THE number of people waiting for a council house in Burnley has almost halved since 1997, bucking the national trend.

New figures released by the Government reveal the number of people waiting in Burnley has been cut by 44 per cent -- despite a 61 per cent rise across the North West.

But in Rossendale the list has risen by 81 per cent while Pendle has remained fairly steady, rising only six per cent in the eight-year period.

The waiting list has shot up 170 per cent in Hyndburn and 167 per cent in Blackburn with Darwen since Labour came to power, according to the figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats.

The figures relate to council houses and former council houses which are now run by registered social landlords --such as Burnley housing association Calico.

And they also highlight people who are housed by their local authority as well as those who go directly to a housing association looking for a property. Today Burnley Council said the figures reflected its efforts to tackle homelessness.

Sarah Clayton, head of housing at Burnley Council said: "We are currently regional champions for housing advice.

"We are working proactively with our partners to prevent homelessness and reduce pressure on the register.

"We are also working very closely with local housing associations and the private sector to increase the range of housing options for local residents and improve access into decent accommodation."

There are more than 1.5million families in England waiting for a council house - an increase of 52 per cent.

The Government figures include council housing still owned by local authorities, housing transferred to housing associations and arms length management organisations and any other form of social housing.

Calico chief executive Tim Pinder added: "With all of the Elevate funded work in Burnley that will reduce the overall number of houses, we expect demand for ours to continue to grow."