BLACKBURN with Darwen Council is to axe another 300 town hall jobs.

There are also plans to raise leisure, burial and cremation fees, cut bus fare subsidies to faith schools, and reduce support to residents plagued by noisy neighbours.

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The proposed cuts are part of a new package to save £31million between 2015 and 2018.

They are highlighted in a set of documents to be debated at the full Council Forum next week.

Borough leader Kate Hollern stressed no final decisions had been taken and a root and branch review of all services would take place before any cuts are implemented.

Latest estimates show that at least a quarter of Blackburn with Darwen Council services are being hit by funding cuts in the coming three years.

In January 2013, Coun Hollern announced a package to save £30million over two years including axing 500 posts, scrapping school uniform grants, closing four old people’s homes and downgrading children’s centres.

Now, facing further Whitehall grant cuts, the borough is seeking more cuts starting with a £16million savings package for 2015/2016.

The plans are based on freezing council tax for the next three years.

Coun Hollern confirmed a further 300 posts could be axed by 2018, some by compulsory redundancy.

So far the council has lost 300 of the 2013 staff reduction target, bringing the Town Hall workforce down to 2,700. This means a total of 500 are still to be shed.

Coun Hollern said: “These massive cuts continue to hit places like ours unfairly. It’s impossible to fully protect even the services we know are so needed.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise the damage by planning ahead and looking at every penny spent in every part of the council to decide if it’s what citizens want and expect from us.

“Special attention is being given to the service areas which we know people value and need such as looking after vulnerable children and adults, clean streets and road repairs.”

Possible cuts highlighted include: * Ending special subsidies for some pupils attending faith schools; * Drafting in volunteers to run branch libraries and leisure centres; * Transferring responsibility for helping residents monitor noise from rowdy neighbours from town hall staff to police community support officers; * Increasing leisure centre charges; * Reviewing privatley-provided support for carers; and * Closing under-used youth provision.

* An increase in cremation and burial charges following a 10 per cent rise two years ago; Norma Brown, North West organiser of town hall union UNISON, said: "We will work to protect our members from compulsory redundancy and work with the council to minimise the impact on services to the public.

"Job losses of this scale will undoubtedly have a negative impact on services and on the local economy. It is a very sad day for Blackburn with Darwen."

Borough Tory group leader Mike Lee said: “I would prefer to see the Labour leadership focusing on the current round of cuts not looking at the next one.

“I am concerned that the scrapping of subsidies for faith school transport will penalise parents who want a Christian school for their children.”

Leader of the council Liberal Democrats David Foster said: “I think it is prudent to plan ahead in this way.

“I am concerned about whether people will be able to pay another increase in cremation and burial fees.”

Coun Hollern said the borough had saved £70m since 2010.

She said the number of posts at the council had reduced by 1,100 and top-paid management jobs halved over the period from 24 to 12.

She said after the reviews and consultation had been completed, a fuller three-year plan would follow when the budget is set in March.