ALTHOUGH Labour cannot realistically lose power in Blackburn with Darwen, the local election campaign is set to be colourful. The Conservatives hope to make gains on May 6 in the hope of executing a long-term strategy of taking control of the all-purpose unitary council. The Liberal Democrats are concentrating on their power base in Darwen with just one candidate in Blackburn offering a third party alternative. Labour currently has 33 of the council s 51 wards with 17 up for election of which it won 11 the last time they were contested. The party was rocked by bitter resignation speeches by expelled former deputy leader Andy Kay and standards committee chair Saima Afzal at the last Council Forum in March so it is little surprise they are adopting a steady as she goes campaign strategy.
Blackburn with Darwen has colourful candidates to brighten pandemic poll lancashiretelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lancashiretelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
OPPOSITION councillors hit out at spending on ‘vanity’ projects such as Blackburn’s new cinema during a debate on a proposed rise in households’ council tax by at least £52.70 a year. The finance council at Blackburn with Darwen Council met on Monday night to discuss the plan which could see a 3.99 per cent tax rise imposed by the authority – 1.99 per cent for general services then two per cent ringfenced for adult social care. The council tax plan for the total 3.99 per cent rise was given the green light. The total council tax bill for Band A terraced homes which make up the majority of the borough’s housing stock will rise by £52.70 a year, or £1.01 a week, to £1,287.62 for the 12 months from April 1.
Anger over spending on Blackburn vanity projects as council tax rises thisislancashire.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisislancashire.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Gemma Bradley AN online petition calling for a breakaway from Blackburn with Darwen Council for Darwen has passed the halfway point of its goal of 5,000 signatures.
Darwen Town independence, on change.org, has been signed by 2,550 people but Dexit as it has become affectionately known in recent years has been on people’s minds for a lot longer. Almost as soon as Blackburn and Darwen merged in 1974, Darwen residents claimed that they were being ‘left behind’ and their wishes ignored. This most recent petition is at least the fourth in the past 20 years, often appearing after a new controversial decision by the borough council, such as recent planning applications for new houses to be built in Darwen in Pole Lane and Ellison Fold Way.