A FUND which has helped create dozens of jobs is being scrapped because of ideological differences, councillors have claimed.

The accusations came in a bitter meeting of Darlington Borough Council on Thursday evening.

Council leader John Williams spoke about how the Future Jobs Fund had been a success in the town.

The fund helps create jobs for long-term unemployed people aged 19 to 24.

However, the coalition Government is to scrap the scheme.

In its first round, 25 people in Darlington – half of all participants – found full-time employment.

As part of round two, 36 out of 46 people have been employed within organisations.

However, Coun Williams said: “There’s no Future Jobs Fund round three, as it was cancelled by the Con-Dems as one of the first things they did when they came into political office.

“They didn’t think of the social consequences, they just saw it as a Labour scheme and it was ideological.

“We have a massive waste of public expenditure waiting in the wings by this so called efficiency government.

“They’re just building up resentment. This is a prime example of the total vandalism of a Labour scheme that was working.They’ve put nothing in place, they haven’t substituted anything.”

His comments were part of a bitter debate that developed between the three parties on the council.

Labour councillors attacked the Government’s spending cuts, and Conservatives and Liberal Democrats accused their counterparts of profligacy and scare-mongering.

The Conservatives said that the rate of growth in the private sector was in excess of the losses in the public sector.

Councillor Alan Coultas said that there had been more than 15,000 jobs created in the private sector in the North- East over the previous few months, and several billion pounds invested.

He said: “I’ve listened to what other business leaders have had to say. Sales and orders are still growing despite the choppy waters that we have seen in the economy.”

Labour councillor Ian Haszeldine said: “If that happens, it will be in spite of the Government not because of it.”

His colleague, Councillor Dot Long, told Tory councillors: “The reason why you’re not depressed is you’re not feeling it.

“There’s a difference between being down and being totally out of touch.