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Cotterill on the Council

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council, The world beyond West Lancashire

  Iraq, Tanzania and mayoral imbalance

  07.26.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council

  VAT speech

  07.26.10 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Breaking News, Cotterill on the Council, Leisure and culture

  Swim spin

  07.07.10 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council, Leisure and culture

  Another day, another Tory failure: this times it’s football

  06.18.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council, Planning applications

  It’s confirmed: £125,000 going to waste under West Lancs Tories

  06.18.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Bickerstaffe Thoughts, Breaking News, Cotterill on the Council

  Road safety goes on hold under the Tories

  06.15.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  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 [...]

• Cotterill on the Council

  Borough for honours scandal quite likely to be totally made up, say experts

  06.14.10 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  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 [...]

• Being Labour, Bickerstaffe Thoughts, Cotterill on the Council

  Things Fall Apart tenfold under the Tories

  06.14.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  This is the text of my letter to the Environment Director at Lancashire County Council, setting out a concise list of ten issues on which I have raised and on which I am awaiting either feedback or promised action.
  It reflects my frustration at the apparently total inaction.  More importantly, it reflects a service which, under a Tory [...]

• Being Labour, Cotterill on the Council

  Shadow cabinet profile

  06.08.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  One thing I didn’t quite get round to doing before I went away was to announce the Shadow Cabinet for this coming  municipal year, although it was set out in the council papers for 19th May.
  Of course, the key change from those papers is brought by the untimely death of Terry Rice, whom I had [...]

• Breaking News, Cotterill on the Council

  West Lancs Tory Council in sex change Euro scandal shocker

  06.07.10 | Permalink | Comment?

  A major Anglo-French diplomatic incident was brewing today as news emerged of Conservative-controlled West Lancashire Borough Council’s ‘unorthodox’ approach to international relations.
  The incident was sparked by a ‘7 days’ email bulletin (28 May) to staff, councillors and – most provocatively of all - European colleagues. The email says
  I have received an e-mail from Madame Dominique Lefebvre President of our [...]

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• Eight years on, some good news
• Iraq, Tanzania and mayoral imbalance
• VAT speech
• Swim spin
• Knowsley Safari