COUNCILS in County Durham are joining forces to fight the decision to abolish them and set up a super council providing all services across the county.

Yesterday, the county's seven district authorities agreed to jointly seek a judicial review.

They will argue that Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears was acting outside her powers and did not apply her own criteria to the unitary proposals. They also will claim the consultation process was one-sided and unfair.

The districts campaigned to keep the existing two-tier system - 76 per cent of respondents voted for it in a referendum of electors they organised - while the county council backed a new unitary council.

Richard Betton, leader of Teesdale District Council and chairman of the Durham Districts Forum, said: "We are the elected local representatives for the people of County Durham and we have a duty to listen to them and act on their views. The vast majority of them do not want a huge council that will be too remote.

"Since the decision was announced, public and stakeholder opinion against the plan has been growing and district councillors have been inundated with complaints from residents who are furious that their views count for nothing in this matter.

"The strength of feeling is clear. So with that mandate, I feel we have a duty to take this opinion very seriously."

Durham County Council leader Albert Nugent said: "If they believe the Secretary of State has no power to conduct the current review process, why did they not say so at the outset, instead of willingly taking part in it and submitting their own proposals for reform.

"More importantly, if they thought the current process was not legal, why did they spend more than £200,000 of council taxpayers' money on their so-called 'referendum' in support of their own submission?

"Reasonable minded people will see through their expensive legal challenge for what it really is - a last-ditch attempt at self preservation.

"If the Secretary of State had chosen to support the district councils' plans for reform instead of ours, it is a racing certainty they would not be challenging the legality of the process now."