VILLAGERS and councillors have been urged to put aside their differences over plans to create a parish council.

A steering committee has been set up and several residents have signed a petition in favour of forming a parish council for Aycliffe Village.

Members of Great Aycliffe Town Council, which includes Aycliffe Village, have yet to form an official response to the proposal.

Arguments for and against have mainly been conducted through vitriolic letters between the two sides in a local free newspaper.

The town council has called a public meeting in Greenfield School, at 7pm, tonight, to help members formulate their views.

But Councillor Mark Vallance, the only independent member on the Labour-dominated council, has called on all parties to hold talks to resolve the issues.

The member for Aycliffe Village is not on the steering committee, but is in favour of a separate village council.

He said: "I'm opposed to the idea of a pubic meeting, although I do intend to go and speak on behalf of the village and put my point of view.

"That's simply because I think the town council has gone about this the wrong way. I think it would have been better to have gone into consultation with the steering committee, if necessary on neutral territory.

"The problem is that because of these personality elements and internal bickering, the whole issue is being overshadowed.

"Instead of locking horns together, why don't they lock heads together and thrash it out."