A BURNLEY councillor is calling for more cash to be spent in areas of Burnley not already benefiting from external funding.

Liberal Democrat Coun Margaret Lishman said government and European money for regeneration and other projects is being pumped into the inner areas of Burnley and claims other areas, such as her own Briercliffe ward, were missing out on much-needed resources.

She has tabled a notice of motion, which will be voted on by councillors at a meeting of the full council tomorrow , calling on council members and officers to consider targeting money at these areas as they start to prepare for the 2004/2005 budget cycle.

Coun Lishman said: "What I am trying to do is redress the balance. This notice of motion is the first stage of the Liberal Democrat campaign around the budget process to try and change the culture within the council.

"There is a lot of money coming into certain areas over the next couple of years through the Pathfinder project for housing regeneration, the Single Regeneration Budget and European monies, which means that investment will be possible at a time when the council has not got a lot of money available.

"As departments start to decide what money they need and how they need to spend it we want them to think positively in favour of those areas of the borough that will not benefit from external funding."

Coun Lishman said there were many projects desperate for funding in the borough and admitted that the council had gone some way towards helping fund them through its Capital Opportunities Fund.

She said the fund offered £10,000 per ward, but under her proposals this would only be shared between the areas not benefiting from outside funding.

She said: "We are just trying to make people think differently so we can use our money, raised through the council tax, in a more intelligent fashion. With all this external funding coming in we could use our funds to target those areas that are not going to get any of it."

Council leader Coun Stuart Caddy said his party would be opposing the motion at the meeting tomorrow night, but would not reveal why .

He said: "I can't really speak about it until tomorrow night when we will find out what is being proposed. The basis behind it is that the outer areas should be looked at.

"It will be interesting to find out what the other parties will have to say on the issue - I think it will be one of the most interesting debates we have had in the council chamber for a long time and I am looking forward to it."