BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has urged ministers to "bang their heads together" in the battle to bring a Jobcentre Plus to the town.

Mr Pike spoke out during a Commons debate and told Minister for Work Nick Brown, that he still hoped the Government office could be built on the former Co-op Pioneer site, in Curzon Street.

An application for a Jobcentre Plus in Curzon Street was turned down by members of Burnley Council earlier this year in favour of developing the site for retail use.

The committee suggested the former Sainsbury's site, near the town's bus station, would be more suitable for the office, which integrates the old job centre service and unemployment and welfare benefits.

But Mr Pike told the House he thought there was enough room for a store like Debenham's and a Jobcentre Plus on the Curzon Street site, which formerly housed the Co-op supermarket.

He said: "We need to break the deadlock.

"I still think the best site is the old Co-op Pioneer store.

"Extra retail space would be a good thing for the town but the Co-op site, along with the demolished Parkinsons mill site next door, is big enough to accommodate both a department store and a Job Centre Plus.

Mr Pike also said he believed there was more chance of getting the Jobcentre Plus up and running than getting a major department store to Burnley.

"There is some talk of getting a department store such as Debenhams, but I've been in Burnley for 40 years and there's always been talk of this but nothing has happened.

"We need a Job Centre Plus.

"There is an excellent one in Blackburn which was a pilot scheme in an existing building.

"This would be a purpose-built flagship project and could be better than Blackburn.

"Setting up the Job Centre Plus would bring in well-paid civil servants and help get more people into work.

"I want ministers to bang heads together to break this deadlock.

"If we get the Job Centre Plus and more people in work with money to spend, there would be more customers for a retail store on the same site."

Mr Brown said there was a real opportunity to benefit the people of Burnley and discussions were continuing to get a Jobcentre Plus into the town.

The minister said he would be happy to meet a delegation of officials from Burnley with the town's back-bench Labour MP.