MOVES for a "kiss-and-make-up" meeting between a mayor and a neighbouring council are to be blocked.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Labour group wants Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon to be invited to a bridge-building meeting following a fall-out between the two authorities over the abandoning of plans for an east Middlesbrough bypass.

Relations soured after Mr Mallon called for a slice of Redcar and Cleveland's land to be transferred to Middlesbrough's ownership, to allow the road to be built.

The east Cleveland council recently dropped plans for the road in the face of objections by landowners, chief amongst them the National Trust, custodian of Ormesby Hall.

Councillor Eric Empson, Redcar and Cleveland council cabinet chairman, yesterday branded the attempted bridge-building as "purely political", insisting the rest of the council would not support it.

Redcar and Cleveland council ended a 40-year campaign to build an east Middlesbrough bypass after deleting it from its files last month.

In an attempt to solve his traffic problems, Mr Mallon called on Redcar and Cleveland council to hand over the Ormesby Hall estate and parts of Nunthorpe to fulfil his ambition for the relief road.

Councillor George Dunning, opposition group leader on Redcar and Cleveland council, said yesterday: "We want the chance to hear what Ray Mallon has to say about this key issue and whether a constructive way forward can be found."

But Coun Empson said the proposed "land-grab" would be "environmental vandalism".

He said a meeting was held in October, with Mr Mallon, to agree a way forward with traffic congestion issues which would not include a bypass.

Coun Empson said: "It was agreed at that meeting that the problem could be reduced, if not eliminated, by traffic management measures and highway measures."