BURNLEY Council’s leader has said the borough’s efforts to boost housing and businesses will ease the authority’s financial crisis.

Labour’s Mark Townsend made the claim as he rejected opposition criticism of mismanagement after a committee report warned council tax bills are set to rise again and town hall jobs being axed next year to balance the books.

Residents have been warned they face an increase of £23 a year on their charge for their local authority services in 2018/19 while at least 12 town hall staff posts could be scrapped.

June’s Tory general election candidate in Burnley Paul White and council LibDem group leader Gordon Birtwistle accused Labour of ‘mismanaging’ the authority’s finances.

Cllr Townsend said: “We have managed the council’s finances well despite relentless and sudden cuts in government grant support from £5.6million annually to £2.2m over five years without a proper transition arrangement.

“A key proposal in our future budget plans is a £150,000 growth in the council tax base- equivalent to 2.5 per cent saving on charges to our residents.

“Our housing growth strategy is starting to pay dividends as is our support for local firms which will see a rise in business rates income.”

Cllr Townsend said Pendle’s Cllr White and Cllr Birtwistle were good at criticising but poor at providing credible alternative proposals.