COUNCILLORS have launched a bid to break away from County Hall.

Pendle Conservative councillors Paul White and Graham Waugh want to break away from Lancashire County Council and for services to be delivered on a more local level.

The two councillors, who want Pendle to become a unitary authority, claim County Hall in Preston is too distant and does not best serve people in Pendle. They will present a motion to the full council in Pendle next week urging a break away from the county council.

Cllr White, deputy leader of the Conservatives, said: “We’re contacting the leaders of all political parties in East Lancashire to invite them to sit down and investigate the options for a break away from the county council. It would mean less bureaucracy, less councillors, a more joined up approach and a louder voice for Pendle with things like economic development.

“There are clear benefits for local people for services like highways being delivered locally. There’d be a greater knowledge and those people would only have one focus rather than competing priorities across the whole county. This isn’t reflective on any one party, I think it’s something that people in Pendle have felt for a long time and we’re here to represent those people.”

Senior Tory Cllr Waugh added: “This is really the start of a conversation with other local councils to see whether they want to break away, with Labour and the Lib Dems in Pendle, and to see whether they will support us in this, and with the Secretary of State to see what the parameters would be for such a move. Delivering services on a more local level can only be a positive thing.”

But Cllr Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said the idea was ‘rubbish’.

He said: “There is no way the government will accept Pendle as a unitary authority. It’s sheer rubbish.

"It will cost them a fortune to set up a highways board, buy gritters and all other things. Paul should have more common sense because he used to be a county councillor. All they are thinking about is Pendle’s share of money but we have to think about the full 12 districts and have to share it equally.

"Labour and Lib Dems may go along with him but there is no way government will.

"I would say this is a no go but it’s up to them to put the motion forward.”