A COUNCIL has confirmed that it will not replace two schools by building a £25m complex.

Earlier this month, the Labour group on Durham County Council voted not to press ahead with a new school that would take pupils from Dene Community School of Technology and Shotton Hall School, in Peterlee.

The vote was welcomed by the heads of both schools and, yesterday, the council's cabinet officially endorsed the decision.

The proposal, part of the council's Building Schools for the Future proposed programme, attracted considerable opposition in the community.

Councillor Claire Vasey, cabinet member for children's services, said: "From the very start, we promised that the consultation process would not be a purely paper exercise. We carried it out because we genuinely wanted to take into account the views of those who would be most affected.

"The results clearly demonstrate that the county council's preferred option was not acceptable."

Councillor Gordon Tennant, for Peterlee East, praised Coun Vasey, saying: "She has listened to the people, and listened to other members of the council."

Blackhalls councillor Alan Cox also welcomed the decision.

The council will set aside £25m for improving schooling in Peterlee. The cabinet was also told that the Department for Education and Skills could ask the council to look again at building an academy in Peterlee, which would require Dene Community School's closure.

The cabinet also heard that the Building Schools for the Future programme's estimated costs had risen from £89m to £105m.