A PLEA for funding to be restored to the Burnley and Pendle Racial Equality Council has been rejected by Burnley councillors amid claims of hidden agendas and political bias.

Funding was withdrawn by Burnley and Pendle District Councils and Lancashire County Councils following claims and counter-claims about REC elections and the validity of the membership.

Members of Burnley's general purposes committee were told last night that despite lengthy talks over the membership criteria it had became abundantly clear that the REC officers were not willing to co-operate.

The REC Executive then resolved not to co-operate with the funding authorities' requirements and as a result grant aid was witheld.

REC chairman Dr Qazi Jehangir attended the meeting with a large group of supporters asking Burnley Council to restore funding so that they could get on with their valuable race relations work.

He asked why it was only after his election as chairman - elections, he said, carried out under police surveillance - that there were allegations of bogus organisations.

He said he had tried to do his best to serve all sections of the community but they would not let him work because they did not want certain members. He added: "To make sure we would go down the drain as well the money had been taken from us.

"I assure you that no-one has taken from us the resolve to carry on the work of the REC,'' he said.

Since the money was withdrawn the REC has continued on a voluntary basis without paid officials.

Dr Jehangir denied there were any bogus organisations in the REC or that they had refused to co-operate with the funding authorities.

"Please do not suffocate me, give me back my oxygen so that I can restore public relations and race relations between all of us,'' he pleaded.

Lib Dem Coun Fazal Subhan said: "There is, there was and there always will be a hidden agenda in the REC and that is that Labour should run it and that Ken McGeorge (a former Burnley councillor) should become chairman.''

That claim was strenuously denied by committee chairman Coun Eddie Fisk.

Lib Dem leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle said the only thing that had changed at the REC was the election of officers and directors possibly of a different political persuasion.

He called for funds to be restored immediately.

The committee witheld grant aid and withdrew the council's nominated representatives from the organisation.

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