Job cuts anticipated at council in Lancashire

The council said it hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies

A Lancashire council is anticipating having to cut up to 500 jobs in the next three to five years, a survey has revealed.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council told the BBC it was expecting to shed 14% of its 3,500-strong workforce.

The figures were disclosed as part of a BBC investigation into the scale of town hall budget cuts in England.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said it hoped there would be no compulsory job cuts.

The survey comes as local councils brace themselves for government spending cuts as the country struggles out of the recession.

'Minimal impact'

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, Mike Lee, said: "We started this process in June of last year with every focus on ensuring there were to be no compulsory job losses.

"By the time April 2011 arrives we will have been working on this for nearly two years to ensure minimal impact on frontline services and staff.

"In our future spending we will endeavour to target whatever resources we have at our disposal and provide the most effective and efficient frontline services for the residents of the borough.

"We will also move into more partnership working to maximise the best use of resources available."