THE statistics show East Lancashire does not get the recognition of civil servants and bureaucrats from the South East.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope says the area's residents are equally deserving and has started a campaign to reverse this trend after discovering that:

The Foreign Office has honoured 170 officials since 1999 and the Ministry of Defence 247.

The Lord Chancellors's Department handed out 91 and the Department of Trade and Industry 48.

While last year just eight public servants in East Lancs received honours.

He said: "If you are a hard-working teacher or nurse in East Lancashire you will be lucky to pick up an MBE or an OBE -- the lowest honours.

"However, if you are a senior civil servant, an ambassador or a General living in the South East of England, a senior honour -- probably at least a knighthood -- goes with the job.

"We need to have a level playing field. The system either needs a radical reform or to be abolished."

And past gong winners agreed. Lord Patel of Blackburn said: "I have noticed that the real deserving people, who have served the community throughout their life with no expectations of people putting them forward, never achieve the honours. This is absolutely shocking."

Coun Malcolm Doherty, OBE, said: "When you look at the lists there are many people who have worked for the Government, particularly in London.

"It seems like 'this chap is coming up for retirement, let's give him this'."

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