PENDLE Council will next week meet with officials from housing regeneration body Elevate to thrash out an agreement on how to proceed with the revamping of dilapidated housing in the borough.

The private meeting, scheduled for Friday, comes after Pendle MP Gordon Prentice expressed fears the borough would lose some of the £12million it had secured as part of the Government's housing market renewal initiative, known as Elevate, because it was dithering.

Elevate officials have also raised concerns about the council meeting the targets it set regarding the amount of house clearance, demolition and renovation that will be conducted.

But today, the leader of the council, Alan Davies, hit back at the Labour MP and said the money secured would not be lost.

Raising his concerns, Mr Prentice called on the council to get its act together to safeguard the cash.

He said: "We have 1,850 empty, rotten and decaying abandoned houses and they are blighting whole neighbourhoods. We do not have the luxury of time. We've got to act and spend the money that's available.

"I know if the council wants to spend a year or two with further rounds of consultation there will be consequences.

"The money due to be spent in Pendle will go elsewhere while we dither. I want the council to get its act together."

The Elevate scheme will see poor quality housing cleared, replaced, or refurbished over the next 15 years.

The council, which has secured £12 million for the first two years of the scheme, has commissioned consultants to liaise with residents and draw up recommendations -- called "area development frameworks".

These will then form the basis of renovation projects.

Coun Davies said the money was secure. He added: "We currently have a programme to spend this year's money and we will not jeopardise next year's money.

"But we will make certain we will consult properly and make everyone aware of all the options. There is no fear at all of losing the money already secured."

Brian Cookson, the council's executive director for regeneration, added: "What will be discussed is the members' concerns that we get the balance right between renovation and clearance of terraced housing, and we make sure Elevate understands the concerns our communities hold about the clearance of housing."