A PETITION with 1,110 signatures protesting about plans to hold private council cabinet meetings will be discussed behind closed doors tonight.

A shake-up of the way Blackburn with Darwen Council is run sparked a major public protest and led to the petition.

Liberal Democrat Councillor David Foster organised the petition in protest at proposals to hold vital council meetings in private.

An eight-strong committee of councillors will discuss the petition and make recommendations.

The original plan was to hold the committee or cabinet meetings in private but town hall chiefs have changed their stance following criticism from voters and a campaign for more openness by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. Despite the u-turn, the first meeting of the new executive-style cabinet will still be held in private because there has been no chance to introduce the new regulations. Leading councillors have claimed the u-turn was a clarification of their position and the plan was always to have an open and accountable system.

The petition is on the agenda of the first executive meeting and officers are recommending councillors put information on the proposed changes on the council's official website. The officers are also pointing out that 290 groups and organisations were asked for their views on the new council set-up.

The report on the petition also points out that government legislation on the changes in local authorities does not come into effect until next April.

The report says: "The first year will be a transitional period, and arrangements and constitutional matters will be reviewed before legislation is fully implemented, therefore nothing is cast in stone."