'MINERS' champion Arthur Scargill's plan to save the seafront miners' home at Blackpool has been shot down

Management's decision to reject the NUM offer in favour of a private company's bid has been branded out of order by Leigh-based miners' leaders.

Trustees and management committee members of the Lancashire Miners' Convalescent Home turned-down a Yorkshire are NUM offer to buy the home - with payment spread over a five year period.

But they chose to sell the home to outsiders for cash up front.

The majority of NUM nominated trustees and management committee voted with the British Coal nominated trustees and committee.

Only the NUM Lancashire area representatives Billy Kelly and Paul Hardman supported the Scargill plan.

A disappointed Perry Lomas, based at the NUM Lancashire area headquarters in Leigh, said: "The plan would have kept the convalescent home and paraplegic bungalows alongside it open, and ensured they were kept open in to the next century.

"The decision marks a black chapter in what is a proud tradition of providing the best quality convalescent and welfare facilities for all our members, particularly those who are disabled and retired."

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