COUNCILLORS are calling on the Government to reconsider Durham for relocation of public sector jobs from London.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has pledged to move 20,000 public sector jobs to ease pressures in the capital and boost economic growth in the North.

But a report by consultants King Sturge, into moving civil service jobs out of London, only identified Newcastle in the North-East for higher level work in policy and science. The study is being reviewed by Sir Michael Lyons, but Durham City councillor Carol Woods is calling for the Government to reconsider Durham, which was not looked at because it has a population of below 100,000.

She said: "It is outrageous to reject Durham as a possible location simply because the immediate population of the City is below 100,000. The population of Durham County, all in easily commutable distance, is nearly 500,000." Even though Durham was not one of the 102 places under consideration, Durham University was still specifically mentioned as offering the potential to support a broad cluster of scientific jobs.

Coun Woods said: "Durham University is world-class, with an excellent reputation for research. Surely factors like that should be more important than whether the population is over 100,000?"