Power struggle

Chief executive, Steve Weaver, has welcomed the news of a referendum on a north-west regional assembly. If the public votes yes in the vote next year, local council boundaries could be radically re-drawn.

In a statement, Mr Weaver said the review, which is expected to lead to bigger councils, would: "produce local authority boundaries that best meet the needs of local people."

The Government announced plans this week for a vote on regional government for the north west.

If the assembly is created it will mean the end for Lancashire County Council. New look, unitary councils would then be created through a review, casting doubt on the ability of the relatively small Wyre and Fylde councils to remain independent.

Mr Weaver said on Monday: "We welcome moves to devolve power from central government and confirm that any reviews of boundaries, as a result of the assembly, would give the opportunity to produce local authority boundaries that best meet the needs of local people delivering higher quality services more cost effectively."

Mr Weaver said he would have preferred to see the assembly given more power, but added: "Having a regional assembly, one of who's key roles is regeneration, would clearly be a considerable boost in bringing together Blackpool's ambitious masterplan."

The council's head of corporate policy, Tony Williams, said the council had no firm ideas on what it would suggest to the boundaries commission, which is expected to begin its inquiry later this year.

Neighbours say they will fight any proposal to bring them under Blackpool's wing.

Wyre council leader, Cllr Alan Vincent, said: "Wyre Borough Council has made it plain that it opposes the very concept of the regional assembly.

"There is also cross party opposition to the proposed scrapping of Wyre Borough Council and Lancashire County Council and their replacement by a huge, faceless unitary authority. We would certainly oppose any change which would mean that part of Wyre's electorate would be taken within Blackpool's boundaries. There was a very clear message during the election campaign that residents of Wyre did not want to be within Blackpool borough.

"We believe the majority of people within Wyre want to stay in Wyre. It they had a second choice, if it is forced on them, they would prefer to merge with Fylde, which is a similar community. A big, rather run-down urban area is not where they want to be."

Ken Lee, Fylde Borough Council's chief executive, said: "The local populations of Fylde and Wyre have expressed that they would prefer not to form part of a greater Blackpool.

"However, Fylde and Wyre Borough Councils have developed an excellent rapport due to socio-economic and geographical similarities and we would be happy to continue working closely with them in the future."

The main opposition to the assembly comes from the county council. Conservative councillors called the move 'constitutional jiggery pokery' while the council's leader, Cllr Hazel Harding, says the new assembly's powers will not justify its costs.

WYRE will get a new MP in a bid to give the area fair representation in parliament. A new 'Wyre and Preston North' constituency, stretching from Poulton to Garstang and the suburbs of Preston will be created.

The shake-up will also see Joan Humble's Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency shrink, with Fleetwood paired with Lancaster to form a new constituency. Blackpool South will be unchanged while the Lea ward in Preston will be added to the Fylde constituency.

If the new boundaries are approved by parliament, they will be introduced by the next general election, due before 2006. If accepted, the Fleetwood and Poulton areas will find themselves in their third different constituency in a decade.

Do you think a super-council stretching across the Fylde coast would be a good idea? Do you support a regional assembly? Are you sick of finding yourself in a different parliamentary constituency every time you go to the polls? Write to Citizen letters, 13 Clifton St, Blackpool, FY1 1JD.