AN INVESTIGATION has found that Burnley Council owes no money after it emerged a cafe it owns does not pay business rates.

A probe was launched last summer into why the Stables cafe, Towneley Park, was not included on a list for the rates paid by most businesses.

The cafe, owned by Burnley Council but privately leased, had not paid rates for at least eight years, it was revealed.

The probe by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) meant council chiefs could be ordered to find around £20,000 in missed rates.

However, officials have decided that Stables does not need to pay the fees.

A VOA spokesman said: “We have concluded our review of the rateability of the Old Cafe and Stables.

"The review has concluded that no entry to the rating list is warranted as the cafe is exempt from rating.”

When the investigation was launched in July, Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle said the cafe was not rated because it was in the “historic site” of Towneley Park.