POLITICIANS have condemned as "nonsense and perverse" a decision which will transfer millions of pounds worth of grants to create jobs away from Farnworth and Kearsley to affluent Bromley Cross.

Bolton Council had hoped to persuade the Government to drop Bromley Cross and another of this year's additions Astley Bridge, from its map of places entitled to European assisted area status.

But an announcement yesterday meant Farnworth and Kearsley are out in the cold and facing an end to assisted area money given to boost job creation in targeted wards.

MP Brian Iddon, Bolton South-east, said he was very disappointed with the decision and North-west MEP Gary Titley, a Bolton resident, branded it illogical and said it showed no understanding of local circumstances.

The finalised map means the Government will not be allowed to give grants to Farnworth and Kearsley to support firms or attract investment.

It could plough such money into Bromley Cross and Astley Bridge.

The European Commission decided to include the area of Bromley Cross and Astley Bridge to link it with Darwen and areas of Blackburn which receive assisted area status.

Farnworth and Kearsley were taken out because of changes to the Salford and North Manchester assisted area blocks.

Angry Dr Iddon said: "The wrong decision has been made. There's nothing I can do about it now because it's been accepted by the European Union Commission. But I feel the people of Farnworth and Kearsley have been desperately short changed and I shall be saying so to the Minister Richard Caborn."

MEP Mr Titley fumed: "This is a nonsense decision made by civil servants sitting in London drawing lines on a map who have no idea of the local circumstances.

Kearsley councillor Margaret Rothwell was equally dismayed.

She said: "I feel that Kearsley loses out all the time. Being part of Bolton has been nothing but a disaster for us."

Astley Bridge Cllr John Walsh also expressed serious misgivings about the funding map.

He said: "Bolton has been shortchanged. I'm delighted for Astley Bridge and Bromley Cross which do have areas of severe deprivation but desperately disappointed that the council didn't support the Tory proposal to lobby for the inclusion of Farnworth and Kearsley as well."

Deputy council leader Guy Harkin replied to the Cllr Walsh's criticism by saying that there would have been no point in sending a physical delegtion and it would have been a waste of money.

Cllr Harkin said: "Our experience is that a delegation to the European Commission is a waste of time. It is a thousand pounds of tax payers' money that I wouldn't want to throw away on gesture politics. We lobbied very hard through the MPs and via letters and the usual channels."

He added: "It's a perverse decistion to take Farnworth and Kearsley out of assisted area status. They are areas which require considerable assistance.They are areas of considerable deprevation. It has been a beurocratic decistion rather than a humanitarian one."

But Farnworth councillor Raymond Stones sounded a more upbeat note.

He said: "I still think Farnworth is a deprived ward but it is not all bad news. There are other sources of funding. We are disappointed but we are optimistic."