A COUNCIL has been accused to throwing ‘a cloak of secrecy’ over its financial dealings after rejecting two Freedom of Information requests.

Blackburn with Darwen Council this month refused to reveal how much it paid for two properties crucial to a multi-million pound regeneration scheme.

In December it declined to say how much it had paid to support a guaranteed total rental income to financial giant Legal and General, the owners of One Cathedral Square.

Cllr John Slater, leader of the council Conservative Group, said: “The council is throwing a cloak of secrecy over its financial dealings and how it spends, or misspends, money”

Liberal Democrat councillor Roy Davies said: “The council is being unnecessarily secretive.”

In April a year long price dispute between businessman John Khattir and Blackburn with Darwen Council over the sale of The Godfather takeaway and the neighbouring Blakey Moor Newsagents was settled.

The deal removed the final obstacle to the £3.8million scheme to turn the Northgate area of Blackburn Town centre into a visitor attraction proceeding but the council refused to say how much was paid to Mr Khattir.

Last month the Lancashire Telegraph put in a Freedom of Information request asking how much was paid, what the original offer was and what Mr Khattir had originally asked.

The council refused the FoI request saying ‘disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of the council’.

In December, the paper asked how much the council had paid out to support the rental income from the One Cathedral Square office block since its completion in November 2015.

The council said the information was ‘commercially confidential’ and its disclosure ‘could prejudice the council’s, the building owner’s and the developers of the property’s commercial interests both now and in the future’.

Borough finance boss Andy Kay said: “This is commercially confidential information. It is about protecting the interests of the individuals and businesses we deal with.

“The price we paid for Mr Khattir’s properties will eventually become public through the Land Registry. As far as I am aware the rental guarantee for One Cathedral Square has not been called in so no money has been paid so far although that may change.”

Cllr Slater said: “This is information of the spending of public money and should be made public who deserved to know what happens to it.”

He added: “I shall pursue this at full council and executive board meetings.”

Cllr Davies said: “This is public money so this information should be in the public domain.”