Members of a Labour-run North-East council have called an emergency meeting over the Government's 'potentially harmful' five year strategy for education.

Durham County Council's controlling Labour Group issued a statement today saying it had grave concerns and believed the strategy could have serious implications for children in rural areas such as County Durham.

Cabinet member for education, Councillor Neil Foster, said the proposals as they stood had a distinct urban bias and may be potentially harmful for education in the region.

The group has called a special meeting at Durham County Hall on September 18 to discuss the developments.

Coun Foster said last night: "This is such an important subject with such very serious long term implications for the education of children in County Durham that the meeting is being thrown open to all Labour Party members to attend.

"We have grave concerns that these proposals will affect the steadily rising standards in our schools that we have worked so hard to achieve.

"We feel they are addressed a London-centred problem which is not relevant or appropriate in primarily rural areas like County Durham."

He added that one of initiatives was for parents to have the right to select a school which would pose transport problems in large, rural areas such as County Durham, which already has a £14 million transport bill each year.

Coun Foster said there was also concern the strategy could lead to more competition between individual schools which went against the council's initiative to have schools working together.

The group said feedback from the meeting will be used to respond to the Government and to help shape the council's education policy.

The Department for Education's strategy includes investing in early years with free education for three and four year olds; refurbishing every secondary school, more places in popular schools and more choice on where to study.

A spokesman for the Department of Education and Skills said: "The five year strategy sets out the Government's plans to transform the standards and quality of education, training, and services for all children, young people and families irrespective of where they live in the country.

A Labour Party spokesperson for the North-East echoed the department's comments and said: "It applies to rural areas as well as urban areas."