A TOWN is getting short-changed when it comes to cash allocations, according to councillors.

The Labour-dominated Nelson committee claims Colne and Barnoldswick are getting more cash per head of population than Pendle's largest town.

But leading Liberal Coun Tony Greaves said Nelson councillors were playing with figures and cash was being shared out fairly.

Coun Don Proud claimed Nelson people would be getting almost £2 per head less spent on them than residents in Barnoldswick, based on the cash awarded for area committees to spend locally.

He said Nelson would get £5.88 per head, Colne £6.46 and Barnoldswick £7.61, based on budget figures for the year from April.

For the first time, under Pendle's new area structure, district committees are being given a cash allocation for councillors to decide what to spend the money on. But a standstill council budget and tightening purse strings have left some members unhappy with their allowance.

Nelson councillors were outraged to hear that £100,000 of the £156,000 allocated to the town depends on a successful Lottery grant bid.

The money would be spent on refurbishing Nelson Civic Theatre. The committee bid for £471,000.

Committee chairman Coun Azhar Ali said: "This administration has thrown Nelson to the bottom of the pile and given the money to other areas.

"Every good idea we put forward gets knocked back. I'm sorry to say that seems to be the general policy of the administration."

Colne's allocation is the largest of all areas, £177,670 out of a £703,670 bid. But Coun Greaves said closer inspection of the figures revealed Nelson and other areas were getting their fair share.

Out of Colne's allocation, £25,000 is being spent on improvements to King George's Playing Fields which were already next in line for the work, £30,000 is going to pay for a new lift at Colne Town Hall that will have borough-wide benefits and £50,000 is being allocated to the town's conservation area partnership, depending on matching funds from English Heritage.

"When you take these out you find that the figures are not far off Nelson's," said Coun Greaves. "Colne was the only area not to be allocated extra cash on top of the figure recommended by the management team.

"If you look at other budgets you will find that Nelson gets almost all the housing improvement programme."

Brierfield and Reedley is allowed £17,500 after bidding for £98,700, Barrowford £17,500 out of £111,000 bid, and West Craven £35,000 out of a bid for £104,000.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.