DURHAM County Council is considering co-sponsoring a number of academies to maintain some control over the part-privately funded state schools.

Academies are newly built independent schools, usually partly funded by businesses, charities or religious groups, which contribute up to £2m in return for control over the institution.

But Durham County Council's academies strategy, published this week, assumes the authority "would prefer to sponsor jointly the new academies and so have a greater involvement in their future".

If the strategy, to be debated next week, is approved, it could cost the council up to £3m per school.

In co-sponsoring academies, Durham would follow the lead of councils in Sunderland and Manchester.

But the authority would still need a partner investor, the search for which would begin immediately with the production of an information pack, followed by formal advertising.

A council spokesman said: "Any potential sponsors would be required to share the council's philosophy and vision about how the academies were run and be acceptable to the county council and the governing bodies of the schools they would replace."

The council's strategy does not say how many academies it wants or what schools they will replace.

Previously three schools -Moorside Community College in Consett, Stanley School of Technology and Gilesgate Sports College and Sixth Form Centre -had been identified as candidates to become academies.

But David Williams, the council's head of children and young people's services, is calling for a wider review to consider the future of secondary education in North-West and South-West Durham and Durham City.

The Government considers creating academies from schools where fewer than 30 per cent of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C last year.

Under these rules, none of the three schools would qualify.

Mr Williams said: "The marked success of the county council and most of its schools in improving performance is further reason to argue that it adds significant value in raising educational achievement, and so should be fully involved in the next steps rather than passing over all direct influence to the academy and its sponsor."

The council's cabinet will debate the issue on Thursday.