A COUNCILLOR has called for talks over the future of the Pendle Green Line bus service before funding ends next year.

The 94 and 95 services run from Brierfield to Nelson, and Burnley to Colne.

For the past five years the service has been operating from £350,000 development money paid by Boundary Mill when they opened their store at the end of the M65 in Colne.

Now Colne councillor Tony Greaves says talks have to take place to consider how the service will be funded when the agreement ends.

He said: “I think that people in Colne should start talking about the service and start having some discussions before the five-year section 106 agreement with Boundary Mill comes to an end.

“We need information on the number of users of the service, we should be getting facts and figures.

“It is quite clear looking at the service that there are times of the day it is quite well used and times of the day it doesn’t appear to be quite as well used.

“But we need to get hold of the facts and figures before we discuss the future of the service with Lancashire County Council and Boundary Mill.”

Part of the section 106 money paid to the council for the development was used to fund the service from March 2008 to March 2013.

Coun Greaves said: “It was a service run by the county council before Boundary Mill came in. The section 106 agreement enabled the service to keep running and take in Boundary Mill.

“It is quite clear there will be a danger that Boundary Mill don’t want to continue subsidising this route.

"We need to start talking about it soon so we don’t get left with the council coming back with proposals and us trying to catch up.”