THE man in charge of rebuilding East Lancashire's communities today vowed to "fight for our fair share and more."

The local Pathfinder scheme, called Elevate East Lancashire, is one of nine schemes in the country battling for a slice of £500million in Government cash over the next three years.

All have large areas of derelict or empty housing and the cash, the first chunk in a ten-year plan, is designed to help kick-start the regeneration.

But yesterday Government minister Ian McCartney said a large portion of the £670million that East Lancashire councils say they need to implement that plan would come from the private sector.

David Taylor, a former head of English Partnerships and AMEC Developments Ltd, was appointed the chairman of the the Pathfinder earlier this year.

Speaking after the official announcement at Ewood Park, Blackburn, Mr Taylor said: "The hard work begins now. We need to start discussions to get everything in place so we get our fair share. We'll be doing all we can to make sure we get more than our fair share."

A video link-up to Westminster was installed at the lunchtime conference, enabling John Prescott's launch speech in Westminster to be broadcast into the room. It was followed by a speech by minister Ian McCartney, who explained how the project would work in the North West.

The five councils involved in the Pathfinder in East Lancashire -- Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Rossendale and Pendle -- estimate £670million will be needed to be spent to sort out communities and housing.

But Mr McCartney refused to guarantee how much of the £500million would come to East Lancashire and how much more money would be forthcoming in future years.

He said: "There will be a very large element of private sector involvement which the Pathfinders will attract.

"It has not been decided how much each Pathfinder will get, that is subject to negotiations which will take place in coming weeks. But it is important that it gets started quickly."

Mr Taylor said: "We estimate that the private sector investment will be on a 4:1 ratio with the public money.

"Our job is to attract that investment. It is a difficult task and people shouldn't expect results overnight.

"We need to be able to take workspace and education space into account as well if we are to build communities for the future."

Coun Mohammed Khan, Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member of housing and neighbourhood services, said: "By working together in partnership with other boroughs in East Lancashire and with the Government we can make great strides towards turning this situation around.

"The Pathfinder programme shows the Government is committed to tackling housing problems not just in the social rented sector, but in the private sector too."

Westminster sources say East Lancashire will probably get a large share of the money.

And MPs today said they would make sure ministers knew the severity of the problem in East Lancashire.

At the House of Commons, Burnley MP Peter Pike and Gordon Prentice expressed concern that the money was inadequate and the three year timescale too short.

Mr Prescott assured them that the money announced today was "just a start'' and the beginning of a long term strategy.

Whole town will be given a boost

THE money handed to Burnley will be used to regenerate the whole of the town and not just its poorest neighbourhoods -- the council pledged according to the council.

A new consortium, Elevate East Lancashire, has been formed to drive forward the plans for regeneration and how best to use the local share of a £500 million windfall.

The new group will meet next Monday to make decisions on how the money will be spent.

Money will be divided between a range of physical and social regeneration programmes.

They include: housing projects to improve choice and diversity, developing environmental work, community safety initiatives, creating long term employment opportunities and building investor confidence. Members of Burnley Borough Council's housing needs and strategy group will be at the meeting to put their case across. They said it is not just about demolishing empty homes.

A member of the unit said: "Until we know how much we are going to get it is difficult to put a plan together.

"It is not a case of targeting any one area. Any work must include a detailed plan of what the affect of any work carried out will be, and what will happen in any areas where houses are demolished.

"The idea is to regenerate the housing market and stop the decline in demand that is starting to show in other areas. It is all about restoring confidence in communities and looking at issues to help and facilitate that. It is a much bigger picture than just housing. We have got to look at why people abandon neighbourhoods and what is likely to bring people back.

"We need to look at what would create that demand.

"All those ideas will be part of the plan that we put together and will be part of the decision we take.

"In the last few years there has been quite a number of developments on the edge of town that have created high demand, but as with anything there is a saturation point."

East Lancashire and Burnley was identified as a "Pathfinder" area for housing renewal by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister earlier this year and is one of nine across Britain.