LABOUR officials have pledged that a troubled council will strive to be open and work in residents' interests.

Regional party officers stepped in after months of bad publicity for Durham City Council whose woes included a former officer's allegations, which the authority denied, of racial discrimination, a fraud squad inquiry, controversy over a film contract, warnings about its financial position and deputy leader Mildred Brown's suspension.

They held a three-hour 'straight-talking' meeting with constituency party members and councillors in the Labour group including leader Maurice Crathorne.

It led to agreement that councillors will strive to reach three objectives: delivering the highest quality services; maximising the city's potential, and maintaining the 'highest standards of propriety in dealing with the public, workforce and outside agencies'.

A strategy group will monitor progress.

A regional panel is '98 per cent likely' to be set up to assess candidates wanting to stand for election to the council to see they reach standards introduced to improve the quality of councillors.

Party regional director Chris Lennie said: "Labour in Durham will from now on be open, inclusive and focused entirely on the needs of its residents.

"The party is on the side of the people of Durham. Our party representatives need to work tirelessly to communicate our vision for the city. Our councillors have pledged themselves to delivering the best for the people of Durham."

A senior regional party source added: "If a council gets a bad reputation, whether justified or not, it is not good. You don't just have to be clean, you have to be seen to be clean.

"The top priority will be winning the trust of the electorate by being seen to be open and acting entirely in the interests of Durham."

The source said councillors responded positively. "You can either embrace change or carry on and see what happens. If they hadn't embraced change we would have behaved in a different way.