As the elected face and voice of town halls, council leaders are not renowned for making particularly interesting comments.

But more often than not they are consistent in their views - at least until this week.

Dispatched to the PLACE committee meeting of East Lancashire's council leaders in Bacup, I listened in as the top bods discussed housing regeneration cash from the government.

The area has been handed £4.2million for 2011/12 when under Housing Market Renewal, which was axed last year after seven years, East Lancashire averaged about £50million a year.

Here's what Pendle Council leader Mike Blomeley, a Conservative, had to say at the meeting: "We really have been left in something of a mess here. We all understand the government's financial position but that does not mean we should accept the immediate consequences of it."

But at the meeting I was also handed a press release, approved by council PR teams, which quoted Coun Blomeley thus: "This funding announcement recognises the strong partnership ethos we have across Pennine Lancashire, which means that when funding is available the government has total faith in us to spend it wisely."

There's a clear difference in tone there, not to mention in one quote welcoming the handout and in the other seeming to blast it as inadequate.

It seems clear which is the more candid view, which is why we used those quotes in the Lancashire Telegraph story.