THE British National Party today hit out at being excluded from talks to find a new council leader and ruling body.

Leaders of all the political parties in Burnley have been meeting without the BNP in a bid to negotiate a cross-party executive to run the council.

Talks will resume this week.

But the BNP, which has six members on Burnley Council, said it was undemocratic for them to be omitted from the negotiating table.

Leader Coun Len Starr said: "My understanding of negotiation is that all parties in a dispute meet together to bring a solution to a problem. It has been made abundantly clear by the other group leaders that a place at the table for a BNP member was non negotiable and I am sad to say that council officers appear not to have used any influence to remind people what democracy is about.

"The large numbers of people in Burnley who voted for my party expect more from the democratic process than they are receiving."

However the other party leaders said fundamental ideological differences made it impossible to work with the BNP.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Tories and Independents are meeting to try and thrash out a new administration before a special meeting of the council on September 29.

If talks fail there are fears civil servants could be ordered to take control of the council.

By law councils must have a leader and administrative body and the Government would not let Burnley drift in limbo indefinitely.

The crisis follows a night of high drama at last month's council meeting when Labour's minority administration lost power and leader Stuart Caddy and remaining members of the executive resigned.