REGENERATION bosses promised to revamp East Lancashire homes after earning a £150million Government grant.

The cash will be given to Elevate, the company behind the Housing Market Renewal scheme, over the next three years, taking its total funding since 2003 to £317million.

Elevate chief executive Max Steinberg said he was "delighted" with the outcome.

The award, the highest ever given to Elevate, is the second-largest of the nine areas in England in the Housing Market Renewal programme.

Mr Steinberg said: "We prepared a very strong business case and clearly we have been listened to."

He said one of the reasons East Lancashire had fared so well was the co-operation between different councils.

The Government had recog-nised East Lancashire's housing market needed investment, he added.

Elevate had lobbied the Government for a total of £156 million.

It is not known how much the other eight areas had asked for cash from the £1 billion pot.

The Merseyside New Heartlands scheme will get £152million, the Salford scheme will receive £140million and Oldham Rochdale Partners in Action £90million.

Under Housing Market Renewal, houses are refurbished or knocked down to make way for redevelopment in an attempt to improve the housing market.

Elevate has been criticised for not building enough houses and concentrating on demolition.

Mr Steinberg said it was too early to be specific on the number of houses to be built, but said money would be ploughed into existing refurbishment sites in Darwen, Blackburn Infirmary, and Pendle's Canal Corridor.

And projects will start at Woodnook in Accrington and Burnley Wood.

The money will be divided up between councils, which have already submitted separate bids to Elevate.

In the coming year Blackburn with Darwen will be given £12.6 million, Burnley £14.4 million, Hyndburn £8.6 million, Pendle £10.6 million and Rossendale £2.6 million.

Blackburn council leader Colin Rigby said: "That's the amount we were looking for, and Max has done his job in getting it.

"We need it - we still need more, but we've got to be grateful.

"This is good news for the borough, now we have to sit down and make the best use of it."