AN education chief is to meet school heads after The Northern Echo revealed proposals for three controversial academies as part of a massive school improvement programme.

David Williams, corporate director for children and young people's services at Durham County Council, plans to meet the leaders of the secondary schools that could merge to become academies if the proposals come to fruition to explain the situation and listen to any concerns.

Mr Williams, who recently took up the post after the retirement of education director Keith Mitchell, has written to the heads of all the county's secondary schools setting out his "understanding'' of issues relating to the academies proposals.

The Northern Echo exclusively revealed earlier this month that the council was considering seeking Government approval for three academies in the hope that it would win funding for its proposed £400m Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).

The council's former education director, Keith Mitchell, said the Government "blackmailed'' the council, which originally proposed no academies, into including some in the 15-year programme by threatening to refuse money for the repair of existing schools, which the council denied.

The schools that could form the academies are Tanfield School and Stanley School of Technology, Stanley, Blackfyne and Moorside schools, in Consett, - businessman and county councillor Bob Young is a possible sponsor of the Consett scheme - and Gilesgate and Belmont comprehensives, in Durham City.

In a letter seen by The Northern Echo, Mr Williams, who joined the council after it developed its vision for BSF, said the proposed academies could be in phases three and four of the programme but none are included in the first phase, for East Durham.

He said there were no prop-osals being actively developed by the county council in relation to academies in Durham City or in Stanley.

"There have been some tentative, informal discussions with a potential sponsor for an academy in Consett. This could involve Moorside and Blackfyne schools," he said.

"Any decision to take this forward is some way off. Such a view would need to be informed by the views of schools affected. The potential sponsor has publicly stated that he would only want to put forward a proposal if it had strong community support.''

Mr Williams said academy proposals would need the support of the schools affected and that the council alone could not decide if an academy is to be built.

Meanwhile, the county council's new leader, Albert Nugent, said members of the ruling Labour group would decide whether to seek academies.