REGENERATION is the key to the future in Burnley Council's plan to prevent a repeat of the violent disturbances in the town last June.

There are 14 items on this theme on the draft action plan unveiled this week including:

improving private sector housing

liaising with other councils including Bradford, Oldham and Rochdale over housing and other shared problems

looking at a feasibility study on a community housing company in Burnley Wood

better communications on why resources are on occasions directed to certain ethnic minorities.

Other points include a closer partnership with the police, a new strategy for race relations work, more multi-cultural events, more organised activities for children and young people and introducing CCTV for taxis.

Each proposal has a timescale of up to three years but chief executive Dr Gillian Taylor stressed these time scales had not been finalised.

Cllr Rafique Malik stressed the importance of the proposal to work with the police on preventing future disturbances.

"I don't think any members in this meeting will be reading week in week out fascist literature by anonymous people. Things like this go undetected and no action is taken.

"If nobody is going to take any action and assume there will be no trouble or no disturbances I think one is perhaps not being fair with oneself.

"When taking these recommendations on board we need to see some action. These things were not spontaneous. They were reserved over the years."

The full council will decide whether or not to implement the action plan on April 10.