AN ELECTION row has broken out between Labour and the Liberal Democrats in Darwen, with both parties claiming they are responsible for winning back council services for Darwen.

In the run-up to the May elections, Councillor David Foster, Liberal Democrat, claims that an election leaflet distributed by Labour in Sudell ward, where Liberal leader Paul Browne is defending his seat, is misleading to voters.

Coun Foster said: "Labour claim that 'Darwen will shortly have its services returned which it lost in 1974.' We had our own council in 1974, but we are not getting that back.

"In fact, the Labour Party would not even support measures that would allow Darwen people to vote for having a town council of their own."

But fellow Labour ward councillors for Sudell, Derek Brindle and Eileen Entwistle, have accused the Liberal Democrats of nit-picking and misleading electors themselves.

Coun Entwistle said: "The Liberals put forward a budget proposal of £200,000 for Darwen, but then refused to tell us what they planned to spend the money on. We can't vote on something we know nothing about.

"The Labour Party has fought long and hard to return services to Darwen and the Town Hall is being refurbished so that some services can come back to the town.

"To have a town council of our own would cost the council tax payer £90,000 a year and wouldn't do any good."

Coun Derek Brindle claimed that the Liberal Democrats themselves were guilty of putting out misleading leaflets by claiming credit for various road improvements in the town.

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