FRESH life is to be breathed into the town centres of east Cleveland and links with the trade unions strengthened, the new ruling Labour Party has promised.

The group said town centres, such as Redcar, Eston and Skelton, had been neglected over the past four years, so looking for investment and jobs would be a priority.

The 28 Labour councillors, who were elected during the local government elections last Thursday held two meetings at the weekend to decide who they would form a coalition with.

They were two members short of taking overall control of the council, so have invited independent councillors Mike Findley, of Marske, and Mary Lanigan, of Loftus, to form an administration with them.

The details will be finalised at the council's annual meeting on May 17.

Leader of the group, Councillor George Dunning, said: "We are more than happy to invite Councillors Findley and Lanigan to join us.

"Hopefully, after May 17, you will see a progressive, inclusive authority, and we will be aiming to re-establish the links with the trade unions and workforce of this authority.

"Staff morale has been at an all-time low at the council over the past four years, so that has to be one of our priorities."

But the group's new chief whip, Councillor Mark Hannon, said he believed a number of town centres had been neglected during the last administration.

"I think one of our priorities has to be the neglect of some areas, such as town centres in Redcar, Eston and Skelton," he said.

"We want to create new employment and investment for everybody. We want to regenerate these centres, so that is a big issue.

"But we also give our commitment to keep the racecourse in Redcar, and we want to re-open the links with other councils in the area, which have been severed."

In the 2003 elections, Labour lost control to a coalition group of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, and Independents.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Eric Empson rejected the claims that the town centres had been neglected.

He said: "We were in control for four years and we had big regeneration plans in place for the whole of Redcar and Cleveland, and greater Eston was a very big project. They are grasping at straws and we will see what they turn out."

Labour now has 28 seats, the Liberal Democrats 13, Conservatives 11, Independent Group four, East Cleveland Independents one, Loftus Independents one, and East Cleveland/Guisborough Independents one.