Earby Town Councillors met last night with Pendle Borough and West Craven Area Committee councillors to try and resolve the dispute over Earby's share of the Pride in Place funding.
The meeting, held at Earby Community Centre, was closed to the public but was attended by 5 Earby Town, 2 Kelbrook Parish, and all 3 West Craven Area Committee councillors (David Whipp, Susan Land and David Hartley - all Lib Dem), plus 2 Pendle Borough Council officers (one was Ryan Gifford - Senior Regeneration Officer, Economic Growth).
Information from the gathering is scarce, but Pendle Borough Council leader and Earby & Coates councillor, David Whipp, released at statement after the meeting:
"Following robust and constructive discussion, members of West Craven Area Committee and Earby Town Council, together with Kelbrook and Sough Parish Council, have considered the Pride In Place Impact Fund programme for the Earby area, and have agreed to prioritise the following projects:
- Rushton Avenue play area;
- Earby Memorial Park toilets and changing rooms;
- Kelbrook play area; Sough Park drainage;
- Waterfall's footbridge;
- Station Hotel toilets;
- Hill Top Pavilion refurbishment;
- Bus shelter seats;
- Colne Road railway banking landscape scheme;
- Community space at Town Council offices.
The revised programme will be presented to Pendle Council's Executive Committee on 19th March for endorsement."
As the dripfeed of information comes out here's what we know and has been agreed and rejected.
Three of the five projects put forward by Earby Town Council originally are still going ahead at: Rushton Ave playground, a new footbridge at Birley playing fields, and refurbishment of the community room at Earby Town Council.
Earby has won the fight to get funding for landscaping the railway embankment on Colne road, which they said was key to improving the visual impact of people entering the town. This was previously rejected.
They also had victories in getting the Station Hotel toilets and Hill Top Recreation Pavillion refurbished and reopened.
Two previously agreed projects have been cast off to fund the above. There were new festive lighting and the repainting of street furniture along Victoria road/Colne road.
The other two projects rejected was the main Earby Town Council proposal for CCTV, which was intended to safeguard all the other improvements that are planned, and the costly (£25,000) repaving on Victoria road proposed by Pendle Council.
Earby Town Council's argument that its share of funding should not be spent on areas outside its boundary, seem not to have been heeded, with Sough Park drainage and changing rooms and Kelbrook play area still on the projects list.
The final proposals still need to be signed off by Pendle Council's Executive Committee on Thursday March 19, 2026. Members of the public can attend but need to email the Council to have permission to ask a question. committee@pendle.gov.uk
Not What It Seems
At first glance it seems everyone came together to agree, but no sooner had Cllr. Whipp's post been shared on Facebook, Earby Town councillor, Diane Anderson, shared her frustration - clearly not happy with the outcome:
Earby Town Council are believed to be preparing a formal response to the meeting soon.
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