PROPOSALS to send council chiefs on a team-building exercise have been branded a waste of money.

Darlington Borough Council has been invited to take part in the Local Government Management Game.

Described as a serious training exercise, the game is aimed at developing team working and extending knowledge of the challenges and issues facing local government.

An internal memorandum to all department heads, leaked to The Northern Echo by a council employee, says that the council's chief executive, Barry Keel, is keen for the authority to be represented.

The cost of the event is £135 per team member, £45 per observer, plus VAT, travel and subsistence.

Some people have questioned the validity of sending of senior managers on such an exercise when the authority recently unveiled proposals to make service cuts of more than £1m and increase council tax by 12.5 per cent.

Councillor Tony Richmond, leader of the Conservative group on the council, said: "I think the council taxpayers of Darlington, who are facing a large increase and cuts in services, are going to find it very strange indeed that, at the same time, the council is proposing to spend money on something like this."

Council taxpayer Graham Kish, 31, who lives in Grange Road, said: "Council officers get paid enough to do their job, and I can't see why taxpayers' money has to be wasted like this."

Although the council has not yet decided whether its staff will be taking part in the event, it believes such exercises are worthwhile.

In the memorandum, the council's head of human resource management, Stan Heywood, says: "The chief executive has been directly approached by the organisers of the game and he is keen for us to be represented."

A spokesman for Darlington council said: " Events like this are serious training exercises which help to improve the knowledge and working skills of our employees.

"This then enables them to work more effectively and give taxpayers a better service and better value for money.