A COUNCIL has announced it will be making budget cuts of more than £3million over the next three years.

Burnley Council, which has an annual budget of £15.1million, has revealed it is projecting it will need to save £3.2 million over the next three financial years.

A report by council’s head of finance and property services, Asad Mushtaq, to the council’s scrutiny committee sets out the financial position for the council and how it can balance the books over the coming three years.

Mr. Mushtaq said: “The council is commercially minded. This means we will make efficiency savings through our contracts and through good estate management. "Unfortunately, however, given the scale of the budget gap the council must also consider staff savings. We will always aim to do this in a way that minimises the impact on priority services.”

The report sets out an initial range of revenue-raising and efficiency measures totalling £877,000, and says that further measures will be identified to bridge the gap in due course.

Cuts of £270,000 are proposed by reducing the number of staff positions in the council by 12, although five of the ‘at risk’ posts are currently vacant.

Around £156,000 will be cut through re-locating the contact centre from its current location on Red Lion Street to the old banking hall in the council office on Parker Lane just across the road.

The report also expects the council to achieve a £72,000 saving on utility bills. An extra £70,000 is set to be generated through investment in property funds.

Cllr Sue Graham, the council’s executive member for resources and performance management, says the local authority has had to make 'difficult decisions' to ensure it continues to provide 'quality services' to residents.

She said: “Year after year, we have pressed the case for a fairer system of funding for local government, so that areas like Burnley are not disproportionately affected by central government cuts.

“Nevertheless, as in previous years, the council needs to take difficult decisions now to ensure it continues to provide quality services to the standard expected by residents.

"We will continue to invest in those services and projects that make a real difference to quality of life in the borough."

Work to identify further savings for 2019/20 will be carried out between now and next February when the 2019/20 budget is set.