THE decision to deselect Conservative Cllr Margaret Edwards from her Scarisbrick seat has quite literally stunned fellow councillors and indeed everyone who takes an interest in the West Lancs political scene.
Even more sensational is her claim is that Tory Party bosses did it because she's "too old".
And to top it all, she's now preparing to run as an independent against the official Conservative candidate Andrew Fowler. Read the full story here.
It was quite clear when the candidate list was announced that something had gone on.
But what makes this such a shock is that she's one of the longest serving councillors. A former cabinet member and council chairman, she's held some of the highest positions in West Lancs.
However, that is all history and Cllr Edwards now faces the prospect of fighting an election as an independent in a strong Tory seat.
The last time she was elected, she has a majority of 342 but that was against just one other candidate from Labour. This time, there's four candidates in total (Lab, Con, Independent and Green) vying for the seat and that could mean a wider split.
However, and crucially, people like Cllr Edwards who have been in seats for a long time can sometimes have a very strong personal vote. But whether it will be enough to return her is the big question.
It's going to be an interesting fight.
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