LANCASHIRE Day is being declared next month by campaigners who want the "real" Lancashire restored.

Good for them. And let us all give them support on November 27.

For the shrinking of Lancashire was not supposed to happen when local government was shaken up in 1974.

But power-hungry and egocentric new councils in fake territories created by the changes - Greater Manchester, Cumbria and so forth - were eager to draw new boundaries and erode historic Lancashire.

They had no right.

It's time to redress the balance.

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