COUNCILLORS have voted to give their backing to a plan designed to get Bromsgrove's failing district authority back on track.

Bromsgrove District Council has been in voluntary engagement, where special advisors help run it, since June.

Part of that process involves putting together a recovery plan, which will be sent to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The plan must show concrete steps to get the council back on track.

At a special meeting of the full council, civic leaders voted to accept the plan but not before a heated debate in which several members criticised the wording of the report for being too complicated. All the Labour councillors voted against accepting the plan, while the rest of the council supported it. Councillor Peter McDonald (Lab-Waseley) said: "The recovery plan is just more of the same. More relapse rather than recovery." He added it would be better if the Government came in to run the council.

Cllr McDonald then put forward a motion calling for the controlling group to make arrangements for the opposition groups to be fully engaged in the recovery plan.

The Conservatives voted en-masse to throw out the motion.

Cllr Dennis Norton (Con-St John's) said he was disappointed Labour did not support the recovery plan but added: "Labour have refused to get involved. It is the Tories who are pushing this thing forward. It is the first time any group has decided to try and get the council back on its feet."

Cllr Nick Psirides (Ind-Norton) said: "I am saddened that the Tories used their block vote to throw out this conciliatory motion and I am disappointed with Cllr McDonald for withdrawing his group's participation in the process of working together."