IT might turn out to be a momentous moment for the future of the town, but it passed quietly enough.

The vote was on a plan designed to redress the wrongs of the past 30 years of planning.

It was said to be "a new vision for Warrington" by John Earle, the borough council's head of regeneration.

The document was put before councillors at the Town Hall last Tuesday night.

The title was dry and techni- cal, like that of all council reports: A Revised Regeneration Strategy For Warrington.

But the idea behind it will affect everyone in the town - Warrington has developed quickly in the suburbs but too slowly in the centre, so future policy should be about filling the economic hole in the doughnut'.

The rethink was forced by an audit commission report that said Warrington lacked an overarching vision for the town.

Clr Terry O'Neil (Burtonwood- Lab) thought the new plan would be hampered by the Lib Dem/Tory decision to get rid of a fund that was used specifically for regeneration in the inner wards.

And John Morris (Whittle Hall - Lab) said: "We may not like this but the fact is that, by a massive scale, most regeneration money has gone into the outlying districts - Whittle Hall, Westbrook and Lymm, into projects like Chapelford and Omega.

"It is undeniable that most of the money invested into the town has gone into the outside of the doughnut (town centre)."

But Bob Barr (Lib Dem - Lymm) said regenerating the inner wards was not about special funds 'but the whole range of services playing their part'.

In an apparent jibe at the Labour members, Clr Barr added: "Why, 30 years after the new town was built, do we still have to fight for one Warrington? Now that really is a scandal."