Party leaders in Burnley in Lancashire will meet behind closed doors today to try to thrash out an agreement to end a stalemate that has paralysed local politics.

The council has no leader and no ruling executive, and has been unable to make any significant decisions beyond who it wants as its representative on the Burnley and Pendle multi-racial playbus.

None of this would matter much in most towns, where it would be a small storm in a municipal teacup. But Burnley has six British National party councillors.

The Guardian (http://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11375,1296567,00.htmlhttp://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11375,1296567,00.htmlhttp://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11375,1296567,00.htmlhttp://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11375,1296567,00.html)