COLNE In Bloom has become an ‘irksome political football’, it was claimed today.

The row over the allocation of funding for flowers has led the Lib Dems to say that the Tory group is threatening the town’s future chances of winning the national competition.

The Lib Dems have called on individual councillors to hand their £500 horticultural grant into a central pot to help the town win another title in the prestigious In Bloom competition - Colne has twice been awarded a silver gilt in the large town category, 2011 and 2013.

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Cllr Tony Greaves said he and the other three Lib Dems on the Colne committee – Cllrs David Clegg, Graham Roach and Dorothy Lord – were giving their funds to the flagship flower frippery.

He said: “We all giving our £500 to Colne in Bloom. We challenge the Conservative councillors to do the same.

“Two Conservatives said they were giving all or most of their money elsewhere but Cllr Joe Cooney said his would also go to Colne in Bloom.

“We now ask the rest of the Conservative councillors to follow their leader and say they will back the bloomers. Do they really want to be the party that brings the glorious era of Colne in Bloom to an end?”

Cllr Graham Waugh, the Conservative committee chairman who represents Foulridge, said: “Tony Greaves seems to think Colne in Bloom is his property.

“We have all these bids for money that always seem to come from the same place -— the money is allocated for the whole of Pendle. Colne in Bloom has had a lot of public money over the years, as has Waterside.

“Under the new system it is entirely up to the councillor for the different areas to decide how it’s spent rather than come March, Dot Lord coming to us with a bid to buy the flowers for the next year when we are voting to commit money we don’t have. I gave my money to Foulridge Parish Council, Paul Wright has split his between three things. It is not up to Tony Greaves to emotionally blackmail us saying we are against Colne.

“Colne in Bloom is not a political football. It does a very nice job but it is very expensive and we should spend more time making sure everyone gets a taste of the pie.”