MYSTERY today surrounded when Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott would fulfil a promise to return to Burnley to discuss housing needs.

It is hoped that when he does come back he will bring hundreds of millions of pounds worth of grants to upgrade crumbling homes.

Last year Mr Prescott visited Burnley to look at the huge number of decaying and derelict privately-owned Victorian terraces which were considered to be a contributory factor to the Burnley riots in June 2001.

He met members of the Burnley Task Force, the body set up to examine the causes of the disturbances, at the Town Hall in September and in November he met community and volunteer workers at the Burnley Wood One Stop Shop.

During his visit to Burnley Wood, Mr Prescott revealed that Burnley could be chosen to pilot a new government housing regeneration scheme. He also promised to return to Burnley after the Task Force report was released in December.

But, almost one year on Mr Prescott has not returned and the regeneration scheme has never materialised.

The need for the government to provide cash required for a £670 million, 10-year-plan to revitalise housing across the whole of East Lancashire was stressed at the time. And hopes of getting the much-needed investment were increased when the government included East Lancashire in its 10 Pathfinder areas of low-demand housing which shared £2.2million to work up bids for much larger sums of government cash to tackle slum problems.

But Rossendale was not included in the chosen area and local MP Janet Anderson secured a promise to reconsider its exclusion.

In the summer Mr Prescott was expected to announce the allocations for the 10 areas, angering Mrs Anderson, Burnley MP Peter Pike and Hyndburn's MP Greg Pope, who said the sub-region could not afford to wait another 12 to 18 months to find out if the bid for Whitehall cash had been successful.

A spokesman for Mr Prescott's department said cash grants are expected to be announced in a Commons later this year but was unable to say when the Deputy Prime Minister will return to the area.

Mr Pike said: "I am sure John will fulfil his promise to come back. I don't really care when he comes as long as he brings the cash with him."

Mrs Anderson said: "It doesn't matter when he comes as long as he can promise the area the money it needs to deal with the problems of decaying and derelict housing -- and as long as he puts Rossendale back into the bid area.

"This is a crucial issue for East Lancashire and we need John to come and tell us that we have got the money we need to tackle it."