Election Special 2007 1 May 2007
We look at the political landscape, review some of the runners and riders and dabble in the black art of forecasting results......

What a Load of Bankers 19 April 2007
We go interantional and look at the changes proposed for the IMF. How they are failing their mandate to provide a universal bank of last resort to ensure global economic stability, and how the changes will make it worse rather than better......

A Wing and A Prayer 19 April 2007
A plan for Blackpool Airport might be more than it seems. They could be hoping we're asleep as they try to slip an application past Fylde's Planners to turn green belt into industry.....

Miscellany - April 2007 16 April 2007
A multi-subject issue of counterbalance. We hope you find something palatable.....

Road Relief.. For Some 14 April 2007
Fleetwood's relief road to the Motorway gets a step nearer as the Yellow route moves up a notch and becomes 'the people's choice'. (or so they tell us)......

Pre Election Review 10 April 2007
As the campaigning moves into gear, we look at some of the candidates standing for Fylde Council in the May elections What's their background, and what's the result going to be?.....

Sold Down the River 7 April 2007
Preston City Council wants to dam the Ribble and sell off land for 4000 homes on the floodplain to prove its civic manhood. What's going on?.....

City Sickers 14 March 2007
The City of the Fylde is on its way now the Commissar is supporting joint working with Blackpool. Fylde's Independent councillors are concerned. So are we.......

Any Play Dough? 07/082 March 2007
Fylde Council approves the Politburo's budget for 2007/08. Everyone wants playground equipment but no one gets extra. Queen Elizabeth says it is a "Fur coat and no knickers budget".......

Flagging Support 26 February 2007
The Commissar's plan to raise his profile before the election and strike a blow against political correctness with St George's flag backfires.......

Cabinet Budget 07/08 23 February 2007
The Commissar's draft budget is debated by the Politburo in preparation for a nod through at the next Council meeting. What stayed in and what went out?.......

Declaration of Independents 17 February 2007
Fylde's Ratepayer and Independent councillors join forces to launch a new group, and they call for independently minded people to join them......

The Eyes Have It 12 February 2007
A wonderful new website you must visit. The Politburo are transported to safeguard Middle Earth (Watch carefully - no doubt they'll introduce the Cabinet system there!)......

Who's Bidding?11 February 2007
Fylde's planners want to bid farewell to the design for St Annes latest auction house when they can't even get it right themselves.......

Doing the Business 10 February 2007
FBC goes into business - what's behind this move and is it going to cost us more. We look at the possibilities and the threat (or promise?) of fines in the future.....

Estimating for 2007/08 8 February 2007
Shocks are in store for Fylde's taxpayers if the budget plans are approved next week. 'Double taxation' is in the way - if the Commissar can get away with it.....

The Great January Sale? 3 February 2007
A secret, four page list of saleable assets has been put together for the Cabinet Politburo. Consultants are valuing the land as you read this. Are they are planning to sell off your park?.......

ASBO or Anarchy? 2 February 2007
Our friend Howard Clemmow wonders where we are being taken for a joy-ride, and treats you to a personal perspective that counterbalance just couldn't miss.....

Listening Day 2006 28 January 2007
Results of FBC's day spent listening to what we think. We're less happy than before, but don't expect anything to change.......

Weaving the Rules 8 December 2006
Should our police be striking deals with offenders? Is it their job to 'interpret' the law? Can we now dispense with courts and judges?.....

Prophet and Loss 7 December 2006
FBC's medium term financial strategy creates a half a million pound slush fund to iron out all those little imperfections......

Have They No Scruples? 29 November 2006
Lythamites are getting restless again because FBC is planning to liquidise more than their assets on Lytham Esplanade......

Ashton's Gardens? 14 November 2006
Get the lowdown on Fylde Council's plans for Ashton Gardens. Is it to be a Garden or an outdoor Leisure Centre? See the plans as they change once more, "before your very eyes".

Red and Yellow and ....... 23 October 2006
A new road is to link Fleetwood to the M55, We assess which route is likely to be chosen and look at the implications for local people......

Budget Busting Bus Blues 12 October 2006
He started with £486k. He snaffled £205k, now he's going to spend £550k. Find out why the Commissar can't even manage his bus tickets.....

Even More Equitable 9 October 2006
See the last ditch bid to save the discredited "Equitable Taxation" scheme that would cost all of us more, and mean Elswick villagers paying £79 a year more than other Fylde taxpayers.....

