PENDLE Council has been accused by one of its own members of keeping a low profile in relation to Lancashire County Council's proposals to close residential homes.

Coun Mary Norcross, a representative for Craven ward, has been heavily involved in the campaign to save Cravenside home for the elderly in Barnoldswick.

At the full council meeting she read out a letter composed by Dean Ashley, chairman of the Save Cravenside Action Group, which questioned the amount of work put in by the council to fight off the threat of closure.

She asked what the council had done recently to oppose the proposed closures of elderly care homes in Lancashire and why it appeared to have kept a low profile on the issue.

Coun Norcross said: "Over the past few months our action group has been working very hard to oppose the county council's proposals to close care homes in Lancashire, particularly Cravenside in Barnoldswick.

"In the early stages of our campaign there was a unanimous outcry against the proposals from all parties, including Pendle Council.

"Its leader even spoke at one of our rallies and the council said it opposed the proposals.

"Recently our group has been uncertain about the input that Pendle Council has put into the campaign."

Leader of the council Azhar Ali defended the authority and said that he and other members in the council chamber had been actively involved in the campaign to save Cravenside.

He said: "A number of officers, led by Ian Broughton, housing and community manager, have been working hard, talking to Lancashire County Council to try to move forward.

"There was a working group set up by this council to address the concerns people had over the county consultation document and that group has met at least twice."

He said members of the working group had met with Coun Chris Cheetham at county hall to discuss the matter.

He said: "Coun Norcross is right that we haven't shouted from the roof tops for six weeks but it doesn't mean no work is going on.

" We are trying to find ways to formalise plans to save the homes in Pendle and organising another meeting of the working group."

The consultation process over the proposals to close all but one of the residential homes in Pendle, as well as many other homes across the county, was due to end on July 14 but has now been postponed to August 1.