ALL my life I thought Darwen was the small town nestling in the valley of the River Darwen. Now I learn (LET January 2) that Darwen has undergone a massive expansion to take in the likes of Belmont, Chapeltown and Edgworth.
Why this sudden, massive expansion just to make a political point? Because if you take out affluent North Turton, the difference between what is spent per head in the towns of Darwen and Blackburn is too small to justify a front page headline.
What the figures on spending per ward in Blackburn with Darwen show is that the more deprived the ward, the more public spending there is. That is surely right -- the most money is spent where the problems to be tackled are the biggest.
Where a Darwen ward like Sudell is among the most deprived it receives more spending than most Blackburn wards. Where a Blackburn ward like Livesey and Pleasington is among the more affluent, it receives less spending that most Darwen wards.
Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that the report says that an average of £5,407 is spent per person in Blackburn with Darwen, when the average council tax bill per house is less than £1,000. This is because much of the public money spent in the borough comes from central and regional government and is targeted towards disadvantaged wards.
If Darwen were to become 'independent' those targeted monies would stay with those wards in Blackburn. There is no guarantee that Darwen would receive any more than it does at present and would, quite possibly, receive less.
COUN DAVE HOLLINGS
(Sunnyhurst Ward), Sudell Road, Darwen.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article