LABOUR and Liberal Democrat leaders clashed as the new budget for Nelson was decided.

Following the elections last month, the Liberal Democrats are in the minority on the Nelson committee, despite ruling Pendle Council overall.

As a result, the Labour party's budget proposal - including plans to revamp the rear of a prominent route in the town - for Nelson was voted through.

Under their proposals for the Nelson area committee's £110,000 spending, Labour group leader Coun Mohammed Iqbal has pledged £20,000 for a new scheme to upgrade back alleys behind Lomeshaye Road.

And the party pledged to restore a £500 community grant scheme, for each committee member, at a cost of £7,500.

Coun Iqbal also proposed £5,000 for the new cycleway between Nelson and Colne College and the town centre and £2,000 to be spent on Lancashire Day celebrations in the coming year.

The budget was approved after stormy exchanges betw-een Labour and Pendle Coun-cil's ruling Liberal Democrats.

Following the May elections, the Lib Dems lost a number of seats in Nelson, including that of former area committee chairman Coun David Foster.

Coun Iqbal said the Lomeshaye Road scheme had been proposed because the issue had been put on the back burner' by various parties, including the Lancashire Local Pendle committee and the Whitefield Regeneration Partn-ership. "This committee gave a commitment to the residents of Lomeshaye Road that the problems they have had for a number of years would be tackled.

"For issues on the front side of the street we can approach Lancashire County Counci and the police but the back streets option is quite a viable scheme."

But Coun Sonia Robinson, a Lib Dem councillor for Southfield, said that a number of other streets in Nelson also suffered from the problems of having unadopted back streets.

She added: "They have had to pay for repairs. And when they cannot afford to pay it has been set as a charge against their property, which has to be paid if it is sold at any point.

"I do not see why taxpayers' money should be spent on other people's property. We are a fairly poverty-stricken area and we have all got this problem."

Fellow Lib Dem Coun Nadeem Ahmed said residents were more concerned about probl-ems at the front of their properties than the state of the back alleys.

Rival proposals by the Lib Dems, axing the Lomeshaye Road scheme and supporting works to tackle tree root problems on Rowland Avenue, were defeated with a vote and the Labour budget approved.