Earby regeneration plans move forward despite council disputes

Progress is being made in sorting-out disagreements about how regeneration cash should be spent in a Pendle town, a borough leader says.

Earby Town Council recently accused Pendle Council of ‘dismissing’ local people’s preferences on how the government’s new Pride in Place Impact Fund is spent. And also for allegedly foisting some unwanted projects on Earby.

But top Pendle councillors rejected the claims and defended the council’s work. The new Impact Fund is aimed at short-term community, public spaces and high street improvements.

Earby Town Council ideas include reopening public toilets at the Station Hotel, reopening Hill Top recreation pavilion, installing extra CCTV cameras and landscaping a seating area and railway embankment on Colne Road.

However, the CCTV idea and some others were not recently short-listed by Pendle Council. And the town council did not support some other Pendle suggestions including work at Sough Park, used by sports clubs.

In an update, Pendle Council leader David Whipp told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Earby town councillors have dropped their demand for CCTV. Three of their projects were included in Pendle’s priority list, agreed between town and borough councillors, and then approved recently by Pendle’s executive.

“But because only half the government funding has been received so far, the executive could only financially approve half the schemes listed across five areas of Pendle. Three Earby projects were included in the programme and two have now got full financial approval.”

He said various factors were taken into account by Pendle officers who scored project ideas – not councillors. Overall, the executive agreed schemes in Earby, Colne, Barnoldswick, Barrowford and nearby parishes, and Brierfield.

Coun. Whipp said Earby Town Council’s idea to landscape a former railway embankment on Colne Road is a lower priority. Now, Pendle’s executive is waiting for the government to release the remaining half of the cash, he said.

He said one Earby town councillor had involved MP Jonathan Hinder in the debate, who then called for all decisions to be paused for more consultation. But now, Pendle’s executive has asked the government for an extra £1.5m, saying the Impact Fund was over-subscribed with applications. And the executive has asked the MP to support their call.

Overall, Pendle is set for a total £1.5m for the whole borough and Earby has been allocated just over £137,000. Earby Town Council was contacted for further comment but has not responded.