TOWN Hall bosses have been warned they must go fully digital or be unable to deliver the services residents expect.

Blackburn with Darwen borough's executive board has been given the message by resources boss Andy Kay.

He was outlining a new 'Digital Strategy 2017 to 2020 which would see most initial contacts between the public and the council use online and social media formats rather than face to face and telephone conversations.

It will also replace most paper forms and applications with IT and web-based substitutes.

In a report to senior colleagues, Cllr Kay said: "It should also be noted that there is a significant risk to the council’s ability to continue delivering the current range of services if this change programme is unsuccessful."

Cllr John Slater, leader of the borough Tory group, attacked the strategy saying it risked excluding older, poorer and digitally-unskilled residents from accessing council services and many welfare benefits.

Cllr Kay said the new strategy was 'a step up' from existing successful efforts to get people to go online and would include public education on digital skills and the widening of opportunities to use library and other council premises to access services online.

He said fewer staff would remain on front desks at places like Blackburn Town Hall and available on the phone.

Cllr Kay highlighted how shifting most welfare services to online had seen the average processing times for new benefit claims and changes in circumstances by the council reduce from 20 days to 15 and from five to two days respectively.

He said: "Since 2010 we have lost £140million in grants from government and we cannot continue as we are.

"It is vital that we switch the vast majority of initial contacts and forms online and to social media from face to face and telephone contact.

"If we do not we will be unable to provide the services we should with the money we have."

Cllr Kay refused to put a figure on the investment needed for the change saying much of the information technology was already in place or whether redundancies would be needed.

He added: "A new assisted digital approach will be taken in order to co-design digital services with customers, staff and partners."

Cllr Slater said: "There are many people in the borough who are not able to access services digitally, including the elderly.

"We are a very deprived borough and many poorer households cannot afford broadband.

"It is disgraceful that a Labour council is pursuing a digital strategy that will exclude these people."