REBEL councillors at a beleaguered authority have been criticised by a Teesside MP after they threatened to form their own council.

Stockton North MP Frank Cook yesterday joined the simmering row over the future of the local authority in Thornaby, Ingleby Barwick and Yarm.

He claimed it would be better for the whole of Teesside to go for city status, rather than split into further factions. In a strongly-worded letter sent to the Labour leadership at Stockton Borough Council last week, 11 councillors from the three areas said they were considering starting a breakaway authority.

They accused council leader Bob Gibson of having a "dismissive, derisory" attitude towards Thornaby and suggested the creation of a new borough, the Communities of Ingleby, Thornaby and Yarm.

The letter, purported to be signed by several top councillors including cabinet member Steve Walmsley and Mayor of Thornaby Ivor Mogan, branded the Labour hierarchy "high-handed, arrogant, unwilling to listen, sneering, belligerent and bullying."

But in a statement released yesterday Mr Cook said the breakaway plans were "totally impractical, totally undeliverable and totally at odds with what our area really needs".

The statement said: "Whatever differences some councillors and others may have, they should not pretend to the public that there is any chance of providing services through smaller authorities than we have at present.

"Do those promoting this idea really think such a mini minority could possibly have the resources to provide high quality education, to care for the needs of the elderly, disabled and vulnerable children and to attract new jobs and investment?

"The reality is on Teesside we need to raise our sights wider rather than follow the route to narrow parochialism.

"We are one closely-knit urban conurbation and the sooner we recognise that our strength lies in unity rather than division, the better it will be for everyone."

He said the debate should be working towards achieving for the entire conurbation the kind of genuine city status as neighbours Newcastle and Leeds.

Stockton South Labour MP Dari Taylor has called a clear-the-air meeting for September to be attended by herself, Councillor Gibson, Councillor Walmsley, Labour's local government officer and its deputy general secretary.