Burnley’s council leader has written to the government calling for urgent intervention after Boohoo confirmed it will close its national distribution centre in the town, putting more than 1,200 jobs at risk.

Burnley MP arranges support package for hundreds of Boohoo workers facing job lo...

Coun. Afrasiab Anwar MBE has appealed directly to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, warning that the closure will deliver a “serious economic shock” to Burnley and surrounding areas.

The HR1 notice submitted by Boohoo, now known as the Debenhams Group, confirmed that the centre will shut by February 2026. According to the council, over 97% of staff at the site live in Burnley and Pendle. The loss of jobs is equivalent to around 3% of the town’s total employment.

placeholder image — Boohoo on Widdow Hill Road. Burnley.

In his letter, Coun. Anwar wrote: “This is not just a loss of jobs; it is a loss of livelihoods for local people. Over 97% of the workforce at the Burnley site are residents of the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle. The closure represents the loss of approximately 3% of all jobs in Burnley, a figure that starkly illustrates the scale of the challenge we now face.”

Burnley, he warned, is already one of the most deprived areas in the country and was officially the hardest-hit council during austerity. Despite this, the borough is projected to see a 6% cut in funding largely due to reductions in growth-related allocations.

Coun. Anwar said: “This regressive approach needs to be reconsidered as the council was predominantly using the majority of the growth funding to fund regeneration that grew the local economy rather than propping up the base budget. It was a win-win situation.”

He also criticised the national economic outlook, writing: “The economy is no longer on the hard shoulder, it is in reverse, and towns like Burnley are feeling the impact most acutely.”

The council has already established a dedicated task group involving businesses, colleges and employment services to find alternative opportunities for workers. But Coun. Anwar warned: “The existing system locally simply isn’t equipped to deal with this crisis along with the existing pressures it has.”

In his letter, he urged ministers to act by:

Providing support that goes beyond existing measures by working with other Departments in Government
Unlocking a dedicated Local Growth Fund to empower us to respond to the economic shock by providing funding to grow the economy
Expanding retraining and reskilling programmes tailored to Burnley’s workforce
Reversing proposed funding cuts and restore growth-linked allocations

He concluded: “We hope you will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and work with us to ensure Burnley is not left behind. We remain committed to doing everything we can locally, and we ask for your partnership in helping our community recover and rebuild.”

Coun. Anwar has also requested an urgent meeting with Mr Reed to discuss the issue in more detail.

At the time of the announcement, a Debenhams Group spokesperson said: “Following a strategic review, we are proposing the potential closure of our Burnley distribution centre in early 2026, with operations gradually transferring to Sheffield, which could offer greater capacity and efficiencies.

“This is not a proposal we put forward lightly, but we believe it may be important for the long-term health of the business and for delivering our new strategy.”