BLACKPOOL'S education chief is fighting for his electoral life.

Coun Eddie Collett, executive member for education, is believed to be appealing against his ward branch's decision earlier this month to de-select him as a Labour candidate in next May's council elections.

Coun Collett, who has won glowing praise from school heads, said this week: "I'm not despondent. I'm confident that things will work out right in the end."

He is not applying to stand in any other area, but his appeal will have to wait until the man who replaced him in Alexandra ward, Albert Winter, is back from an extended holiday - expected to last until just before Christmas.

Mr Winter, 78, is ward secretary and his wife, Dorothy, is chairman. They run a cafe and holiday flats in South Shore.

Coun Collett has been one of Alexandra's two councillors for eight-and-a-half years, during which he has missed only two ward meetings.

A conflict in the South Shore ward between members who want more cash spent on tourism and those who favour other priorities was believed to have been at the root of the deselection. The other sitting councillor, David Ferris, was reselected. Coun Collett, a family man in his 40s who works at Horizon Foods, is, ironically, election organiser for next May's poll.

"Come what may I'll be working my hardest to make sure we win those elections in Alexandra ward and all the others too," he said.

Peter Rawcliffe, head of Waterloo Primary School where Coun Collett is chair of governors, said: "He's worked extremely hard and extremely long for the council. He's always been a great supporter of our school and given a huge amount of energy to it and to the council.

"This is a crucial time for the future of education in Blackpool - the next year will decide its development for the next quarter-century.

"Having done so much to get us to our present position it would be a great shame if a newcomer had to come along and start from scratch, while Coun Collett's knowledge and the relationship he has built up with teachers and officials would be lost.

"I don't know anybody who's done more for Blackpool as a local education authority than Eddie Collett, with his relentless pressure to get the best for the children of the town.

"When Blackpool became an independent authority, many feared the council would take money out of education and put it into the Lights - that's not happened, and it would take someone of Eddie's ability to make sure it doesn't happen."

Even as it is, Blackpool Council spends £2.4m on the Lights, £2.1m of which comes from ratepayers.

Coun Mary Smith, chair of Blackpool Labour Local Government Committee, said an appeal would be heard either late this year or early next.

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