Missed the council meeting as an assembly show this evening which was on in Skelmersdale… finally. Sadly the children weren’t well and I couldn’t make it, so I’m hoping to catch it on DVD as they did last year.

If it was anything like those over the past four years, it would have been a sycophantic back-patting exercise to say how good the council is, followed by the presentation of awards to kids from around the district. The latter being a ruse to make sure that some people attend who usually leave after the presentations.

In the distant past there was supposed to be a real consultative reason for these meetings, having strangled at birth the local area forums which play such an important role in neighbouring authorities. Instead it’s run as a Kilroy style show. It’s generally a waste of time.

This year’s stupid decision was to hold it at the investment centre. Sending a message to the people of Skem that they don’t want them to attend – there is no public transport to the building. Had I been able to get along I would have made the point, but I hope that others would have spoken out.

Despite the stupid location, the lack of consultation and the vacuous nature of the whole event, I sincerely hope that this year’s meeting was different. I hope that a cross-section of the community were there, that they had the opportunity to speak about their issues and I hope that the Tories will listen to what they say. Because shamefully it’s the only consultative forum in West Lancs.