THE leader of Blackburn With Darwen Council has intervened in a dispute over elections to the management committee of an Asian community group.

Coun Malcolm Doherty has stepped in to mediate after the council was told of major concerns over election rules, procedures and candidates for elections to the management committee of the Ethnic Minorities Development Association.

EMDA is an umbrella organisation, set up in the mid-1980s to represent the interests of Blackburn's ethnic community.

The elections, due to take place at the end of July, were postponed.

Coun Doherty had been told of concerns that ballot papers for elections were designed in such a way as to lead members to believe they were nominating an individual rather than a representative of an organisation, contrary to the EMDA constitution.

There have also been alleged problems with people nominating and seconding themselves.

Coun Doherty said: "The chairman of EMDA requested that we send an officer to oversee the election but I refused as we had already had people querying the validity of the election.

"I wrote to the chairman of EMDA and outlined to him the nature of the complaints we had received and told him that, in my view, the validity of the elections would be challenged by whoever lost.

"I told him that if he could get agreement to suspend the constitution of EMDA, we would send an officer.

"I am still awaiting a reply. The people losing out here are those who would be benefiting from the work of EMDA."

No-one from EMDA has been available for comment.

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