A NEW leisure trust set up to take over and manage most of Pendle Council's sports and entertainment facilities is up and running.

The independent charitable trust took over responsibility from Sunday October 1 and will be run by its own board of trustees.

Among the sites it will look after is West Craven Sports Centre in Barnoldswick.

Last minute financial concerns had put the transfer in doubt last week, but they were resolved prior to two crucial meetings on Thursday, allowing it to go ahead as planned.

There were unanimous votes to proceed at the meetings of the new trust board and Pendle Council.

Concern had been expressed last week that a Pendle Council grant to the trust, set at just over £1 million a year for its first three-and-a-half years, would not rise with inflation after the first year.

In fact, at a meeting of Pendle Council's policy committee, Labour and Conservative members combined to vote through a proposal to cut the grant by three per cent after the trust's first year.

Those terms were unacceptable to the trust board, which had been set to refuse the transfer.

Liberal Democrat councillors, opposed to the move, claimed it could lead to the new leisure trust being "chronically underfunded".

"Instead of having a sound financial footing, the trust could end up having to make cuts within months of taking over the services," said Barnoldswick Lib-Dem councillor David Whipp. He demanded a "fair funding" package for the trust.

But at Thursday's full meeting of Pendle Council, Labour and Conservative members abandoned their opposition to an inflation-linked grant, allowing the transfer to go ahead.

Liberal Democrat members said they were delighted at the change of heart.

"We want to give the trust the best possible start," said Coun Whipp. "This indexed linked package will launch the trust on a firm financial foundation. It won't be a case of sink or swim."

Negotiations prior to Thursday night's meetings had led to a compromise, giving the trust a two-year inflation proof grant with a promise that the council "would use its best endeavour" to improve the position in the third year.

Creating the leisure trust will save Pendle Council £250,000 in annual business rates. Coun Whipp vowed that the Liberal Democrats would continue to fight for a fair share of that money to be ploughed back into leisure facilities.

"Anything else would be selling the public of Pendle short," he said.

The main reason for setting up the new leisure trust is the saving of around £250,000 per year in business rates.

As a charitable trust, it will qualify for 100 per cent rate relief, and there will also be further savings in VAT.

It will also be able to bid for National Lottery funding which was not available to the council.

The trust has been set up as an "industrial and provident society" and will be run as a non-profit making organisation.

Any surplus funds that are generated will be ploughed back into the services the trust provides.

Although Pendle Council has set it up, it will be run independently of the council by its own trust Board, currently comprising 16 members.

Three of them are Pendle councillors - one representing each of the three main parties - two are members of the council's leisure services staff, and the rest are people from the Pendle community, many with an interest in sport or leisure facilities.

All the board members are unpaid volunteers. Two from the West Craven area are John Drury, a parish councillor from Kelbrook, and Jeff Haydock, from Salterforth, founder of Salterforth Boys Football Club.

The leisure trust has taken over responsibility for all Pendle Council's sports centres, including the West Craven Sports Centre and Pool, at Barnoldswick.

It will also be responsible for several of the borough's public halls, including Colne Municipal Hall, but not Barnoldswick Civic Hall.

The running of the borough's parks and playing fields also remains the responsibility of Pendle Council.