DEFIANT Rossendale Council today pledged to go it alone and keep its bus company despite being surrounded by former municipal companies now in private ownership.

Last night three Burnley Labour councillors resigned in protest as the council voted to sell its half of the former jointly-owned Burnley and Pendle Transport to bus giant Stagecoach.

Angry bus workers lobbied the meeting and after the private vote Council leader Coun Kath Reade said: "Our overwhelming responsibility is first and foremost to the ratepayers of Burnley. We have a duty to protect the value of our public assets.

"We are desperately sorry that the situation has progressed to this point." Stagecoach already owns county-wide Ribble buses, Lancaster City Transport, Greater Manchester South and recently acquired Hyndburn. Greater Manchester North buses are privately owned by First Bus.

Rossendale has been approached by private operators in the past and it did consider its position about 12 months' ago, but decided against selling the company.

Council leader John McManus said they stood by that decision. He said: "We are determined to stay in public ownership and run our own transport company. Rossendale Transport has been very profitable.

"We were disappointed when Hyndburn sold out but we are committed to maintaining the ownership of our company and doing our best to provide a good service to the people of Rossendale.

"Last year when we considered the company's future the employees came to us to say they did not want us to sell.

"We need an integrated transport policy. Current legislation means people can come in a register routes and start running services - I don't think this is in the public's interest.

"I don't believe that privatisation has increased competition. The public and services suffer for more profitable routes.

"If this continues we are going to have a monopoly in this area and that is not going to be to the benefit of the public."

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