HYNDBURN Council leader Peter Britcliffe has renewed his appeal for a 'No' vote to regional government if it comes to a referendum.

The government is this week due to announce which two forms of unitary government people will get to choose between in East Lancashire when the regional assembly vote takes place.

Hyndburn Council has written to the deputy prime minister John Prescott asking for the idea of a Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn authority to be ditched in favour of something else.

Coun Britcliffe fears it would simply lead to Hyndburn being taken over. The alternative option put forward by the Boundary Committee for the vote was a Lancashire-wide authority.

The third option, of an East Lancs authority, was scrapped.

Now Coun Britcliffe is preparing to fight to halt change.

He said: "Whatever options the Boundary Committee decides upon on Thursday they are not going to be palatable to anybody.

"We want to stay as we are and that is the message we are getting from the public.

"If the government do have the courage to hold a referendum on regional government in November then the people of Hyndburn need to vote no to regional government and everything that it entails.

"Nobody seems to be in favour of it and it will just take power away from local people if we come under the control of another local authority."

In December, the Boundary Committee presented its first three options for East Lancashire.

They were for one council for the whole of East Lancashire, one council for the whole of Lancashire or splitting East Lancashire into two councils.

Under the original plans, Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley would have merged.

But these plans changed in May when the committee announced the possibility about a merger with Blackburn and Darwen.

Council bosses reacted angrily to the announcement with Mr Britcliffe saying Hyndburn would fight 'tooth and nail' to stop Hyndburn being taken over.