LEADERS of Bury Council have received a boost in their hopes of merging with parts of Rossendale.

Officials from the Boundary Committee are coming to Bury next Tuesday (Feb 10) where they will hear the evidence for taking on Haslingden, Edenfield and Rawtenstall.

Town hall bosses were annoyed when the option of a Bury/Rossendale merger was rejected by the committee last year, as part of a local government shake-up should north west residents vote for a regional assembly. Part of the reason was that both Bury and Rossendale had been given poor ratings from inspectors.

Mr Mark Sanders, chief executive of Bury Council, wrote to the committee pointing out that Bury's score had since risen from "weak" to "fair", and is likely to reach "good" within months.

He pointed out the community links between the two boroughs, and that Bury's record in key services such as education and social services is "second to none" compared to the other merger options.

Mr Sanders said: "Bury Council is the most improved council in the country and is on the verge of being declared 'good' from 'weak' in the space of just over a year. We believe we have earned the opportunity to have our merger idea on the ballot paper. Hopefully we will be able to convince the Boundary Committee of that next week.