A GOVERNMENT minister has visited some of Burnley's most deprived areas to see first hand the daily problems faced by residents.

Phil Hope, parliamentary under secretary with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), went on a whistle-stop tour of neighbourhoods, including Burnley Wood, which are due to be regenerated under the Government's Elevate scheme.

East Lancashire is one of nine areas in England and Wales bidding for a share of £500million funding, and Burnley is one of the town's included in the East Lancashire Elevate area.

Stopping off at the One Stop Shop in Springfield Road, Burnley Wood, the new minister with special responsibility for bringing better housing to East Lancashire, said: "This is one of nine pathfinder areas in line for huge investment to renew the housing market. I am here to see first hand the kind of issues and problems that this new scheme is designed to resolve.

"I will also be finding out how the local authorities and other agencies are going to work together to improve the quality of life of residents."

Mr Hope added: "The Government is pledged to support local people as they strive to meet the challenges often caused by the collapse of the housing market. No one doubts the challenges but from what I have seen today I am convinced that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be grasped with both hands by these communities. I am sure that partnerships between local people and the Government offer the real prospect of creating communities that will attract people to live and work."

He was guided round by Mike Cook, director of market and community renewal for Burnley Council, and council leader Councillor Stuart Caddy, among others.

Mr Cook said the meeting and tour with the minister had been very positive. He said: "We discussed some of the main challenges we have got in Burnley and we are confident that we painted a professional picture of what we intend doing under the Elevate programme.

"I think the minister responded and listened to everything everyone put to him and the meeting was a pointer to some of the exciting initiatives ahead."

Mr Cook added: "This was the first time we had met him and we are committed to working with him further. We are keen to have a long term working relationship with the Government on this."

Pendle and Rossendale boroughs are also vying for a share of the money, which the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, announced last year and that money was to be used to transform areas where the standard of housing had dipped to an unacceptable level.

Residents in Burnley Wood, Daneshouse, Duke Bar and Stoneyholme and South West Burnley have already been consulted about what they would like to see happen in their area and Neighbourhood Action Plans have been drawn up. The plans are due to be discussed by councillors next week.

Burnley Council will put forward proposals for other areas in the future and have stressed the improvements will benefit the whole borough.

Many of the problems for residents arise out of the high number of properties left empty, which are then open to attack by vandals, have rubbish dumped in the back yards by fly-tippers and are sometimes taken over by squatters.