A DOUBLE leaflet dispute has broken out on the Blackburn with Darwen local election campaign trail.

Tory boss Cllr John Slater has accused Labour of misleading voters by claiming in its campaign literature that it has ‘reintroduced free leisure access for every resident’.

Labour’s campaign boss Cllr Damian Talbot has hit back by highlighting Conservative party leaflets in Darwen promising to invest in the town’s parks ‘by redirecting the money that the council currently spends on parks in Blackburn’.

He said: “The council has a clear policy to ensure that every park gets its fair share of resource based on size and facilities.

“It is greatly concerning that Conservatives in Darwen want to take money out of a number of our parks in order to invest in others.

“I also find it particularly strange that Blackburn Conservative councillors and candidates would have agreed to a policy that takes resources away from so many residents.”

Cllr Slater replied: “In that case why is his department asking Darwen Town Council, for which the people of Darwen pay a precept or additional rate, to fund the parks in the town when they already pay council tax to the borough.

“In effect they are paying twice for a service Blackburn residents are only paying once for.

“Blackburn has three wonderful large parks towards which the funding is skewed.

Cllr Slater said of the free leisure promise in Labour’s leaflets “I’m glad to see that once again Labour has pinched one of our flagship policies.

“But I am gravely concerned that they are misleading the people of the borough by indicating it is free leisure for anybody at any time when it is not the case.

“I believe it is an hour or so a week at set times.”

Cllr Talbot said: “Cllr Slater’s comment is absolute rubbish.

“There are several hours as free sessions a week at Blackburn and Darwen leisure centres and at Witton Park areas.

“This sour grapes from Cllr Slater. The Tories have proposed one hour’s free swimming a week for children and our policy is far more generous to residents of all ages.

“Nowhere does it say free at all times. It says free to all residents which is true.”