DISGUSTED councillors have hit out after county chiefs snubbed their calls for talks over the closure of an outdoor education centre.

Burnley opposed a Lancashire county plan to shut down and sell Prior House at Richmond, North Yorkshire - a pursuits centre once owned by Burnley Council and handed over to county under local government reorganisation in the 1970s.

The general purposes committee called for county councillors and officers to come to Burnley to explain to them the full reasons for the move.

But last night councillors heard the invitation had been rejected because it "would serve no useful purpose". A letter from Jack Bennett, head of county school and agency services, stated: "The education committee's position and views on the matter have been fully detailed in our previous correspondence and decisions have now been taken."

It adds that there would be no loss of service to Burnley schools when the activities provided by Prior House were transferred to Borwick Hall, near Carnforth.

But Burnley councillors were not satisfied.

"I was disgusted with the County Council response," said committee chairman Eddie Fisk.

And Coun Peter Kenyon added that, despite three requests for information, county had never given the council or the people of Burnley a satisfactory explanation as to why the decision to dispose of Prior House had been made and if replacement facilities would be sufficient.

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