A COLLECTION of councillors and members of the public will meet for the first time next week to decide how thousands of pounds should be spent in Darwen.

The lineup for Darwen’s new Neighbourhood Board has been finalised, with its first meeting on Tuesday at Derwent Hall.

The board will be given £50,000 to spend on local projects, which could increase to £100,000.

Lib Dems Roy Davies and Karimeh Foster, For Darwen councillors Trevor Maxfield and Andrew Graham and Tory Julie Slater will sit on the board, and Labour member Dave Hollings - although not on the first agenda - insisted he would also be included.

The community representatives, who have been chosen by a selection panel after applying for the position, include market trader Eileen Guy, Darwen Gala organiser John Sturgess and ex youth MP Matthew Worden.

The issue of Neighbourhood Boards - which will be set up throughout the borough - has been a thorny one in Darwen in light of the proposed town council to be set up next year.

Earlier this year a split between the For Darwen Party, which campaigned for a town council but opposed Neighbourhood Boards, and the Lib Dems, who took the opposite view, threatened to derail the ruling coalition.

Agreement was reached but members of the For Darwen Party are still privately opposed to Neighbourhood Boards, which they feel will detract from the role of the town council.

And Liberal Democrat councillors have refused to confirm their support for a town council following last month’s positive referendum vote.

The town council, which will raise money by a small precept in residents’ council tax bills, is expected to be given the full seal of approval at next month’s Council Forum meeting.

Blackburn with Darwen chief executive Graham Burgess said: “We think this is a positive step towards engaging neighbourhoods in their own communities.”