THEY'VE had four different leaders since 2009 and have increased their council tax twice in the past three years.

But the leader of East Hampshire District Council is convinced that his authority is standing on "the threshold of a dream".

Ferris Cowper had a Martin Luther King moment last Thursday when he presented the 2014-15 budget to councillors.

His grandiose vision for the authority includes a desire not to rely on central government funding and a five-year freeze on council tax. He also claimed in a speech full of sweeping statements that EHDC was well on the way to becoming the most innovative council in Britain.

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.