11:06am Tuesday 10th March 2009
BLACKBURN with Darwen Council’s leader and his deputy have clashed over claims a Conservative Party election victory would hit improvements to the borough’s rail network.
Deputy leader of the coalition council, Darwen Lib Dem councillor David Foster believes a Tory Government would slash the money planned to go in to improving the rail network and would not start any work until 2015.
But council leader Mike Lee, a Conservative who leads the coalition which runs the council, hit back and accused his deputy of trying to capitalise on people’s fears.
In January Gordon Brown signed a £400million Multi Area Agreement which placed East Lancashire’s rail links with Manchester at the top of the governm-ent’s priorities for the area.
Coun Lee said: “I am disappointed that Coun Foster has said these things.
“It seems that he is making guesses and picking on things that people might be frightened of.
“Usually with things that are signed through like this, they go through regardless of who is in power.”
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