THREE East Lancashire councils have turned down a request to help pay for the Queen's 50th wedding anniversary commemoration service in Blackburn Cathedral.

District councils in Lancashire are among organisations asked for financial support towards the £20,000 cost of the service, which involved golden wedding couples from all over the county who missed out on an invitation to join the royal celebration at a Buckingham Palace garden party.

But councils in Burnley, Pendle and Ribble Valley turned down a written request from the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire Lord Shuttleworth to share the cost.

Coun Harry Brooks told colleagues on Burnley general purposes committee: "According to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, which is never wrong, 500 couples were involved.

"That works out at £40 a couple for afternoon tea. If we decide to give anything it should be based on a county-wide cost of £10,000.'' Committee and member services manager John Wells said Lancashire County Council had agreed £500 and one district authority £2,000.

But Burnley finance chairman, Coun Peter Kenyon, said: "We should decline to contribute with regret." Only Coun Brooks voted against.

Pendle's grants to outside bodies sub-committee also turned down the request.

A spokesman said: "The budget for grants to outside bodies is exhausted for this year. It was also decided that there could be more worthwhile causes." Blackburn with Darwen Council and Hyndburn are among authorities which agreed to help and Rossendale Council is considering whether to contribute.

A Ribble Valley Council spokesman said: "The matter was considered by the policy and finance committee. We investigated if other councils were contributing and four weren't, which formed the basis of our decision."

A spokesman for the Lancashire Lieutenant's Office said: "It wasn't a demanding letter, it simply said this has all got to be paid for.

"But it is not for us to disclose who promised money and who did not."

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