A CRISIS meeting has been called as problems surrounding Burnley and Pendle Racial Equality Council come to a head.

Burnley, Pendle and Lancashire county councils will meet Commission for Racial Equality chiefs as a 'matter of urgency' following the REC's refusal to meet their demands.

The bodies, which provide £120,000 per annum funding for the race harmony group, say they are disappointed over the REC's refusal to accept their proposals for a full revision of the troubled organisation.

The REC executive have declared the funding bodies' demands - which amount to calling on them to sack themselves - as undemocratic.

In a statement, the councils now say they wish to find a way forward in the best interests of future race relations and racial equality in the Burnley and Pendle area. They add they will be considering all the options open to them.

The REC has been in conflict since last year's annual meeting when one of the two Asian groups vying for control, won power for the first time, with elections resulting in the removal of some long-serving members.

This sparked resignations of other executive committee members as well as many affiliated organisations.

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