IT IS, perhaps, a measure of some of our East Lancashire councillors' misguided view of their influence or importance that we see them trying to force on to the agenda issues that really have nothing to do with them and none at all with the jobs they were elected to do - to serve the people of their towns.

Yet, at Blackburn we have Labour members Maureen Bateson and Janice Parker proposing a debate tomorrow on the controversial comments that now-dumped England coach Glenn Hoddle made about the disabled.

And at Burnley tonight independent councillor Harry Brooks is putting forward a motion calling on the House of Lords to block the lowering of the age of homosexual consent to 16.

Both may be burning issues, but what have they got to do with local government?

Indeed, the fact that the Hoddle affair is being raised in Blackburn town hall at the same meeting that will discuss the possible closure of special schools and old folk's homes in the borough is an eloquent reminder of matters that are much more relevant to the community and to councils' oversight of them.

And Blackburn with Darwen's Tory leader is quite correct when he says the council has many more important things to consider - as the parents of children with special needs whose schools may shut would no doubt agree, along with relatives of the old people who face being uprooted from where they live.

These are the kind of burning issues that councillors should be confronting.

If our councillors have a concern for national affairs, they can lobby their MPs, write to the newspapers or spout on a radio phone-in as much as they like, but it is not part of their duty to play at being MPs or national commentators in the council chamber.

They should come down to earth.

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