COUNCIL chiefs in Lancashire could trigger an education cash crisis by slashing schools budgets and axing jobs.

And as many as 20 libraries may also be forced to close if Lancashire County Council has to make as much as £24 million of cuts across all services to keep council tax rises to below four per cent.

A delegation of councillors has visited London to ask the Government for more money to boost county hall budgets, but if their requests are refused cuts may have to be made.

Schools may suffer as a result, with budgets in secondary, primary and nursery schools facing cuts.

A report which will be presented to councillors says that many schools are already set to spend well above their 1998/9 budget allocations.

The extra spending is being financed from reserves and 54 schools could be in the red by the end of the year.

The report adds: "Around 30 per cent of primary schools and 48 per cent of secondary schools are planning balances below what may be considered a prudent level for good management.

"Reductions of up to 4.6 per cent in 1999/2000 could involve further reductions of up to 750 teaching posts."

The report includes dire warnings that the cuts could result in increased class sizes and lead to the loss of grants from government.

School meals and milk, clothing grants, higher education awards, special needs education and administration may also be targeted. Teachers pay is an unknown quantity in the council's budget deliberations as pay levels are set out of the county council's control.

Libraries, too, could face the axe. A report to councillors says up to 20 branches may be closed in a bid to save cash.

In a letter to the Government, finance chiefs indicated that social services, highways and other services were likely to bear the brunt of the cuts.

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