MORE than 6,000 jobs are expected to be lost after Lancashire County Council announced a massive programme of spending cuts.

Bosses have estimated they need to cut more than a quarter of the £725million County Hall spends each year on services.

And the Lancashire Telegraph understands this means a proportional reduction in the 24,000 non-schools workforce, putting 6,240 jobs at risk over the next three years.

School spending has largely been protected, so the cuts will focus on the rest of the services provided by the council.

‘Back office’ staff are likely to be targeted in an attempt to protect the ‘front line’, but unions say these workers are just as vital for providing services.

The opposition Labour group said front-line services, such as libraries and social services, would be hard hit.

But the council's Conservative leader Geoff Driver said it was too early to say where the axe will fall, and that he hoped to use voluntary redundancies and retirements as far as possible.

Coun Driver, said he was ‘not happy’ about the grant cut, but pledged to try to protect vital services.

The council’s directors, who were asked last year to identify possible cuts in their departments, have now been dispatched to come up with ways to make extra savings.

Coun Driver said: “We will use the same mechanism we have had, but will draw a line further down.”

He said he still ‘hoped’ to achieve a council tax freeze next year, and asked residents to suggest where cuts should be made.

"We're elected to make decisions and will do that even when they are tough" he said.

"But it's only right that people come to us and say if they have a good suggestion about improving efficiency and reducing our spending overall.”

The cuts come after chancellor George Osborne unveiled the steepest programme of public spending cuts since the Second World War, which included slashing 28per cent from government grants to councils.

The council’s plight will become clear on December 2, when it will learn of its grant settlement from the government.

But its finance experts think the most likely scenario will see 26per cent of its budget wiped out in the next three years.

This is £40million more than the ‘worst case scenario’ the council was planning for a year ago, and £30million more than finance chief Phil Halsall first predicted in the aftermath of the spending review, now the effect of additional grant cuts have been taken into account.

Blackburn with Darwen Council, which is independent of County Hall, is in a similar position but bosses have yet to announce how much they need to cut.

Unison rep Carol Lukey declined to speculate on possible job losses.

She said: “The authority is going to have to decide what services it provides.

“This is more than a quarter of the council’s budget and I think it’s irresponsible of the government. It’s all very depressing.”

Her view was echoed by Labour group leader Jennifer Mein, who added: “People will find it very different getting services. You can’t lose that many staff without it being affected.

"We will see libraries closing, or having their hours drastically reduced. They are looking at taking middle manager out of social services, but that just means social workers will be even more overworked.”

Mike Damms, chief executive of East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped a growth in the area’s private sector would balance out the public sector cuts.

He added: “I do think the public sector has grown too big.

“It’s in human nature to feel pessimistic, but I can reel off a list of private sector companies that are growing fast.”

More than 9,000 of the county council’s non-teaching staff live in the east of the county.

An urgent cabinet meeting has been called on Monday, and another is scheduled for Friday.