A TOWN council that was criticised as a closed shop is to re-advertise its vacant seat.

Last month, Barnard Castle Town Council voted against co-opting retired electro-mechanical engineer Tony Cooke onto the council, despite him being the only applicant for the vacant seat.

The decision lead to criticisms of the council being a closed shop.

When it met this week, the council decided to re-advertise the vacancy after Mr Cooke resubmitted his application and Barnard Castle resident Mark Terry also expressed an interest in joining the council.

Although Mr Cooke accompanied his application with a list of 39 signatures supporting his nomination, there will not be an election. Instead, councillors will vote to co-opt a candidate onto the council.

Town mayor Councillor John Watson said: "The procedure carried out by this council was absolutely correct. It's an entirely discretionary process.

"The members exercised their responsibility and determined the single application should not be accepted."

Town clerk Geoff Bosworth said that as the Notice of Election process had already been carried with regard to the vacant seat, the vacancy was now at a co-option stage.