RECENTLY in the House of Commons, Pendle's MP, Gordon Prentice, questioned and established that the ruthlessly-created gap between rich and poor in this country has continued unabated under New Labour since 1997.

The same week Lancashire MPs focused self-righteous indignation against the county council's move to close 35 old people's homes -- closures seen by any civilised society as disgraceful, given that the UK is the fourth wealthiest economy.

It is breathtaking hypocrisy for MPs who witnessed and opposed local government cuts through Tory government to keep silent when many of the same policies are repeated under a New Labour government, resulting in local government being loaded with more responsibilities with ever-reducing resources.

Pretending it is nothing to do with them, they now sit on the back benches quite content to preside over the same stick-and-carrot-driven programme as appertained under 18 years of Tory government control.

The majority of funding for town hall finances is not from local taxes, but central government funding. It is now seen as prudent and macho to keep councillors on a tight rein and to make sure they toe the party line, confident that there will be no challenge or rejection; cynically aware that most will be concentrating on not damaging their political position or careers.

Again, the duplicity of our elected representatives is compounded when the pensioners the MPs claim to be defending are those whose weekly pensions are at least £30 a week worse off, through the government continuing to sustain the Tory decision to reduce the state earnings-related pension and alter the calculation of the basic state pension.

If our MPs and concerned local councillors are serious about preventing this back-door privatisation of old people's care, they should campaign to try and make the Treasury loosen its purse strings, ensure there is adequate funding for local government and stop expecting town halls to paper over the cracks and failures of Tory and New Labour policies.

COUN DON RISHTON, Wensley Fold Ward, Blackburn with Darwen Council.