A SATELLITE town in Bolton says it feels left out of multi-million pound plans to transform the borough.

Blackrod residents say they are just as much in need of urgent funding as other towns due to receive an injection of funding from the council.

Farnworth, Little Lever, Horwich and Westhoughton - as the four largest centres in the borough - each have plans for regeneration. The projects will be funded by a £16m pot, drawn from the council’s £100m town centre masterplan budget, financing changes like pedestrianisation.

The selection has sparked a backlash from town leaders in Blackrod who are asking why their area has not been included. Last year, town mayor John Price urged that the scheme should be changed, saying Blackrod ‘had not received substantial funding in 40 years’.

Now that the local masterplans have been drawn up and are being put to the public in early-stage consultations, complaints have been renewed.

Town councillor Graham Farrington said: “The council is sending money everywhere else.

“I am not begrudging the other towns getting the money, but we are struggling like everywhere else and the council is handing money out hand over fist, we should have a share in that.

Cllr Farrington said: “We have been struggling in Blackrod to do road improvements. If we could get something towards that, it would help bring about changes.”

But smaller centres may now have more chance of getting funding from the main council budget, according to the original intentions of the masterplan move.

In the announcement for the masterplan fund, issued last year, the council said: “Allocating extra funding to the borough’s largest centres will enable the council to continue to invest in smaller key centres such as Kearsley and Blackrod through its capital programme.”

After the complaints, a council spokesperson said: “Horwich, Westhoughton, Little Lever and Farnworth are all defined district centres in our Local Development Framework.

“All areas in Bolton receive investment through our multi-million pound capital programmes such as those for highways and environmental improvement.”