FORMER union boss Lord Clarke will head the Task Force charged with rooting out the causes of last month's Burnley riots and drawing up an action plan to tackle the town's problems, it was revealed today.

Independent group leader Harry Brooks said the appointment of the former deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers' Union was announced at a briefing to councillors which he attended last night.

But he expressed concern that Lord Clarke had been drawn from the same Post Office union as council leader, Stuart Caddy, a postal worker and ex-union official, and his council deputy Andy Tatchell, a full time officer with the CWU.

"There is nothing to say he cannot do the job, but it just lacks credibility," he said.

Burnley town hall was today still staying tight-lipped about the appointments on the 16-person task force team but Coun Brooks said it included Coun Caddy and Burnley LibDem councillor Mozaquir Ali.

Newly elected County Councillor Marcus Johnstone, a former Burnley councillor will represent Lancashire county on the team, said Coun Brooks.

He added that six members were from the Asian community.

The Task Force is expected to be up and running next week. Town Hall bosses would only say the task force team is now in place -- along with a high-profile chairman to lead it.

"Everything is ready to go," said council spokesman Mike Cook.

But council organisers are staying tight-lipped over the identity of those involved until a formal announcement, expected tomorrow. Burnley community leader and Commission for Racial Equality member Shahid Malik dismissed any concern that the Task Force had taken too long to set up.

"In the context of the time it took other towns to get groups like this in place, the time Burnley has taken is very reasonable indeed.

"There is a balance between doing things quickly and doing them properly and I believe Burnley has got it right in a relatively short space of time."

Council and police bosses, community safety chiefs and representatives from the Government's North West office are expected to be in the task force team.

They will be joined in the key group by representatives from community, youth and business organisations.

Apart from the independent chairman, the Task Force is expected to include council chief executive Dr Gillian Taylor and the head of the Pennine police division Chief Superintendent John Knowles.

Asian community leaders and regional development chiefs are all expected to have major input in the project, triggered by the weekend of racial clashes, violence, damage and fire-bombing. A special group of advisers will be brought in to provide extra support for the core group of task force members.

This support group is expected to include key partners such as Burnley's Coun Kath Reade of the Regional Development Agency, and representatives from East Lancashire Health Authority, the Commission for Racial Equality and the local Primary Care Group.

The core group has been charged with drawing up an Action Plan within three months -- although it is accepted some solutions will take many months, or even years, to complete.

But they are expected to come up with a plan which will make a real difference to the town.

An early aim will be to bring a senior Government minister to Burnley to discuss the work of the task force and see the problems first hand.

A council spokesman said tomorrow's first meeting of Task Force members would aim to allocate responsibilities and draw up time-tables for meetings and action.