PLANS to slash the number of councillors in a borough by 40 per cent have been given the go ahead.

Pendle Council's newly elected Conservative administration has approved a proposal to reduce the number of councillors in the borough from 49 to 30.

Following Pendle Council's full council meeting on July 4, a boundary commission review will take place to determine the areas where seats could be taken away.

There are currently 20 wards in Pendle and includes 13 three–member, 3 two-member and 4 one-member wards and the commission may propose single member or multi member wards depending on its assessment of the evidence.

The Commission will then publish draft recommendations for consultation and then final recommendation, which is expected to take 12 months.

The leader of the council, Paul White, has said the reduction in councillors would help to provide a 'much streamlined' officer structure as well as reduce council costs. It is thought the borough council could save around £57,000 a year by cutting the council numbers to 30 as a result of fewer payments of members’ basic allowances.

Cllr White, who put the motion forward, said: "As the council decreases in size and the staff levels do as well, it's only right the number of councillors decreases too. This will help reduce the the financial burden the council is having to take at the moment.

"We will look to do this as quickly as we can and I am confident we will be achieve this. It's likely to take 18 months and should be finalised by the 2020 election."

A proposal has also been made to abolish the annual local elections and instead all councillors would fight for their seats in one local election, which would take place every four years. Members of rival parties have voiced some concerns towards the proposed 'dramatic' decline in the numbers of councillors.

Cllr Tony Greaves, of the Pendle Liberal Democrat Party, said: "It's going far too far. It's just the Conservatives trying to reduce our local democracy, which is in line with their general views. They do not believe in democracy or active councillors and want to give them a system that will give them as much control as possible.

"They are also trying to abolish annual elections and have got every four years and I think that's very wrong and very serious. The way they are going at the moment I can't see it going well."

Cllr Wayne Blackburn, of the Pendle Labour Party, said: "It will be interesting to see what comes forward from the electoral commission. I'm opened minded on what they will say.

"I will wait to see the details of what they bring."

In response, Cllr White added: "The system will not give us more control than we have at the moment. There is no party politics with it. Pendle Council has had in size and on average more councillors than many other borough councils around the country and that's a waste of tax payer's money."

The last electoral review was completed in 2000 when the number of councillors was reduced from 51 to 49.