THE future of Blackburn’s tower block will be back on the agenda later this year.

Chairman of the council’s policy overview and scrutiny committee, Cllr Dave Harling, said members were keen to look at proposals for the future of the building in more detail after the upcoming elections.

In January, it was reported the council tower block next to Blackburn Town Hall could be left empty or knocked down to save cash.

The 14-storey high-rise set of offices will be surplus to requirements by 2020 because of reductions in local authority staff.

The tower block has been one of the most distinctive features of the town’s skyline since it was built as part of the original Mall shopping centre in the 1960s.

It is currently only half-occupied with just 293 staff occupying office space for 600.

Cllr Harling told members at a council forum meeting: “The corporate asset strategy and disposal policy is something we are interested in having come back to scrutiny after the elections.

“We are especially interested in relation to the tower block and what happens to that in the future.”

Borough resources boss Cllr Andy Kay said in January that the tower block would be surplus to requirements by 2020 because of cuts.

He said all options will be on the table including mothballing it, demolishing it, selling it or letting it out.

In the long-term, council bosses hope to see it used for either office space or flats.Leaving the tower block empty will save the council between between £120,000 and £290,000 a year in running and maintenance costs.

A full report about the future of the tower block is due to be presented to the council’s executive board in the coming months.