IN response to Blackburn BNP Councillor Robin J Evans (Letters, May 16) who writes about what you have termed 'grant boundaries' which define the areas to which the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) and funding of a similar nature, is applied, he implies that the Government is responsible for defining the actual areas for which funding is made available.

However, in his conclusion Coun Evans states that the council (meaning Burnley Council) has chosen the same people "time and time again" to receive this funding.

He cannot have it both ways. The truth is that Burnley Council recognised, at an early date, that areas outside the "grant boundaries" were in need of the kind of investment covered by SRB funding. It even made the case to the Government that SRB boundaries did not define the areas of need accurately and, because of this, the Government eased its policy some years ago.

I can give examples of SRB-type investment in many parts of the town. It is a myth that funds of this kind have been restricted to one area in particular.

People do not realise that some areas of Burnley, being among the poorest parts of the country, are entitled to SRB and Regeneration funding. This is called Challenge Funding and when it was introduced, under the Conservatives, some years ago Burnley had a choice to make. Should it compete, with all its imperfections, for this kind of funding or should it ignore the fact that the town had some of the most critical problems associated with health, poverty, low wages and education in the country?

The council decided that the needs of the people suffering these problems had to be addressed. The only realistic way forward was to apply through the existing funding regimes, even though it was realised that there were problems with them.

An opposition member at the time, almost the first thing that I was asked when I joined the council was: "How do you feel about using SRB funding in certain parts of the town?"

On re-visiting those areas I know that the council's decision to apply Regeneration regimes was right in the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Since those early days, the areas which benefit from SRB-type funding have been increased within the borough. Given Burnley's particular problems, again I would say, this is right, but it was Burnley Council which made the case for it to happen.

COUN ROGER FROST (Liberal-Democrat, Burnley Council), Cross Street, Briercliffe, Burnley.