A COMMUNITY worker stunned onlookers by quitting his post after being given an award for his work.

But Bernard Sullivan has said he would reconsider his decision after residents asked him to stay.

Mr Sullivan started the West Accrington Residents Association seven years ago and has been chairman from the outset.

He made his shock announcement just after being given a community award by Accrington Area Council for his work in the neighbourhood, claiming he had been stabbed in the back by the council.

Mr Sullivan said that three years' work and research conducted by the group into the accredited landlord scheme had been ignored at an event to celebrate Neighbourhood Renewal Fund projects on Wednesday, with the council taking all the credit for the initiative.

"I felt like I got the last knife in the back and I have turned my back on the whole lot of it," he said.

"We never seem to be getting anywhere with it. We have had all sorts of promises and we have been let down."

Another ongoing problem for the group, the only private residents' association in the borough, was the lack of a venue for meetings, Mr Sullivan said.

The lack of premises means the group couldn't access funding for projects.

"There are about 25 residents' associations in Hyndburn and most of them are council property. Every time one is formed, there is a place found for them," he said.

Michael Parkinson, vice-chairman of the group, said: "For the last six months we have had running costs paid for us but before that the people of West Accrington funded it. If we had to send any mail or make phone calls, we paid for it ourselves."

Mr Sullivan added: "We have been disillusioned so many times. We still haven't got anywhere of our own to meet. We are the only residents' association without a home of our own."

Mr Sullivan said he would make a decision about his future before the residents' association meets again on Thursday.

Joan Pilkington, another member of the committee, said: "The problem is if you are on a council estate and the council have premises, they will let you have a house. We don't have any in this area, it's all private property. So when all these bidding rounds come up we can't get anything because we haven't got premises. We are in a catch 22 situation.

"I think Bernard is so involved and cares for his area he will find it difficult not to continue."

Mike Chambers, chief executive of the council, said: "I'm surprised to hear that there is a difficulty over a meeting venue because we would obviously want to support that and my understanding was that there was a venue that was working very well. I wasn't aware there was a difficulty financing that. I will look into it."