MIDDLETON St George appears to have a legitimate grievance that it does not get a fair return for its council tax.

In common with other Darlington rural wards, there have been regular complaints about their level of services compared with the town

Work on the parish plan by consultant John England may help the two parish councils - Middleton St George and Low Dinsdale - to present a case for extra spending by the local authority.

The plan, which presents the pros and cons of village life, is intended to enable it to tap into special rural grants to improve facilities for everyone.

The steering group meeting heard on Thursday of last week that the village brought in relatively more council tax per head than in Darlington.

Dr England said the majority of homes were in the more expensive council tax bands D and E - almost double the number in town.

On his reckoning, residents in Middleton St George were getting 12pc less in return for their money than people in the urban area.

"If you want to make a point within the plan that the village is not getting its fair share, there is evidence to show that," he stated.

The consultant has already provoked council planners into writing "a strong letter" following comments made last month.

"They have tried to resist the general claim that not enough was being done to help the village through housing developments that have taken place," he said.

"They are saying most of the contributions from builders have been for infrastructure and drainage."

However, he maintained very much less had been done to help improve the facilities, especially the school and open spaces.

He agreed the present local plan did not give the council a great deal of power to get legally binding agreements with developers. But the next one would be stronger from that point of view.

"I think the council's line has been particularly weak in relation to the school and I think they privately accept that," he went on.

"I would like to think we have rattled the cage and we may expect better treatment.

"Therefore, the parish plan has been quite timely, particularly as there is an application from Wimpey for 68 houses on the Hadley site. We must see if the council is prepared to do a bit more for the village."

Dr England will present all the issues highlighted so far to a public meeting in Middleton St George Community Centre at 7pm on Thursday, November 21. An action plan should be ready for the new year.