THE organisation that helps smaller firms in East Lancashire has been rocked by the resignation of six business bosses.

The six, including heads of some of the area's biggest employers, quit the board of Business Link East Lancashire in protest over the debate on the future of services for small and medium-sized firms.

The move comes just days before the deadline for applications to bid to run a new service which will take over much of Business Link's role.

One of the resigning directors, Yvonne Carter, of Clitheroe-based Allcare, has blamed her decision on the "grey-suited bureaucracy and political intrigue" taking place in meetings to discuss the new Small Business Service.

The six private sector members wanted Business Link East Lancashire to merge with East Lancashire Training and Enterprise Council in the run up to the changes in business support next year

They were also at odds with other board members over exactly what services the new body should provide.

But they said they felt their views were not being taken on board by Business Link's chairman Roger Collinge (pictured). Mr Collinge today said he was saddened by the resignations "because I cannot see how these further the cause of business support in East Lancashire".

He said he believed the majority of the board opposed a merger with ELTEC "The board has sought and will continue to seek closer collaboration with ELTEC and other providers of business services as part of its overall programme of improving servcies to customers.

"The board will also use its best endeavours to help East Lancashire get an effective Small Business Service to take forward the activities of BLEL from April next year."

A combined East Lancashire bid to run the SBS locally was recently turned down by the Government.

Local bodies can bid again, but this time in competition with outside organisations including private firms.

In the last few weeks a series of meetings has been held between business groups to try and decide how a renewed bid to run the SBS should be put forward. But those who have quit Business Link say they were unhappy about the way the process was being handled and that what was being proposed was not in the best interests of the local business community.

Those that have quit include Graham March, managing director of Holland's Pies, Geoffrey Sutton of Foulridge-based Weston, Peter Abbott, managing director of Veka of Burnley and Brenda Rudge, managing director of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and Citizen.

With a key aim of Business Link being to represent the interests of businesses, the resignation of most of its private sector board members is a huge blow.

Mike Thompson, Business Link's company secretary, stressed that the board could still function and that new members could be co-opted onto it quickly.

Mark Price, chief executive of ELTEC, said the important issue was to ensure that the future business support set up locally is "ruthlessly structured to the needs of small and medium sized enterprises."

The ELTEC board is meeting today when it is likely to consider their position over the bidding for the running of the new SBS.