LANCASHIRE County Council bosses last night warned its services will be cut to the legal bone with even street lighting at risk.

Leader Jenny Mein said residents faced “shocking, frightening and unprecedented” reductions in its provision.

She promised to protect the most vulnerable but warned expected government cuts in grants could leave only statutory services in place by 2017/2018.

These include adult social care, children’s services, free bus passes for pensioners and waste disposal.

Cllr Mein admitted street lighting – a non-statutory service faced cuts.

She added: “We will keep some of the lights on some of the time.

“These cuts in government grant are shocking.

“The reductions in service we face making are shocking.

“They are unprecedented and will leave a county council provision that is unrecognisable even compared to when we took power in 2013.

“We are engaging consultants to see how we can save millions by doing things smarter.”

Cllr Mein admitted other services where the law demanded provision, but did not specify at what level, such as libraries, economic development, and trading standards, could face big cutbacks.

County hall staff union boss Elaine Cotterell claimed the ‘dire’ level of cuts forced on the authority could even plunge the streets into darkness because it could not afford to keep lights on.

Lancashire provides key services to Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Chorley.

Cllr Mein’s deputy David Borrow said his best estimate would see the county budget cut from £762 million this year to £684 million in 2017/2018.

The bare statutory services cost £692 million leaving an £8 million gap which even the maximum permitted council tax increase of 1.99 percent (42 pence a week for a Band D property) would barely cover.

He said: “As a Labour politician this is the last thing I want to do, but the government is leaving me no choice.”

Cllr Mein said rising costs of care for the elderly could see council provision reduced to only those in ‘critical need’ and support for carers scrapped.

Final recommendations on proposed cuts are expected in November with the budget and council tax set in March next year.

Ms Cotterell, leader of Lancashire Unison branch, said: “Unison warned weeks ago that the cuts would signal an end to council services as we know them, but even we have been shocked by the scale of the cuts revealed to staff today.

“We believe the county council is a victim of government cuts.

“However, residents have a right – and a need – to know what’s happening before it’s too late.

“Our stewards will be writing to all county councillors to ask what they’ll be doing to make the public and MPs aware of the damage being done silently, and the price we will pay as a society of these cuts.

“Every family in Lancashire will be affected by this news because all of us pay for and use council services.

“It will also have a major impact on jobs and services provided by local district councils.

“The situation is dire and the public needs to know what’s going on.”

Cllr Mein denied the proposals were being kept secret but admitted the county’s 12,000 workforce faced losing another 1,000 to 1,500 jobs in the next two years.