A BITTER dispute between Barnoldswick town councillors got personal this week, with one accusing others of operating a "clique".

The row comes after a group of councillors voted against using a former school building on Rainhall Road as the town council's offices.

Opposing the move, Coun David Whipp accused them of putting the building's regeneration in jeopardy and has since instigated a town poll on the issue.

However, other councillors have branded the poll a "waste of money". They also say they fully support the Rainhall Road project and that their decision will not stop it from progressing.

At a meeting on Monday, Coun John Broughton revealed he had met informally with representatives of West Craven Together - which is co-ordinating the Rainhall Road project - to discuss the situation. However, Coun Whipp accused him of operating a clique and demanded to know who had taken part.

But town clerk Robert Kandt said according to council guidelines, no wrongdoing had taken place.

This week, the councillors who voted to stay in the Old Library issued a statement saying that the meeting took place at the request of West Craven Together and proved "both positive and amicable".

The statement reads: "The loss of £48,000 in future town council rents will not cause the Rainhall Road project to fail. West Craven Together have re-arranged their finances to cover this amount."

The councillors stated that more financial transparency and better communication was needed between the town council and West Craven Together, with its manager Hanna Atkinson attending council meetings when requested.

The statement adds: "The town council does support West Craven Together and this will continue. This is in marked contrast to Pendle Borough Council who recently refused to underwrite the £700,000 in grants which West Craven Together is expecting to receive.

"But the £3,000 costs from the ratepayers of Barnoldswick for the parish poll is a waste of money, considering the wording of the question."

Coun Whipp is calling for Barnoldswick residents to vote "yes" in the poll, which will be held next Thursday.

Voters must simply say yes or no to his proposal reading: "The former Rainhall Road school should be brought back to life and the town council should play its part in making that happen."

Coun Whipp also claimed that despite the initial costs involved in moving to the former school, the council would have saved money in rent as the years progressed.

He said: "Instead of using the money it spends on accommodation to benefit a wider community project, the town council will be paying a private landlord thousands of pounds for rooms that will stand empty and unused most of the time.

"In order for us to have a sign outside saying 'this is the town council's building', residents will have to pay a heavy price - and not only through the council tax.

"The regeneration partnership leading the refurbishment of Rainhall Road have had to go back to the major funding partner asking to switch extra money to the scheme to plug the funding gap caused by the town council's withdrawal.

"At best this will lead to other worthwhile local projects being cut to the tune of £50,000 to compensate. At worst, if the request is refused, the whole project to bring the Rainhall Road building back to life could fall apart.

"A large majority of votes in favour of bringing the building back to life on Thursday should cause the town council to think again and invest in the project for the whole of our community."