LEISURE services in Burnley have been rated fair following an independent report by the Audit Commission.

Inspectors said the borough's facilities have prospects for improvement but despite the underlying weaknesses, the council was praised for meeting residents' needs.

The team gave the service one star. Under the rating scheme 0 is poor and 3 excellent.

Joanna Webb, commissioning inspector (northern region), said: "The council has not yet set out what improvements Burnley people can expect to see, or how these will be delivered.

"The council must develop clear plans to meet the needs of all the community. So, while there are many encouraging signs that improvements will be made in future, this depends on a number of current initiatives being seen through to completion in what is a challenging financial and political climate."

The inspection report highlights a number of key strengths including the fact that parts of the service are meeting some of the needs of young people and are making valuable contributions to the council's priorities such as health and crime reduction.

Active and passive leisure is well provided for such as guided walks, indoor and outdoor sports, children's play, drama, dance, music and comedy.

Exercise for health programmes including an over-50s programme, GP referrals, child obesity reduction activities and a stop smoking programme were also identified as good.

The report said among problems and weaknesses the council was not effectively addressing the needs of Burnley's diverse community.

It said: "A major part of the problem is that the council does not have clear and challenging aims for the service. This makes it difficult to plan services effectively to match local needs, while also bringing down the very high costs of some parts of the service."

The council is now responding to the main weaknesses highlighted by the inspectors .

The borough's cultural strategy is to be launched on February 27 and senior officers are focusing on how they can promote the leisure services.

Coun Barry Gutridge, executive member for leisure, said: "The inspector's report highlights both strengths and weaknesses within our leisure services. We need to build on our strengths while focusing on our weaknesses. I will ensure that the council addresses the recommendations in the report and delivers real improvements for Burnley residents and service users."