A FORMER mayor has been banned from Burnley's May Day celebrations after rival Labour officials threatenend to withdraw funding if his party was allowed to attend.

The move to prevent the Liberal Democrats from exhibiting at the town's annual celebration has been blasted as "childish" and "petty".

However the town's Labour MP Kitty Ussher today defended her party's decision to ban the opposition and said the event coincides with International Labour Day.

Representatives on the May Day committee which organises the event alongside the Trades Council, claimed it would lose support from major funders, including the Labour Party, if they did not ban opposition parties.

Coun Gordon Birtwistle said he only found out that the party, which attended last year's event, would not be allowed in a message left on his answering machine.

The former mayor said: "I think it's really petty and childish.

"The Trades Council is supposed to be an independent group which represents the trade unions and members of trade unions.

"Yet they have been bullied by powerful groups who have some cash into banning us from going to a public event."

The Coal Clough with Deerplay ward councillor, added: "We are supposed to be living in a democracy where people can listen to other people's views, yet they are trying to keep anybody with any other political point of view away.

"The celebrations are supposed to be about workers and their rights where people should be able to listen to a range of views.

"It's disappointing to say the least because we had all the leaflets printed off ready for the event and everyone was looking forward to it because it was an enjoyable event last year."

Jack Preston, secretary of the May Day Festival, added: "We struggle to get funding every year.

"We would love to have had the Liberals in, however that's something some people wouldn't like.

"The Labour Party do feel threatened because of what's going on in the town and for that reason it could stop supporting the event if the opposition was allowed and we had to listen to what they were saying.

"The Trades Council took the decision not to allow parties who would be standing against Labour. I don't like that.

"We have always enjoyed saying come along and show us what you do to whatever organisation, but when a decision is made by the Trades Council we have to stand by it."

Peter Thorne, secretary of Burnley Trades Council, said: "The Liberals being at the event last year was an oversight and it did cause a lot of problems with the Labour Party, who were opposed to their presence.

"They said they would have to re-consider their support not just financially but for the overall running of the event and without them it wouldn't go ahead."

The May Day celebrations attract thousands of visitors every year.

"The event starts with a march through Burnley centre and ends up at Towneley Park where there are dozens of stalls and guest speakers.

Conservative Burnley councillor Peter Doyle said: "To be honest I am surprised that the Lib Dems had been allowed a stall in previous years.

"Traditionally May Day events are socialist union events. To me May Day is a Labour day and is not something I or the Conservative Party would be interested in attending."

The town's MP, Kitty Ussher added: "I would have thought the organisers, the Trades Council, who are part of the Labour movement, on International Labour and Workers' Day, which is something the Labour movement celebrates as part of tradition, would not want to have people involved who are standing against the Labour Party at the event."

BNP Hapton with Ward councillor Len Starr added: "Our preference would be to have a St George's Day celebration that would be open to all."