Hyndburn delegation lobby Minister

A delegation from Hyndburn consisting of Council Leader, Cllr Peter Britcliffe, Greg Pope MP,  Labour Group Leader Cllr David Myles, and the Council’s Managing Director, David Welsby met Local Government Minister at the Houses of Parliament to discuss the shortfall in funding to Hyndburn from the Revenue Support Grant.

Cllr Peter Britcliffe, Leader of the Council said: “I welcome this meeting. The Government is under funding the borough by a massive 
£380,000 a year, and it is money that we know could be well used.  Over the years the shortfall has cost the Council well over £1 
million, and it’s time the situation was corrected.  The Minister for Local Government appeared to hear what we said, and we can only hope that he will act on it, as these amounts are important to the borough, and we could so much with that money.

“It can’t be right in anybody’s mind that whilst we’re under funded by £380,000 per year, leafy Chichester is over funded by £1.3 
million, no one could say that that’s fair.”

Greg Pope MP said: “I thought it was a very positive meeting and the Minister genuinely listened to our concerns and took them on board. Any change in the way funding is calculated would take place next year rather than this although it should be remembered that Hyndburn is due to get an 18 per cent increase in central government funding in 2006.”

Picture shows: Cllr David Myles, Cllr Peter Britcliffe, and Greg Pope MP outside the Houses of Parliament