A BOROUGH authority will link its bid for £20million in government cash with Lancashire County Council’s bigger submission for money from the Levelling Up Fund.

Hyndburn Council’s leader Cllr Miles Parkinson revealed the co-operation at a cabinet meeting which approved a report detailing the progress of the application.

It gave a list of projects being considered for inclusion in the bid which will concentrate on the regeneration of Accrington town centre.

Potential projects include the redevelopment of the Arndale shopping centre, upgrading the Market Hall, and the redesigning of the traffic system.

Cllr Parkinson was questioned by Rishton Conservative Cllr Michael Miller on the highways aspects of the submission.

He said that the borough council had earmarked £40,000 to design a new traffic system adding: “We are working closely with Lancashire County Council on this.

“It will be submitting its own £50m bid to the Levelling Up Fund so some of the highways improvements may be included in that. The two bids will be linked."

Cllr Miller welcomed the co-operation but said: “We do not want the county council bid to focus entirely on Preston.

“We need to make sure Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale and Preston are not left behind.”

Cllr Parkinson revealed that the Levelling Up Fund bid would also feed into the council’s 10/15 year strategic Town Centre Investment Plan for Accrington sand identify other pots of government funding for the town.