A ROW has broken out over the new bodies set up to govern areas across a borough.

The dispute was revealed at Hyndburn Borough Council’s meeting of the full council, where Labour leader Coun Graham Jones pledged to boycott new bodies set up by the council.

He claims the decision to replace five area councils across the borough has caused ‘chaos and confusion’.

The decision in March saw area councils in Peel and Barnfield, Rishton, Clayton and Altham, Spring Hill and Central Accrington, Church and West Accrington merged with Neighbourhood Management Boards, set up to oversee large scale demolition areas.

He was in turn accused of ‘letting down the residents of Peel and Barnfield’ by Independent Coun Malcolm Pritchard, who also claimed that Coun Jones had sent ‘misleading emails’ to him claiming that the meetings were cancelled.

Coun Pritchard said: “I’ve had emails and text messages saying the meetings were cancelled and not to go and I’ve reported it to the Standards Board.

“If Coun Jones wants to boycott them that’s up to him.

"However, he is letting the people of Peel Ward down. He’s been a very good councillor for this area and needs to carry on with the work he’s started.”

After the meeting Coun Jones said: “Although the council has tried to get rid of them, the chair and vice chair of Peel and Barnfield area councils who are both residents, have pledged to carry on.

“When I sent out messages, I was not talking about the new boards but ones the residents want and are participating in.

“The duplication of bodies is causing a lot of confusion.

"The council doesn’t like the fact that residents can run their own affairs and has set up a new body in a very jack-boot fashion in a bid to force them out.

“I will not be attending any meetings of the new body because I will go where the residents will go and I’m not going to two seperate meetings.”