OUTRAGED MP Jack Straw has made a formal complaint about an election leaflet which claims council taxpayers' money was used for party propaganda.
The Blackburn MP joined in the local election row and has written a stinging letter to Liberal Democrat party leader Charles Kennedy criticising his candidates' tactics in the run up to Thursday's poll.
But local LibDem leaders have hit back saying the allegations are true and that Labour is wasting taxpayers' money printing and distributing information in the borough.
Mr Straw said the Focus leaflet, which has been sent to homes around the Highercroft area of Blackburn, accused the Labour council of spending £1,000 of taxpayers' money printing their own election propaganda -- an accusation he dismissed as an "outrageous fabrication".
The leaflet has been distributed on behalf of Liberal Democrat candidate for Highercroft, Fred Gollop, who lives in Fishmoor Drive.
The leaflet says: "Your Focus leaflet costs you nothing, the Liberal Democrats pay for them. Labour councillors in many wards have had some of their leaflets published at your expense. It cost nearly £1,000 this last year."
In his letter to Charles Kennedy, which has also been sent to the chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council and election returning officer, Phil Watson, Mr Straw said: "I rarely intervene in ward local election campaigns, but I feel it is necessary to do so and to ask you to disown a simply outrageous fabrication which has been included in a Lib Dem "Focus" leaflet issued by the Highercroft Ward Liberal Democrats in Blackburn with Darwen.
"Were it true it could lead to councillors properly being disqualified from public office. But it is completely untrue."
Council leader Bill Taylor said all parties were entitled to have leaflets promoting ward surgeries paid for by the council but only outside election times.
As soon as an election was called it was down to the individual parties to pick up the tab.
He said: "The local Lib Dems have been pretty dignified in the past, but this is pretty scurrilous."
But Liberal Democrats leader Paul Browne said: "What is printed in that leaflet is true. We don't use the service because it is a waste of council taxpayers' money but Labour do use it."
Highercroft will be a straight fight between Labour's Ashley Whalley and the Liberal Democrats.
Mr Gollop refused to comment, but Coun David Foster, who organised leaflet printing, said: "Labour councillors have asked the council to produce leaflets publicising their councillors in some wards.
"The majority of these leaflets have been produced and distributed only a few weeks before the election. We have demanded this abuse be stopped."
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