A NORTH-EAST councillor is being pressured to resign after calling for the legalisation of euthanasia to cut the number of children in care.

North Tyneside Conservative, Hugh Jackson made the remark during a discussion at a council meeting about the number of vulnerable youngsters being looked after by the local authority.

Now calls are being made for him to stand down after he suggested euthanasia as a solution during the meeting of North Tyneside Council's finance sub-committee.

He was responding to information that 43 youngsters in North Tyneside are cared for in other local authority areas, putting a financial strain on the council to the tune of £3.4m a year.

Coun Jackson, who represents Monkseaton North ward, said today he regretted making the comment but refused to resign.

He said: "It was misplaced humour, one of those things I wish I had not said. As soon as I said it I wished I hadn't, it should never have been said.

"We were discussing some of the expensive bits of the budget and one of those is children looked after out of the borough.

"I said have we looked at other policies and said something along the lines of have we thought about euthanasia?

"The chief executive of the council was there and said I should apologise and I was happy to do so because I should never have said it in the first place."

Despite the councillor's apology, North Tyneside's Labour Mayor, John Harrison, has called for him to go.

He said: "Coun Jackson may have apologised but I believe he should take an honourable course of action and resign now. If he refuses to do the decent thing and go then it is up to his party to sack him."