Andy Mitchell from Radio Wave

As I said last week, this wasn’t about Brexit, it was about local issues and how our local neighbourhoods are run, and by and large, as predicted, that’s what we got here on the coast.

Here in Blackpool, as usual, after much campaigning, posturing and ranting (mainly on Facebook), things settled to the point where those who actually bother about their town, turned out to vote.

Now I mention this because, whilst a 29 per cent turn out isn’t exactly the best to be expected in any election, those 29 per cent were passionate enough about putting their X in the box on the ballot paper and sticking to their guns in the grim light of day, hours after the Facebook mob had moved on from threatening the end of the world, from the end of the living room.

We can honestly say in Blackpool, these were the 29 per cent who mattered - so thank you. Even those who contributed by drawing a willy in their chosen box on the ballot paper, may have, in fact, found their willy counted as a vote. Yes even the Second Form had a say!

This was the year of the Independents as acrimony among established party faithfuls gave way to hostile takeovers.

Looking around town, the biggest shocks were in Norbreck where veterans the Callows unseated their Conservative rivals to retake their own seats in the ward after they’d been deselected. Former Labour Councillor and current Mayor Gary Coleman unseated the Council Leader’s running mate in Brunswick. Oh yes politics can be a messy business, and yet still surprises the most hardened campaigner.

Good old Lily (pictured) is back at Highfield, at the age of 92... her son David, as Leader of Wyre also regaining his seat. At the other end of the age scale...new faces.. welcome Councillor Callum Baxter, in his 20s and joining Wyre Council.

So the message this time was simple, if you were slamming the council for not doing things your way, and then didn’t bother to turn out to make your view known in the only way it could be counted, there’s four years now to wait until you can.