New Era In Local Democracy?

POLLING day this year will also see the creation of South Lathom Parish Council.

After years of battling, locals have been given the okay from Sectretary of State Ruth Kelly to create their own local layer of governance. The only snag is that, because of a boundary change, there will have to be an election for Newburgh Ward - even though there wasn't one due until 2010.

Buoyed on by this new layer of local government, the people of Skelmersdale are now campaiging to get their own Town Council.

And the signs are good. When I spoke to West Lancs District Council leader Geoff Roberts last month, he gave it a cautious welcome. Rosie Cooper MP is also onboard as well as the Labour leader Terry Rice.

There's even a public meeting taking place, organised by Skelmersdale Community Partnership (April 24 from 5pm at Digmoor Community Centre, Birleywood, for those who are interested).

In view of this, I doubt it will be very long before campaigners officially approach the council to ask them for a Town Council. Indeed, if WLDC has no objections, it could be up and running for 2009.

It's been 34 years since the old Skelmersdale & Holland Urban District Council disbanded - and many people in Skem are adamant that was the day the town started playing second fiddle to the likes of Ormskirk.

Of course, in Ormskirk folk reckon they are being overlooked in favour of Skelmersdale and Burscough. And in the villages, locals say they are overlooked by all three of them, so the council can never really win.

But I just wonder whether this impending proliferation of Town and Parish Councils (will Ormskirk get one as well?) means that we're slowly being prepared for a move towards one greater Lancashire authority.

Pundits have been predicting the collapse of two-tier systems (ie - county council and district council administering the same areas) for years now. But the reason they've always failed is because people just see the creation of an ever more remote authority. Let's face it, who in West Lancs would be happy for a wholesale shift of power to Preston?

However, if town and parish councils were in place, could they provide the sweetner for a bitter pill which, inevtiably, will have to be swallowed...?

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