MEMBERS of the public are just one step away from being allowed into council cabinet meetings in Darlington for the first time.

Darlington Borough Council was accused of diluting democracy when it introduced a closed-door cabinet style system of local government in May.

But after The Northern Echo's Council Watch campaign generated strong public concern, the authority has now decided to open up its meetings to the Press and public.

The decision was approved at a recent meeting of the authority's ratification committee, and it is expected to be approved when the full council meets to consider the issue on October 12.

Once it has received the final go-ahead, the Press and public will be allowed into the cabinet meeting for the first time on October 31.

When the announcement about the U-turn was made, council leader John Williams acknowledged that The Northern Echo's campaign -supported by its sister papers, the Darlington and Stockton Times and the Darlington Advertiser - had been a significant factor in the policy change.

He said the new system was introduced for an experimental period and that public opinion had led to the reversal.

Other North-East councils to scrap secret cabinets following public concern have included Newcastle City Council and Durham City Council.

But other local authorities are pursuing the system, including Durham County Council, and district and borough councils in Sedgefield, Easington and Hartlepool