Winning the Pools 29 September 2006
Plans to privatise Kirkham Baths and St Annes Swimming Pool are afoot. The Commissar admits managerial incompetence and wants to hand them over to the private sector.....

Flight of Fancy 26 July 2006
What's been happening at the Airport? See plans to increase traffic by up to 1000%. Do more flights mean more noise? What is Fylde Council doing to protect the green belt. .....

Greater Expectations 25 July 2006
Fylde Council votes itself a pay award and the Conservatives refuse to allow a record of which way they voted on the matter .....

Candyfloss to Casinos 25 July 2006
Get the low-down on Re:Blackpool, the company appointed to deliver the Masterplan. Will the Masterplan work? What is the aim of it all? What happens if we don't get the Super Casino? Is there a "Plan B".....

Snapshot of Fylde Council: 25 July 2006
What are the dynamics of Fylde Council today? Who is in and who is out? Who's doing well and who isn't? See our pen picture of their meeting at Fylde Rugby Club at Ansdell .....

St. Barbara Goes Solo 22 July 2006
Barbara Pagett, suspended for voting against the party line, has quit the Conservative group on Fylde Council, and in future will be independent of the Tory whip....

Salting it Away 30 June 2006
Find out how Commissar John Coombes has salted away just over three quarters of a million pounds into special reserves. This gives him a 'back-pocket' of cash outside the normal revenue and capital accounts..

Fylde's Accounts 2005-2006 28 June 2006
See what the Commissar has been wasting your money on. He went from a projected deficit of £700,000 to an underspend of £339,000 in just four months, and he expects us to trust what he says .....

Hostelry, History, Mystery 19 June 2006
A triplet piece including redevelopment plans for a wine bar, a new history of St Anne's, and a parking mystery in Blackpool.

Citizens Advice Bureau is Fired 16 June 2006
The Commissar succeeds in closing one of the most cost effective advice and debt counselling services in Fylde. Maybe he wants the building for himself.....

Obituary Alderman Eileen Hall JP 14 June 2006
We pay tribute to, and to mourn the passing of, a truly great Fylde Councillor.

Missing the Point? 4 June 2006
The current knife 'amnesty' catches our attention. We pronounce it a PR stunt with propaganda overtones to subliminally soften the nation up ready for a complete ban on 'non-domestic' knives and a new law outlawing the purchase of any knife from an unlicensed knife supplier.......

Aldi - What's in Store? 2 June 2006
Another building of character faces demolition as Aldi, the budget supermarket buys the Conservative Club and plans a new store and apartments. What will it look like, and what does it mean for St Anne's future?

Flying a Kite 31 March 2006
Fylde Council fails the tourism industry, fails its recreational mandate and hides its incompetence behind a ban on kite flying. More importantly, it demonstrates that concentrating power into the hands of a few politburo cabinet members is likely to cause this sort of problem again and again.

Fares Fair? 23 March 2006
We accused Commissar Coombes of snaffling £205,000 that should have been for OAP free bus passes, to cover up his overspending elsewhere. Dick Turpin rides again........

Long Live the King 31 March 2006
The Council decides on an internal appointment for a new Chief Executive and management team. Who is in the frame, and what does it mean for Fylde.

Moving the Goalposts 23 March 2006
Kensington and Fylde Council are preparing the ground to sell off Blackpool Road North Playing Fields for housing, and develop a new playing field on the Airport........

Town Hall is Reprieved 22 March 2006
Fylde Council find the road to Damascus through a labyrinth of Affordable Housing....

Area Forum for Lytham? 6 March 2006
Fylde Councilors meet the great and good of Lytham as part of its plan to create an Area Committee for Lytham. Get the lowdown on what you're not being told by others.

WyldeFyre on the Cards 5 March 2006
Fylde and Wyre are to form a joint working committee, and Local Government in our area might soon be re-organised again. What does it all mean?

Citizens Advice ? 2 March 2006
With reserves of £4.8 million, Fylde Council chops £36,800 from the Citizen's Advice funding.

We're in the Money 28 February 2006
After crying wolf again, the Commissar says he is £700k short. What he didn't say is that he's hanging onto the £2 million he paid in to his special reserve accounts this year, and to the £846k in his general reserve. Oh yes, he and also nicked £205k from pensioners bus pass money.

