Conservatives in the Ribble Valley will oppose the proposed new East Lancashire  ‘Super Council’ dominated by Blackburn will destroy Ribble Valley’s precious identity and the outstanding record of by far the lowest council tax in Lancashire quality services delivered to residents.

Conservative Candidate for Wilpshire and Ramsgrave  and RVBC Spokesman and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Stuart Hirst  commented, ''We will campaign tirelessly to keep the Ribble Valley independent  and preserve the Borough's integrity.Yet again we’re seeing the Labour controlled councils in east Lancashire pushing hard to create an east Lancashire ‘Super Council’. It would be anything but super for Ribble valley. This monolithic entity would be dominated by labour controlled Blackburn and Burnley and would totally destroy Ribble Valley’s precious independent identity which Conservatives have worked so hard to preserve over many years."

Senior Labour politicians in East Lancashire have written to ministers to propose an East Lancashire Super Council to include  Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. This is roughly based  based on a proposal put forward by former Labour Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.  Local Conservatives have been approached and rejected this idea out of hand, will continue to oppose involvement in this new authority and fight to protect the independence of the Ribble Valley Borough Council from absorption by this larger authority. 

Conservative Candidate and Vice Chairman of the Health and Housing Committee at RVBC, Cllr Stella Brunskill commented, ''The result of  involvement in this Super Council will be that it will be  be highly inefficient when compared to the low tax and high service levels currently enjoyed by Ribble Valley residents.'' 

''There is little in common between the predominantly urban old  mill towns of East Lancashire and the rural Ribble Valley, the largest Borough geographically in Lancashire. The rural voice of the Ribble Valley will be lost and we will become the cash cow for urban Lancashire, our council tax will rise and large amounts of this tax will be spent outside the current Borough boundaries in East Lancs. We will lose control over important decisions  such as planning new homes, economic policy, the creation of new jobs, attraction of new businesses  and infrastructure. Our fewer local councillors will be outvoted by those from  Labour controlled areas.''

''Ribble Valley Conservatives  will fight to preserve the independence of the Ribble Valley Borough. We  recognise the need to cooperate with our neighbouring  local authorities but reject being dominated by them.''