DURHAM City Council is to be run by a cabinet and leader permanently.

The Labour-run authority, like others up and down the country, has been using the system for about 18 months as an experiment.

Last November, a referendum was held on whether to have a directly-elected mayor and cabinet.

The postal vote produced a majority of more than 3,600 voters who were against the idea.

The decision to move permanently to a cabinet and leader system was made without debate at a full council meeting.

The move will take effect from Tuesday, May 7.

The system was proposed by the Government as a way of modernising local government and increasing the speed and efficiency of decision making.

It does away with the old committee structure that councils have used for years.

Labour leaders in Durham and the Liberal Democrats - their main opposition on the council - opposed the idea of an elected mayor, saying it would concentrate too much power in one person and lead to personality politics.

Council leader Maurice Crathorne also claimed the referendum result as an endorsement of the council's leadership.

The Tories, who have no city councillors, supported an elected mayor, saying it would end secrecy and high council tax.