PLANS to give leading Durham County councillors media training have been branded a waste of public money.

The council's Executive Committee has approved proposals to teach a total of 50 people - in-cluding officers and committee chairman and vice-chairmen - how to handle journalists.

The council, which has its own press and publicity unit, will hire a company to teach skills such as TV and radio interview techniques, writing press releases and holding press conferences.

But Tony Moore, Independent councillor for Shildon North-East, said: "I don't think it is up to council taxpayers to fund this kind of thing. Funding should come from the political parties - they should train their own councillors.

"The council will go out to tender for the training and that will cost a lot of money - possibly tens of thousands of pounds.

"That money could be spent instead on the community organisations and voluntary groups."

Chief executive Kingsley Smith said providing media training was part of the council's communications strategy. "Through the training we want to equip the relevant councillors and staff with the necessary skills to handle being interviewed by the media."