COUNCIL officials have denied withholding a report over controversial plans for new sports facilities in an ex-steel-making town.

The study was carried out to determine viability for up to £14m worth of new sports and leisure developments in Consett, County Durham.

Durham County Council commissioned the £135,000 study after it replaced the now disbanded Derwentside District Council, which came up with the original proposals for the new facilities for the town.

Owen Temple, a county councillor who also sat on the former district council, obtained a copy of the report under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Consett North ward member said it concludes the project is financially sound.

Councillor Temple said: "These reports were supposed to enable the cabinet at County Hall to decide whether the new sports centre should go ahead.

"So, why have they been collecting dust since April, never presented to cabinet or reported to councillors?

"It’s taken me three months of pushing to get hold of the report.

"It’s a disgraceful waste of tax-payers’ money to commission a report like this.

"Worse still to withhold it."

Derwentside District Council wanted to build the new sports centre on the former steelworks site at Berry Edge, which is being re-developed under the Project Genesis scheme.

In response to coun Temple’s comments, county council officers said no decision has been made about the location for new facilities.

The council is unable to say whether the facilities may just involve upgrading existing exercise and swim centres at the town’s Belle Vue site.

A public consultation exercise over which facilities residents would like to see in Consett is to be carried out later this year.

The results, combined with the report by consultants Insight, will be presented to councillors at a future meeting.

County council treasurer Stuart Crowe rejected coun Temple’s belief that the information was being "deliberately withheld".

"That is not correct because the report will inform the council’s decision about sports and leisure facilities in Consett and inform our on-going relationship with the Project Genesis."

Assistant county council chief executive Lorraine O’Donnell admitted it should not have taken so long to get the report to coun Temple after he requested it, but denied it was a waste of public money.

"It would have been reckless of us of to say: ‘Yes, let’s just proceed with this project’.

She added the main reason for the report was to act as a sort of, "insurance policy".