PLANS to change the boundaries of Lancashire County Council's electoral divisions in Hyndburn have been slammed by the leader of the borough council.

Councillor Peter Britcliffe called the proposals from the Boundary Committee "political engineering" to keep Labour in control.

He was particularly concerned about plans to alter Accrington Central division.

During an earlier stage of the consultation process the council had sent a letter to the Boundary Committee asking for Broadfield and the part of Church, to the north west of Henry Street, to be excluded from this division.

But in its final recommendations, which were discussed at a meeting of the full council, the committee decided not to make any changes based on the council's representations.

The recommendations also include plans to take Altham Parish Council and the non-parished section of Altham ward, south of the M65, in the Accrington North division, rather than the Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors and Altham division.

Coun Britcliffe said: "They have taken an area out of Oswaldtwistle, a Conservative area, which has moorland and a golf course between it and Accrington, and put it into Central Accrington. If that is not the most diabolical political engineering anyone has ever seen, I don't know what is."

Coun Jean Battle, the leader of the Labour group who is also a county councillor, said she did not agree that the recommendations were politically motivated.

She said: "I have had most of Church taken off the ward I represent and I could complain about that."