PARISH councils in the Darlington area have won an ally in their struggle to sever links with a County Durham umbrella group.
Darlington Partnership has expressed support for the move to bring the councils into the national parish councils' association in their own right.
The Darlington Association of Parish and Town Councils represents 12 authorities in the borough.
It was a subsidiary of the Durham Association of Parish and Town Councils, but some members began severing links in the mid-1990s.
In 1997, the Darlington association decided to break with Durham, although three councils agreed to stay until Darlington could join the national association.
However, Darlington has persistently been refused membership.
Coun Doris Jones, of Middleton St George, said she had presented a report to Darlington Partnership with a view to enlisting support.
She said: "We have no affinity with Durham. We want to stay with Darlington. We have been told we have every right to be a member of the national association, but for some reason we seem to be getting hammered by Durham."
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