Council Spending: Censorship Or Just An Innocent Oversight?

One of the key recommendations of Task Force was that, "the media should develop it's own strategies for reporting local issues that could contribute towards racial tension".

In plain English that means local news should be censored to keep from the Burnley public information that might make them feel antagonistic towards the town's ethnic minority communities ie. information on preferential funding, crime, etc.

Well, was that censorship in evidence today in a Lancashire Evening Telegraph report covering Burnley Borough Council's announcement of it's capital spending plans for the coming year?

From the £10 million budget, Coun Peter Kenyon, member for best value and resources, revealed that £2.4 million would go on clearance and regeneration in Burnley Wood and Accrington Road, £2 million would go on plans for a Burnley Technical College and £1.2 million on the Padiham Weir project.

Councillor Kenyon also announced,
"We are still carrying on spending capital on regeneration work in the Daneshouse ward which is only right as we gave a commitment to a ten year programme."

Burnley Council acknowledged that these were the four big projects for the coming year. Three of these four projects have a clear price tag indicating their cost but one, the regeneration of Daneshouse Ward, has no price tag. Was this just an innocent oversight or was it deliberate censorship as recommended by the Task Force?

Burnley Bravepages will find out - WATCH THIS SPACE!






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