FURIOUS leisure chiefs in Hyndburn claim they are struggling in the bottom division when it comes to lottery handouts.

A council delegation recently travelled to a conference in London to lobby lottery bosses for more funds for facilities in the borough.

They were upset to hear a £4million scheme to revamp athletics facilities at Wilson's playing fields, Clayton-le-Moors, had been thrown out.

Leisure chiefs complained that an original, smaller bid to upgrade a running track was deemed unsuitable for shortlisting. But ambitious plans for an indoor track and climbing wall, which they claim would have drawn people from all over East Lancashire, were also rejected.

Mayor Ian Ormerod, who led the delegation with Hyndburn's chief executive Mike Chambers, told councillors they were awaiting a response to their comments.

Coun Ormerod told the policy and resources committee: "We got our message over and let them know how we felt about the bid being turned down. I'm disappointed that the Sports Council and lottery people feel we can't have facilities because we're not a city and not seen as an area in our own right.

"But there is a chink of light because they are now soliciting bids from areas that have not had the returns they hoped for."

A motion to support the lobbying process, proposed by council leader George Slynn, was recently backed by East Lancashire Partnership.

The motion read: "On behalf of the residents, this partnership has concerns about the risk of a two-tier sports lottery, with East Lancashire relegated to the bottom division.

"We call upon the English Sports Council and relevant sports governing bodies to enter into a dialogue with us about the level of investment and scale of facilities appropriate to respond to local needs."

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