THIS YEAR has seen the unfortunate deaths of two well known and well liked councillors, namely Bloomfield’s Mary Smith and Marton’s Jim Houldsworth, and the by-elections are on the way. Postal voting forms are being deposited through letterboxes this week for polling day on Thursday the 3rd of May. This article is the first of two ward roundups in advance of the forthcoming election.
WE KNEW it was coming.
SIMON BLACKBURN infamously promised to spend his entire ward budget on saving an under-utilized library in the run up to an election. Now, former Conservative leader Peter Callow is pledging his entire ward budget towards funding an under-used tram stop. But what election is he campaigning for?
THE GASJET wouldn’t even mention the Crystal Road farce whilst it was taking place, but lately they can’t stop writing about it. On the 23rd of January the Gasjet ran a story about a £4,500 investigation, initiated by Tory councillor Peter Callow, into Simon Blackburn’s expenses claims. In the face of claims that this money [...more]
WE HAVE all started projects which for whatever reason we have not been able to finish. It might be a DIY project where you bit off more than you could chew, or it could be a house redevelopment project where you ran out of money. Either way, we started off with good intentions, only for [...more]
I RECEIVED an email from KPMG just a few moments ago confirming that they have completed their enquiry into the Crystal Road debacle. The senior auditor who contacted me stated that the report is with Blackpool Council. They could even have had the report for ages. Regardless, we should expect to see the results very [...more]
THE LIVERPOOL firm that valued former councillor Ian Fowler’s property on Crystal Road at £180,000 as part of a bungled regeneration project has this week won a Compulsory Purchase Order which will see the remaining 25% of the Talbot Gateway/Central Business District land made available for council demolition squads.
IN AN attempt to shrug off the stigma attached to previous Conservative administrations, the party has launched a policy forum to which all members of the public are welcome. The aim is to discuss current and future ideas for making Blackpool better.