A BLACKPOOL pressure group wants to know how millions of pounds of government funding earmarked for a new conference centre in the resort will actually be spent.

Members of BCAGE (Blackpool Coalition Against Gambling) say that, in August 2000, £20m of SRB funding was earmarked for a conference centre on council-owned land on the old Central Station site.

However, the proposal was dropped and, they say, the conference centre became a key part of the Pharaoh's Palace Casino proposal. But even 20 months later a detailed planning application has failed to emerge.

A spokesman for BCAGE said: "For some months the spin was that Leisure Parcs were including the conference centre in their plans as a favour to the council as long as it was mostly funded with public money.

"Then the former chief executive said at a meeting of business leaders that if there were no casino on the site there would be no conference centre."

Alan Duxbury-Campbell, owner of the May-Dene Hotel on Dean Street, Blackpool, added: "There is a distinctly foul smell in Blackpool. It emanates from the Town Hall.

"Harrogate has a stand-alone conference/exhibition centre. It was built without any government funds and generates bedroom lettings, food and retail trade of more than £100m a year for local businesses.

"It takes £5m a year and makes £1m a year profit -- enough to pay for the loans. Compare that with the £1m a year Blackpool Council pays for the use of the Winter Gardens.

"There should be an enquiry into this scandal."

A BCAGE spokesman said of the benefits of a stand-alone conference centre: "Most of the year it could be a venue for product launches, exhibitions and pop concerts. All year round it could be a covered theme park in the style of Universal Studios in Florida.

"It takes 10 to 15 days to see all the theme parks near Orlando. That is the alternative vision supporters of BCAGE have for Blackpool -- regeneration based on all-year, all-weather attractions for all age groups."

Council leader Roy Fisher, asked about BCAGE's comments, told The Citizen: "The council is fully committed to conferences and have an agreement with Leisure Parcs to use the Winter Gardens until 2009. We are fully committed to enabling a new conference centre to be built in Blackpool.

"There has been no decisions taken as to where it will be sited yet. However, we will continue to work with agencies to ensure that a new conference centre is built in the resort."

Alan Cavill, partnership manager for Blackpool Challenge Partnership, also commented: "We accept the fact that we do need new conference facilities in Blackpool but how this is to be achieved hasn't been decided.

"If an option of a private sector building the new conference centre as part of other developments or not we would have a duty to look at it. It would be extremely difficult to generate enough public funds to pay for a stand-alone conference centre."

Meanwhile, the Blackpool and Fylde Coast branch of the Federation of Small Business voted against the resort casino proposals this week and millions of viewers across the North West were able to see discussions on the casinos on the ITV programme Late Debate with Lucy Meacock.

During the debate Pleasure Beach owner Geoffrey Thompson said he would only invest in a new ride if the government gave the go-ahead for casinos in Blackpool.

He told the Citizen: "It was a very difficult debate as the anti-casino lobby just screamed and yelled.

"And I was very disappointed to see that not one member of Blackpool Corporation turned up at all -- not one politician, councillor or anyone from the town hall. And this is all about the future of their town.

"Blackpool Pleasure Beach is planning a new £25m ride this summer but without the casinos we wouldn't want to be spending that sort of money."