TODAY is crunch day for the future of hundreds of county council jobs across North Yorkshire.

Councillors are due to decide whether to continue with their 370-strong direct labour force as it is, or to farm it out to a private company.

Four companies are competing to take over highways maintenance work across the county, from next April.

The contract is worth about £20m a year and will run for a minimum of six years, up to a maximum of ten years, depending on the performance of the chosen company.

It is for a range of work, including winter maintenance, street lighting, gully cleaning, fleet maintenance, rural grass cutting and highways maintenance.

Although there is no formal in-house bid, tenders have been measured against an in-house model to ensure that any new arrangement offers value for money.

If the quality and price determined by the model shows that Best Value already exists, then the work will remain in-house.

The evaluation process has been completed and the executive of the Conservative-controlled county council will consider the confidential report today.

Yesterday, the leader of the Liberal Democrats at County Hall, Councillor Caroline Seymour, appealed for them to support the direct labour force.

"The workforce has given us a first-class service over the years and I know that they are overwhelmingly opposed to being privatised," said Coun Seymour.

"Many residents of North Yorkshire will remember that, when faced with the appalling floods last winter and the foot-and-mouth crisis this year, they gave their all.

"I have my doubts whether a private company could, or would, have given as much, unless with a large price tag attached."

Fellow Lib-Dem councillor Bill Hoult said that whatever decision the executive took, he would expect it to be referred to the all-party environmental services scrutiny committee, of which he is the chairman.

"This is a major issue and needs to be looked at carefully," said Coun Holt.