PROPOSALS for a rural district council to move into out- of-town offices are to be discussed further.

A review of Teesdale District Council's assets suggested the authority's offices at Teesdale House, Barnard Castle, were unsuitable for working and recommended the council explores the possibility of moving into purpose-built offices.

The review was carried out on behalf of the council's overview and scrutiny committee to see if the council's assets were being managed properly.

Yesterday, the committee agreed to pass the findings on to a new overview and scrutiny finance panel, which is likely to be set up after a meeting of the full council on August 24.

The review also found that the council has £40.8m of assets, with no single person charged with managing them - responsibility falls between different departments.

The report suggests management of the council's assets could be taken over by a neighbouring council.

However, the committee heard most of the neighbouring councils were in a similar position to Teesdale.

Councillor Richard Bell said the option of giving a Teesdale council officer responsibility for the assets had not been fully explored.

He said: "We need to scope the job rather than saying 'we're going to another authority'.

"We must have an idea of how big this job is.

Other suggestions included in the review are to look into charging for using public conveniences and moving Barnard Castle Tourist Information Centre from Woodleigh, to a more central site, such as Witham Hall.