THE Labour group at Lancashire County Council has called for the authority and local MPs to step up the 'Battle for Barnoldswick' campaign to save jobs at the town's Rolls-Royce factories.

It has put down a motion for the next full council meeting of the authority condemning the company's decision to axe up to 350 jobs and transfer production of jet engine fan blades to Singapore while considering additional plans to move work to Spain.

It says that the two factories at the site contribute £1billion to the region's economy and 'notes with great concern that the company has announced it is off-shoring British jobs to Singapore with the loss of wide-chord fan blade production and has now announced the loss of jobs to Spain'.

The motion for debate on December 17 if passed would instruct county council chief executive Angie Ridgwell to write to the Prime Minister asking for the government to intervene calls on all Lancashire MPs to actively support the 'Battle for Barnoldswick' campaign.

County Council Labour group leader Cllr Azhar Ali said: " The Prime Minister said he wanted to level up the north but instead he sits by as Rolls Royce cuts hundreds of jobs at its flagship site in Barnoldswick and exports skilled jobs to Singapore and Spain.

" We need the government to get Rolls Royce around the table to save our skills and the jobs of thousands of people in the supply chain who will be affected. "

Rolls-Royce has insisted the moves do not mean the plant will close.