BURNLEY is sliding deeper into poverty - despite picking up millions of pounds in development cash in recent years.

The latest Government index puts Burnley 65th most deprived area from more than 350 throughout England. The previous index, published in 1994, ranked the town 77th in the league.

It is a similar story in neighbouring Pendle, in 103rd position four years ago and now 99th most deprived area in the land.

But what appears to be bad news could be good news for the two boroughs - enabling them to stake a stronger claim for future Government development aid.

The index measures the percentage of 17-year-olds not in full time education; the unemployment rate; the percentage of households with no car and percentage of children in low earning homes, with no adult working or only one in part-time employment.

In recent years both Burnley and Pendle have received massive grant support and private investment to bring about development and new job opportunities in the area. A full analysis of the present Burnley position will go to the next meeting of the council's urban regeneration committee.

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said: "These new figures confirm what we already know - that Pendle is one of the more deprived local authority areas in the country.

"The index will be useful in persuading the Government to put extra resources our way."

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