A COUNCIL deputy leader has defended its record on capital spending.

Cllr Phil Riley was responding to Liberal Democrat Cllr Roy Davies at Blackburn with Darwen borough's Council Forum meeting on Thursday.

Cllr Davies told him: "It's worrying this Labour council has such a bad track record for controlling the costs of capital projects."

He picked out three examples: Darwen Market which exceeded it £1.5million budget by £500,000; the new Blackburn bus station which overspent its predicted cost of £4.7m by £3.7m; and and overspend of £500,000 on the cost of Newfield special school.

Cllr Davies asked him:"What assurance can you give us that the council has got to grip with managing capital projects and that we do have scrutiny in place to actually keep it in line?"

Cllr Riley said the collapse into administration of the original bus station contractor left the council with little choice bit to engage a new one adding: "It turned out we were presented with rather more remedial work than we had anticipated."

On Darwen Market he said the overspend was to do additional work including the replacement of the railings around the Railway Road perimeter and a terra cotta entrance to the market hall.

He said: "I have gone to the trouble of discovering one or two projects which have come in on budget: the recent growth deal North Blackburn Brownhill roundabout/Little Harwood traffic lights came in on budget; the Furthergate growth development which was an enormous project came in on budget; the business fit out of Cathedral Square came into on budget; and of course the build of Shorey Bank came in on budget. In the main we bring things in on budget."