DO people care any more about their town, their village, their local community? Do they care who runs them?

Did people get angry back in 1972 and 1973 before all our local towns lost their councils or their status? Or did they get upset after it had all happened, too late to do anything about it?

People certainly were upset when Burnley lost its county borough status and became just another town among scores of others in a far-flung new county.

People in smaller places were certainly upset when their local town turned into just another ward of a much bigger area.

That was certainly true in Padiham and it did no good when one of the big-wigs on Burnley Council told Padiham people lobbying for better services that "they should realise that they're all in Burnley now!"

Nelson has never had the pre-eminence in Pendle that Burnley has in the new Burnley district (new in 1974 that is). But go to Barnoldswick and Earby and you still find people saying the same sort of things about Nelson that people in Padiham say about Burnley.

Having councils that are genuinely local is partly a matter of local knowledge and sensitivities. It's perhaps more about democracy - being able to elect councillors in reasonably small areas, having councillors for your community.

It's also the important matter of giving a community a real sense of civic identity.

So does it really matter if Prescott and Blair get their way and the "new" councils set up 30 years ago are swept away in another orgy of reorganisation on the basis of the plans put forward this week by the infamous Electoral Commission?

There is as yet little deep concern or anger in the street.

As in 1974 that may come afterwards if all of us in Pendle, Rossendale and the Ribble Valley have go to Burnley, or even to Preston, to sort out our drains, to lobby our councillors or even to see the mayor.