CONCERN has been expressed over the reduction in the number of food safety inspections following Hyndburn Council's cost-cutting drive.

The reductions were part of a move to slash £800,000 from Hyndburn's budget by cutting services and shedding jobs.

The impacts of the changes on council services were outlined in a report to the policy and resources committee.

It showed one environmental health technician post had been lost and among the effects were a reduction in food safety inpections.

Leader of the council's Conservative group Coun Peter Britcliffe, said he hoped this would not mean a greater risk to the public, especially in the light of the borough's recent salmonella food poisoning outbreak.

He said: "In view of the public concern over food safety, I would like a reassurance about standards after reductions in the number of inspections of food premises."

The report also pointed out that another effect would be the need for a review into ways of investiging domestic noise complaints. Coun Britcliffe said noise was an ever-increasing problem and there were a lot more 'Battersbys and Dingles' around.

He added that he felt noise nuisance was a priority which needed to be addressed.

Committee chairman Coun Sheelagh Delaney, said the council would not make cuts if they put people's health at risk.

Among the other changes outlined were 'marginal' increases in admission charges at the council's leisure facilites and increases in the level of court costs and fees collected by the legal department.

Several councillors praised the report as 'forward thinking' and said they would have to wait to see the long term effects of the changes.

Coun Len Dickinson said: "It is a suck it and see situation. We have gone through a traumatic situation over the last few months and we now want to see if all the final plans work."

Coun Jack Grime said there were bound to be teething problems, but he was confident the committee would soon be congratulating council staff for their forward thinking.

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