A MULTI-MILLION pound school upgrade programme has run into opposition because it will mean the closure of two schools.

Durham County Council's £90m proposed Building Schools for the Future programme would mean the closure of Peterlee's Shotton Hall School and Dene Community School of Technology, and a new school built for the town.

The programme, which will be submitted to the Government for approval next month, will also include the rebuilding of Seaham School of Technology and the refurbishment of five others.

The Labour-run council's cabinet approved the submission over alternative proposals that would have led to only Seaham being rebuilt and the other schools upgraded, with no closures.

The council's education director, Keith Mitchell, told councillors those proposals were unlikely to get Government backing. He said: "They are looking for revolution; looking for transformation."

He said that ideally all six secondary schools and one special school in east Durham should be rebuilt, but that there was not the money.

He also said falling pupil numbers would leave some schools unviable in future years.

Gordon Tennant, councillor for Peterlee East and a former governor of Dene School, said: "The school is an excellent school and it has an excellent head and excellent staff.

"It has just had a £1.6m sports centre built there and we have our Sure Start there. It is used all the time by the community, and the primary school is next door.''

Wingate councillor Len O'Donnell said councillors for the area had supported option one, the proposals discarded by the cabinet, and said he was concerned he was now being told it was unviable.

Speaking about Dene school, he said: "This is probably the best community school in Peterlee - and we have some hellish community schools in Peterlee."

He said he believed councillors had been given misleading information about what proposals stood a chance of success.

Cabinet member for education Neil Foster said the option one proposals could have been challenged, which would have led to delays in the programme and future programmes for other parts of the county.