Last Rites for Democracy 28 February 2006
Fylde's last gasp for the oxygen of democracy is suffocated by Commissar Coombes and his merry band.

First Politburo Meeting 15 February 2006
Learn about "Blue Peter" decisions, the gagging of your elected Councillors, and the £4 million Fylde has squirreled away in its reserves this year!

Who's in the Politburo 14 February 2006
The Commissar has chosen his Politburo Cabinet. Find our who's in and who's out........

The Cabinet is Formed 13 February 2006
Fylde Council loses the will to exist and accedes to John Coombes installation as Commissar Leader. Next he will choose his Politburo to run the Borough........

Chief Exec Departs 23 November 2005
Fylde's Chief Executive Officer suddenly retires early. Reports say he didn't want to go. What does this mean for Fylde and how long can Commissar Coombes last now

Equitable - It's not 1 November 2005
Fylde Council's Conservative group is outvoted and common sense prevails on the plan o tax us twice. Star performer Councillor John Bennett says "for every £1 we draw in, we are spending £1.10, and this is just a con trick to let us spend £1.15"

State of the Borough 26 October 2005
Fylde hosts a 'State of the Borough' focus group event. They take up 85% of the time spouting propeganda, and allow a limited series of predetermined answers to preordianed questions. Listening was never easier..........

Another Equitable Scandal 24 October 2005
Fylde Council tries once again to persuade Town and Parish Councils to become accessories before the fact in their tax hike con.

Say NO Protest at Lowther 18 October 2005
Fylde Council feel the pressure of people power and refuse permission for Kensington developments on several sites in Lytham.

Double Your Money 7 October 2005
An independent report recommends that Council Leader John (The Commissar) Coombes is to get a 100% increase in pay from you. "Because he's worth it"........

The Commissar Strikes 7 October 2005
An fist of iron, a heart of steel, and a brain of lead, Commissar Coombes cracks the whip in more ways than one. Collateral damage hits those trying to protect democracy and represent their electorate, and the Truly Independents look as though they're anything but.

Death of Democracy 6 October 2005
John Coombes and Simon Renwick lead their troops into the wilderness and us up the garden path. Not content with selling off our heritage, now he's really lost the plot and killed off almost all semblance of democracy.

Town Hall Mk 2. 6 October 2005
Thwarted by not being able to use Lowther Pavilion for Council meetings, the minions have been scurrying in the background to whip up some new plans to asset strip St Annes. Discussed in secret, the plans will cause a storm of protest. It has started already. Get the lowdown inside.

Licence for Anything 5 October 2005
The all new independent licensing committee takes heed of public opinion and compromises on opening hours for the nightclubs. What joy, now it is only the same nights as usual that will be ruined.

Lowther is Charity Case3 October 2005.
Councillors get all petulant when their unlawful plans are spoiled. The big unanswered question is how much of our money they wasted on abortive preparation.

Town Hall Demolition Plan25 September 2005
John Coombes has a 'defining moment'. Right on, biker!

Planning to influence? 10 September 2005
Frightened of being influenced by hearing public opinion, John Coombes blasts his own planning committee for making "wrong decisions" on part of Kensington' s Disneyland Dream for Lytham. He says the have to lighten up. What was that about prejudicial influence?

Shifting Expenses 4 August 2005
Having planned the asset stripping of St Annes, John Coombes is now looking for ways to sidestep capping laws so he can extract more taxes from us.

Cooking the Books?31 July 2005
Fresh from the mauling over the external auditors report, Fylde's accounts for April 2004 to March 2005 are finalised. John Coombes headlines a 'loss' of £0.5 million, but at the same time, he quietly had £1.1 million paid into some 'Special Reserve' accounts - several of which were only created this year

Lytham Quays 5 July 2005
Kensington's unpopular plan for redeveloping a large part of Lytham's frontage on the river estuary will have far reaching consequences and a disastrous affect on the character of Lytham .

Council Funding 3 March 2004
A briefing note originally prepared for the St Annes Town Council Steering Group explaining how Councils are funded, and how Fylde is hoping to sidestep regulations to charge us more.

Nightclubs Should Pay 19 February 2004
A paper that argues the case for making nightclubs pay for policing costs associated with their activities. Originally prepared for Government and the Police, it was favourably received and has resulted in action.