A CONSERVATIVE councillor who voted against his party's proposed zero per cent rise in council tax said he did it for local people.

Coun Douglas Hayes voted against the Conservative's budget amendment at Hyndburn's last full council meeting because he said the freeze would make little difference to people's pockets.

But he said if the cash which would have been used was kept by the council in a contingency fund more people would benefit because it could be kept for community projects.

The move for a zero per cent rise in the authority's portion of the council tax bill was defeated in favour of a 3.9 per cent increase. The councillor for St Oswald's ward, Oswaldtwistle, said the money could be used for schemes like Moss Lane, in Knuzden, an on-going wrangle close to his heart.

And although his actions courted support from Labour councillors his decision was criticised by the Coun Peter Britcliffe the leader of the Conservatives.

The money came from a £220,000 rebate from government after the borough council paid too much on business rates in the 1990s. Coun Hayes said he voted for Labour's budget, which when added to the police and county council's portion of the bill resulted in a 9.2 per cent council tax increase, because it was a low rise and he felt it was the best they could do in the circumstances. "I was against a zero per cent rise because it does not help anybody, all it would have meant was 80p a person or £4/5 a house.

"It is nice politically to do that, but it is better for the whole borough rather than spreading it too thinly on a slice of bread. It is not something I would do without thinking about carefully.

"The money can be used for projects like Moss Lane, where trucks coming off the M65 motorway have used it as a ratrun. Lancashire County Council have finally put up the money for the signs and for the road to be closed but they said Hyndburn Borough Council had to pay for a turnaround area.

"Although Area Council said it was County Council's responsibility, with this extra money that came our way perhaps it can be used for Moss Lane. It has taken about three to four years. I've written to the leader to ask for some per cent of that money for the turn around."

Coun Britcliffe said: "Anybody is entitled to vote how they want, but where I would differ from him is that we pay 84 per cent of the council tax to county council and we pay them for roads and pavements and when Hyndburn takes that work on, the people are paying that tax twice."

Coun Ian Ormerod, leader of the council, said: "I think Doug probably expresses a lot of what people here think. We could have given it back and we debated it, but it would have been irresponsible, to a Band A property it is 8p a week.

"It is an opportunity we have been given, we do not get these that often."