IT SEEMS that a form of hyper-inflation now contaminates the already swollen sense of self-importance with which members of ruling Labour group on Blackburn with Darwen Council have become afflicted as the era of unitary status approaches.

For just as they have already decided that, as the elected stewards of the nascent fully-autonomous new local authority, councillors have become so important that they warrant a 1,000 per cent increase in allowances and perquisites ranging from mobile phones to free newspapers, now they have really got the bigness bug on the brain.

They are turning into noisome, power-mad bullies. They are suffering from the "We're in charge" syndrome.

And the insolent message from this bumptious bunch today is:" Shut up - we know best."

For, consumed yet again by the specious notion that, running a unitary council, they will have lots more and much more important things to do, they are re-writing the rule book to ensure they get their own way.

New gagging restrictions have been drafted to slash debate. And the voting powers of members are being altered, so that the minority parties will have even less of a chance to make recommendations or alterations to policy in the town hall committees. All this is being dressed up as a move to cut unnecessary cackle so that your new-style, big-city and much more important Labour councillor with a say - though not much of one at that, when the new-look council is now increasingly being steered by a five-person camarilla - can get on with the job.

And observe the scorn for the public which comes with this trampling on town hall democracy.

"It is an attempt to ensure we debate issues of significance and not why Mrs Smith's bin hasn't been emptied this week," says council leader Malcolm Doherty.

Well, if ever anyone was looking for a prime example of a speech made from a high horse, there is one for you. For we see Mrs Smith and Joe Public - the very people these puffed-up politicos purport to represent - sneered at as being insignificant.

Malcolm and his self-regarding mob must come down to earth sharpish and realise that Mrs Smith and her ilk are their bosses - and that they do not want their town run by Godfather sorts playing the big-shots at the expense of democracy and the concerns of ordinary people.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.