Ken Manton will receive the answer to his "back me or sack me" ultimatum this week as he seeks re-election as leader of Durham County Council. Stuart Arnold reports.

IT was the defeat over controversial plans to close a number of care homes by fellow Labour councillors that prompted Ken Manton to issue his "back me or sack me" challenge.

As leader of Durham County Council, he had championed the proposals and his ultimatum was designed to face down the rebels.

The authority is suffering a political vacuum at the top, needing not only a leader to be re-elected on Wednesday but also a deputy leader, following the recent death of veteran councillor Don Ross.

A chairman and vice-chairman of the ruling Labour group will also be chosen, along with a secretary, treasurer and whip.

The challenge to Councillor Manton, who represents the Bishop Auckland Town ward, comes from county councillor Albert Nugent, who resigned as secretary of the group over the row.

Coun Manton, leader of the council for the past six years, said: "People know where I stand in terms of the modernisation of the council.

"It has led us already to be a four-star excellent rated council and I hope to continue along that line."

Asked about the care homes,whose closure could save millions in repair and maintenance costs, he said: "There are issues to be addressed and that is just one of them."

However, it is understood he has told councillors that, if re-elected, the authority will try again to close its remaining nine residential care homes.

The leadership was defeated in February during a private meeting of the Labour group. But several councillors are also unhappy that the narrow vote did not also overturn a previous decision to shut four others.

In his application for the leadership position, Coun Manton says that the residential homes policy is "unfinished business".

He adds that there are three options available:

* To add an extra £30m plus to the authority's borrowing.

* Cut back on areas identified for investment.

* Withdraw from the direct provision of residential homes, directing the savings to home care services.

Meanwhile, Coun Nugent, a former coalminer who represents the Deneside ward in Seaham, said if elected he wants all decisions to be taken by the Labour group as a whole, since he felt that backbench councillors were sometimes unaware of decisions which had been taken.

Coun Nugent, a former coalminer, believed that the vote rejected any care home closures in their entirety.

The council's eight-strong cabinet later agreed it only referred to a "second wave" of closures and that consultation would take place over three homes, Lynwood House, in Lanchester, East Green at West Auckland and Hackworth House, in Shildon, to which closure had already been agreed in principle some five years ago.

Coun Nugent said: "Everything must be brought out in the open and be the final decision of the group as whole.

"The 52 members in the group are the masters, they are the ones elected by the people in the community who they have to answer to."

* For the first time, councillors at the annual meeting are to try out an electronic method of voting.

Instead of the traditional paper ballot method, they will push a button to select their favoured candidate.