At last week’s Council meeting it was agreed that Cllr Baldock should be the deputy Mayor of the new West Lancs Borough. Reported in the Southport Visitor he says:

As a North Meols councillor I have not seen many other wards in the district. In my new role I am looking forward to meeting more people from different parts of the area.

I’m sure he’s delighted to be the first deputy Mayor, but to state publically that in ten years as a Council member, a regular member of the planning committee and three years as cabinet member for waste management, he hasn’t seen many other wards in the district is disgraceful.

It’s no surprise though, because week after week, I would despair at Tory councillors who had no idea what was going on outside their own patch. This lack of understanding is why Skelmersdale is left misunderstood and ignored by the Tories and why parts of Ormskirk are left under-represented with semi-detached rural councillors with safe Ormskirk Tory seats.

This narrow-minded parochialism, particularly from an ex-cabinet member, should be alarming to all in West Lancs who want the district to be prosperous and successful.

I welcome the fact that Cllr Baldock is finally getting his head out of the sand, but it stinks that he’s needs the gold chain around his neck to do it.