A COST-CUTTING package of changes to the way civic halls in Pendle are run have been agreed by councillors.

But they have delayed a decision on whether to cut the number of hall keepers who look after the buildings by two until after the busy Christmas and millennium period.

The council's management team of senior officers and councillors said the changes were needed to bring substantial savings.

The authority's service monitoring sub-committee agreed savings had to be made and went ahead with a package of measures.

These included changing the cost of hiring the halls from charging per session to an hourly rate but only for meetings and not social functions. A 15 per cent surcharge will be added to bookings made within a week of the event rather than the 40 per cent recommended by officers.

A decision on whether to cut the number of hall keepers to the equivalent of six-and-a-half posts was put on hold while talks go ahead with union representatives and other ways of saving money are looked at.

Changes to the way Trawden Community Centre is run have already meant a £20,000 saving this year to help balance the council's budget.

Services director John Kirk said the further changes could mean savings of more than £40,000 a year. Cutting the number of hall keepers would result in a £37,800 saving alone, he added.

The amendments to booking policies and the move to control late bookings to ensure the halls are properly used would save a further £2,250 a year.

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