale Advertiser this week carries the story of organisers of a new U16 and U18 boys’ football league being denied the chance to get it going because the Tory council won’t give them pitch space.  As one of the organiser says:
I think it’s despicable that 16-year-old lads from Skelmersdale can’t play football in their [...]

Further to this post the Tories’ shocking disregard for anything to do with taking responsibility for anything at all has been confirmed with the appearance of the most recent (July – Oct 2010) Key Decision Forward Plan.
This is where the administration is supposed to set out what its main decisions will be over the next four month [...]

There was an interesting little piece in last week’s Ormskirk Champion about a Sefton councillor’s petition about the reinstatement of the Burscough Curves. 
As far as I can see it’s not online, but the original article about it from November 2009 is here, and gives the background:
Cllr Sumner launched the petition on the Downing Street website [...]

I’ve just had written confirmation in from the County Council that the various speed limiting and safety scheme measures approved for Bickerstaffe, including the 30mph limit past the school that we’ve been campainging about for years now, are officially on hold until after the ConDem ‘emergency’ (for which read politically opportunist because there is no emergency) budget on [...]

I would normally be amongst the first to congratulate the West Lancashire Borough Council Chief Executive on the following announcement:
MBE : William John Taylor. Chief executive, West Lancashire District Council. For services to Local Government. (Rufford, Lancashire)
After all, Mr Taylor has carried out his duties, despite having to cope with an appalling Tory administration for [...]