EARBY parish councillors fed up of waiting for answers over apparent funding anomalies for the "Earby Go!" programme are threatening to call in the Local Government Ombudsman.

"Earby Go!" was the name given to a range of projects overseen by the Earby Town Centre Regeneration Forum. It was a body made up of local councillors, parish councillors, traders and residents, established to breathe new life into Earby.

The forum had a lifespan of three years, with extra funding from Pendle Council. In fact, the Earby Forum was granted an extra year (but with no extra funding) to complete its projects and spend its funds.

As well as the money from Pendle Council, it drew in outside funding from various other organisations, notably the Rural Development Commission (RDC).

During its operation, the forum helped pay for a variety of improvements in Earby. They included relaying stone pavements, new Victorian style streetlights, bins and benches, the refurbishment of the old rose gardens on Colne Road, improvements at New Road Community Centre, enhanced grants to local traders to improve their premises, and the establishment of the computer training centre in Earby.

The last of the Earby Go! money was allocated to improving sports facilities in Earby and is currently being spent on enlarging and improving the football pitch at the town's recreation ground.

However, some of the schemes planned by the forum did not proceed and it is there where the confusion over funding arises. In particular, £5,000 was set aside for a beckside walk between Victoria Road and New Road, which later proved impossible. More money was earmarked for a Victorian-style light at Keb Bridge, but it never appeared.

It was always envisaged that when the forum reached the end of its lifespan, there would be a list of its achievements published - effectively a statement of accounts.

But with dwindling attendance at forum meetings as it drew to a close, its remaining business was delegated to Pendle Council's town centres officer Joanne Johnson, who has since left the authority for a new post. Consequently, the forum "fizzled out".

However, almost two years ago one of its former members, Earby parish councillor Peter Charlton, said he would like to see a list of what the forum did and where its money was spent. The parish council wrote to Pendle asking for those details, but so far it has not been satisfied with the answers.

At a meeting with Pendle's new town centres officer, Jan Joshi, figures were produced which seemed to suggest the beckside walk had gone ahead and the £5,000 had been spent on it - clearly not the case.

At the latest parish council meeting, Coun Charlton said: "We've been chasing this for two years now and we don't seem to be getting anywhere. I want to know how to go about getting the ombudsman involved."

Coun Morris Horsfield agreed, saying: "We want to see a full statement of accounts for everything the forum did."

Coun Jack Cross added: "Those records must be somewhere, all the meetings must have been minuted."

Coun Christine Heap successfully proposed writing again to Pendle Council stating that unless members saw a full statement of accounts for the forum, they would refer the matter for investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman.

Pendle councillor for Earby, Doris Haigh, said she was sure that money had been transferred to other parts of the Earby Go! programme, including the rose garden improvements.