A UNION has decided to put its legal action against Blackburn with Darwen Council on hold until top level talks are completed.

Officials from Unison, Britain's biggest union, are unhappy that top jobs for the new unitary status council are being advertised on the open market. They feared many of the 1,800 staff currently working for the town hall could find themselves out of work if forced to reapply for their jobs.

And the news that chief executive Gerald Davies lost out to his deputy Phil Watson for the top job on the new council led to a decision to try to mount a legal challenge.

Unison were hoping to call for a judicial review in the High Court to look into the decision to reappoint new directors. But officials have now opened talks with council leaders and are happy with the way negotiations are going.

The announcement that staff are not under threat if their jobs do not change when Blackburn with Darwen wins single status has also been welcomed.

Unison official Jim Noble said: "We are quite happy with the way things are going and we are continually holding meetings with council leaders and heads of departments.

"It is still too early to say what the result will be but the indication is the majority of members will keep their jobs.

"We were unhappy when the chief executive was not chosen to run the new council.

"But, the way things have gone since, most of the current directors have been chosen by the selection panels to be the new directors of the unitary council.

"At the moment it is a case of waiting and seeing before we decide what our position will be."

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