A POLITICAL row has erupted over plans to press ahead with a £246,000 scheme to turn Clitheroe's historic castle into a focal point for the Ribble Valley.

A group of councillors were concerned that the "sketchy" plans were given the go-ahead by Ribble Valley Borough Council's community committee without sufficient public consultation.

They used the council's new procedural powers to get more in-depth discussions on the proposals and the decision to refuse £5,000 funding for the Clitheroe Christmas lights appeal.

But their bid was turned down at a meeting of all council members after it was decided the group had not followed council guidelines.

Each "call-in" must be backed by members of two different political groups, but it was deemed flawed by Conservative councillors after claims that Independent councillor John McGowan did not count as a political group.

The decision to use the call-in procedure was taken at last week's overview and scrutiny (services) committee. It means that decisions made at an individual committee, excluding planning and development, can be scrutinised thoroughly before being implemented.

Committee chairman Allan Knox said: "A recent survey carried out by the Clitheroe the Future project showed that only 26 per cent of those who responded knew about the ideas for the castle grounds.

"It is important that proper consultations are carried out and that, come September, when contracts have been sent out, we are not put in a position where we are having to carry out a rushed consultation job."

Conservative group leader and Read councillor Peter Redpath said he had no problem with the idea of consultation. But he added: "I do question the manner in which this has been raised. The way in which this issue was called in was not in accordance with council procedure.

"Coun John McGowan was one of the five that signed up, but he does not represent a political group, so therefore the decision made by the community committee should remain unaltered."

Lib Dem group leader and Clitheroe councillor Frank Dyson said: "I agree with the sentiment of Coun Redpath that the correct procedure needs to be followed, but it is highly inappropriate to question the item on the agenda on the grounds of the procedure being wrong when it was presumably in accordance with the responsible officers' interpretation of the rules."

Fellow party member Coun Stephen Sutcliffe said he felt Coun Redpath had resorted to "rather childish ways to stifle debate".

But Coun Richard Sherras warned that if the council accepted the call-in procedure now while the scrutiny committee was in a trial period, it could "lead to anarchy".

He added: "Five members are needed to use the procedure and must be from two separate political groups. Independent Labour councillors do not count as this."