COUNCIL chiefs are to write to Government ministers demanding an explanation for their failed lottery bid.

Shocked Ribble Valley Council officers were left reeling after lottery chiefs kicked out their multi-million pound sports scheme.

Their bid for a £3 million centre of sporting excellence in Clitheroe was described by the Lottery Board as 'not strategically important' and offering 'poor value for money.' The council had planned a flagship scheme that would take sport in the Ribble Valley into the millenium, securing jobs and first-rate facilities.

It was planned to turn Roefield Leisure Centre, Ribblesdale Swimming Pool and Clitheroe Tennis Centre, all in Edisford Road, into one big complex.

The new state-of-the-art scheme was considered 'vital' and council officials had aimed to provide the Ribble Valley with a sports complex 'as good as any in East Lancashire.'

But they were left stunned when lottery officials this week said their bid for 90 per cent of the £3 million cost of the scheme hadn't come up to scratch. The shock news was reported to a meeting of the Ribble Valley Council's Community Committee last night.

And councillors decided to ask Culture Minister Chris Smith for an explanation and enlist the help of Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans. Leisure and tourism officer Chris Hughes described the Lottery Board's reasons for refusal as 'rather vague' and said council bosses were 'somewhat confused and disappointed' by the matter.

"We have decided to consult the Lottery Board for more specific information before the end of the month, but it is unlikely that a future proposal will be along the same lines. We will also to write to Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans and Culture Minister Chris Smith to see if the goalposts are being moved when it comes to funding for rural areas," he said.

Chairman Graham Sowter said cash for schemes like Clitheroe's had decreased dramatically and rural areas "were being treated unfairly from a number of angles."

"We are now competing with projects such as the National Stadium for cash and, as a sparsely populated rural area, will never be able to give value for money," he said.

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