A REFERENDUM on a town council for Darwen is being needlessly stalled, councillors say.

Four months after Blackburn with Darwen council voted unanimously in favour of a poll to let Darweners decide how they wanted to be governed, no vote has taken place.

Thousands of people have signed petitions in favour of the move - one collected by For Darwen leader Tony Melia, and the other by the Lancashire Telegraph.

A town council is one of the key aims of the Lancashire Telegraph's We're Backing Darwen campaign, which was launched to help revitalise the town.

Labour councillor Dave Harling accused the coalition of "procrastinating" since the green light was given in September. He said: "We want the people of Darwen to get the chance to vote one way or another.

"We do not see why it has taken this long to get anywhere. At the moment they are not getting the chance to take this decision. Our position is simple: we want to see this question posed."

But the council's deputy leader, Liberal Democrat David Foster, said the council was looking at many different ways of devolving power to neighbourhoods, and wanted to make sure people knew the different options available.

He said: "The commitment is still there, but as in any referendum, the key thing is what you are going to ask.

"For the people to make an informed decision they need to know what alternatives are out there.

"We could rush to hold a referendum in two weeks, but what is the point when the people of Darwen do not know what the issues are?

"Neighbourhood engagement is crucial. You might call it procrastination, but we want to get this right."