BLACKPOOL Challenge Partnership has hit back at allegations featured in The Citizen last week regarding £20m of government funding which a pressure group claimed was originally earmarked to build a conference centre in the resort.

BCAGE (Blackpool Coalition Against Gambling Expansion) also said that the proposal for a conference centre was dropped when casino plans emerged.

Manager of Blackpool Challenge Partnership Alan Cavill said yesterday (Wednesday): "The £20m mentioned refers to a Government grant that was awarded to Blackpool Challenge Partnership over a period of seven years beginning on April 1, 2001.

"The Partnership has to date received less than five per cent of that money. This funding was allocated for use in five key areas: crime, community projects, training, health and improving tourism in the area. Only half of the money was ever earmarked for tourism.

"Of this, the proposal to renew the conference facilities was only one of ten suggested projects quoted in the bid we put forward to the Government to secure the funding. No specific allocation was ever made for the renewal of conference facilities."

Mr Cavill went on: "In a press statement released in August 2000 referring to the success of our bid, five examples of how the grant could be spent were highlighted. These were: vastly improved hotel accommodation, 2,000 new jobs, a tourism centre of excellence, a revamped Blackpool Tower and a new conference centre."

"BCAGE go on to say that the conference facilities were included in the Leisure Parcs plan as a favour to the council. The council has not now or ever sought to influence the content of any proposals for a resort casino by Leisure Parcs. Any inclusion was entirely at Leisure Parcs own discretion and has neither been encouraged or discouraged by either the council or Blackpool Challenge Partnership."

Mr Cavill then went on to reply to Blackpool hotelier Alan Duxbury-Campbell's allegations in the article that Harrogate Conference Centre made a profit. He said: "Accounts belonging to Harrogate Council show that it breaks even at best."

Finally, Mr Cavill commented on "the desires of BCAGE to recreate the attractions of Floridian theme parks to create the critical mass of attractions to provide regeneration".

He said: "Nobody would dispute that this is indeed a great idea. Unfortunately Blackpool does not have the same landmass as Florida, which is approximately 50 per cent of the size of England."