THE ownership of a community centre and library in Burnley are to be transferred to a volunteer group and a charity.

Lancashire County Council has made the announcement as part of its bid to offload a number of buildings used by the public to save money.

Belmont Community Centre will be transferred to Belmont Community Association, which has managed the building for 35 years.

It is used by more than 100 people a week and provides a range of educational and volunteering activities.

Pike Hill Library will be transferred to the Veterans Association UK charity.

The county council will also provide support for the development of an independent community-run library.

County Councillor David Borrow, the council’s deputy leader, said: “The aim of our property strategy is to ensure we have the buildings we need to provide good access to good services, while making some of the enormous savings we need make due to ongoing government cuts and rising demand for services.

“This is the second set of decisions we have made to support in principle a number of asset transfers as part of the property strategy.”