PENSIONS Minister Ian McCartney will be in Burnley on Saturday to support the creation of hundreds of new jobs at a new call centre for the government's Pensions Agency.

He will be at an open day at Burnley Jobcentre, where help will be available to people seeking work at the call centre being established in Simonstone.

It is one of 20 sites chosen throughout the UK as regional centres for the new agency, which will deal with queries about retirement pensions.

About 100 staff are being transferred from existing DSS offices but at least 200 managerial and clerical will be created.

Recruitment is already under way and there will be an open day at the Jobcentre, Bankfield, from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

Staff from the national pensions service will be on hand to offer advice and provide any help required in making out application forms.

The centre is expected to open in October and is seen as a big boost for employment across East Lancashire.

Burnley council leader Stuart Caddy who will also be at Saturday's event said he was delighted at the new jobs coming to East Lancashire and at the visit of the minister.

He added: "I would also like at this stage to give a special thanks to Doreen Eastwood, Burnley Jobcentre manager and her staff at the hard work they have been putting into this."