A COUNCILLOR has said he will hire the town hall and stage his own meeting in his fight for a Town Council for Padiham.

Coun Granville Lord told Burnley Council it was a total disgrace that six years after a referendum in which Padiham people voted for a town council it still had not been set up.

Now they were being told it could take another two years.

"It is rubbish," he said. "The people of Padiham are being hoodwinked and the setting up of a Padiham Town Council should be done this year."

Coun Lord added: "I will pay for the hire of the town hall and have a public meeting."

Chief executive Roger Ellis said nothing further could be done until the completion of the current periodic Electoral Review which was not expected before May, 2001.

Subject to the outcome of that, a review of parishing arrangements could then be undertaken which could take a further 12 months. If the outcome of those reviews were satisfactory, the council could then move towards establishing a Padiham Town Council.

Coun John Harbour said people might wonder about Coun Lord's anger. He said: "It is simple. It is all about headlines, because he is up for election in May and wants to make a name for himself."

Coun Harry Brooks said: "It is a complete disgrace and a matter of shame that since the referendum in 1994, due to the inertia of the majority group nothing actively has been done about it."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.