RED-faced Tories in Burnley have been branded the most tight-fisted in the North West.

They gave less cash than any other constituency to the party's national high command.

Conservative grandees didn't expect much in financial backing from the local party, setting it the lowest target in the region - just £1,200 - for campaign funds.

But local Tories showed that left to them, the machine which has driven the party to four successive General Election victories and 16 years of power, would quickly seize up.

Their efforts, as we revealed last night, raised just £10, less than one per cent of the amount asked for by central office and a fraction of the total they coughed up last year.

The latest indicator of declining true blue support in the Labour stronghold failed to spark a spirited response from local officials on the eve of the Conservative Conference.

Treasurer Barry Robinson was not available and chairman Ethel Parker said: "I can say nothing at all. I would not like to comment."

There were more red faces for true blues in other parts of East Lancashire with no constituency getting anywhere near its national fund-raising target.

But Pendle, another Labour constituency, put neighbours Burnley to shame, raising more than £1,000 for central funds - a third of the amount called for.

Rossendale and Darwen collected £482 for their political masters, 10.6 per cen, and in line with Blackburn's performance.

Bad news came from Tory-held Ribble Valley, where the amount raised plummeted from £2,000, 31 per cent of target in 1994, to just £200, 3.1 per cent of the £6,514 called for this year.

Overall the region has raised just under 30 per cent of the £253,497 it should have done, slightly up on last year's 26.5 per cent, taking this year's total to £75, 663.

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