COUNCIL chiefs could face an investigation over their handling of a multi-million pound education project being pioneered in Darlington, it has emerged.

The £35m Haughton education village will be the first scheme of its kind in the country.

The 1,400-pupil school will bring together Haughton Community College, Springfield Primary School and Beaumont Hill Special School.

It will teach youngsters ranging in age from three to 19 and has been hailed as a national blueprint for future developments.

Last week, Darlington Borough Council revealed that the opening of the privately-financed facility had been delayed until January.

Construction company Kajima, which has been building the school, admitted it may not be able to meet its deadlines - forcing the local authority to postpone the opening until after the Christmas holidays.

Education officials are now waiting to hear whether their management of the project will be the subject of an official investigation. A complaint has been sent to the Local Government Ombudsman, raising concerns about aspects of the development.

Those concerns have arisen in recent months, particularly after a troubled time for Springfield Primary School.

More than 200 parents signed a petition in June begging former headteacher Anna Evans not to resign.

They believed that she had quit because she was unhappy at the prospect of being a headteacher within the education village, which has a combined £7m budget, rather than individual budgets.

She insisted she wished the school well and was leaving to take up a job in Kent.

However, one parent said: "This has been hailed as a national exemplar but, as far as I'm concerned, it's an example of how not to do things.

"There has been a lack of information for parents and I think information has been withheld."

A council spokeswoman said: "We are aware that a complaint has been made and we are responding to it in full.

"As yet, the Ombudsman has not alerted us as to whether an investigation will take place."