COUNCILLORS on Teesside who went to Westminster on Tuesday say they had constructive talks concerning a Government funding deficit.

East Cleveland councillors in the delegation called for a better financial deal for the Tees Valley.

Councillors from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council believe the borough has been "stabbed in the back" with a shortfall in budget expectations.

The meeting was held with Local Government Minister Phil Woolas, over concerns the estimate of the borough's population had put an unexpected £1.5m hole in the council's budget.

The delegation, which included the council's chief executive, Colin Moore, and the director of finance and procurement, Ray Richardson, gained an assurance from the Office of National Statistics that it would investigate why the borough's population had fallen by 2,000.

The council's cabinet member for health and social services, Councillor Valerie Halton, who was also part of the delegation, said: "The minister and his officials listened to our case and then asked searching and pertinent questions.

"We now believe we have been able to make a positive contribution to the consultation process which will benefit not only Redcar and Cleveland, but the whole of the northern region.

"We didn't go down to London to whinge and whine. We presented a constructive case, based on factual information from the Joint Strategy Unit, and we have got an admission from the Office of National Statistics that there were anomalies, which they are going to look at."

She added: "We will see how that works its way through.

"In the meantime, we will proceed on the basis that the consultation will stand and plan our budget accordingly.

"If at the last minute, we get any additional grant, we will then make the necessary decisions on how that will be spent on priority services."