THE Conservative Party is planning to use online technology in a bid to improve its representation on two County Durham councils in next year's local elections.

The party hopes to reach beyond its traditional membership in Darlington and Sedgefield by campaigning with the use of technology such as podcasts and weblogs.

It comes a week after the Tories increased their share of the vote nationally in this year's council elections to more than 40 per cent.

The Tory leader in Darlington said the party hoped to cash in on a series of unpopular decisions made by the ruling Labour group in the town over the past year.

Coun Tony Richmond said: "The controlling group has ignored the concerns of a large section of the population over some serious issues. They have now got a reputation for arrogance and not listening to the public."

He cited the controversial pedestrianisation of Darlington town centre as one example.

As part of the Tory campaign, high profile speakers will be visiting the area, including former Tory leader William Hague, who will speak on Saturday at the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena.

The group will be launching a new web site later this year - which will include podcasts (audio/visual files which can be downloaded from the internet on to portable devices) and weblogs (online diaries).

The South Durham Conservatives have seen an increase in membership since David Cameron became party leader, and the group is now advertising for candidates in Darlington and Sedgefield.

Chairman Coun Charles Johnson, said: "These are exciting times for Conservatives in Darlington. We have our strongest membership since the 1980s, when we controlled the local council and had a Conservative MP. But we want to reach out even further and hear from people who are natural Conservatives and would bring new ideas and experience."

John Williams, leader of Labour-controlled Darlington Council said: "The Conservatives made no impression in Darlington or our region in last week's elections. In all of Newcastle and Sunderland there is only one Tory councillor - that's failure not success."

* Anyone interested in joining the Conservatives, is asked to telephone (01325) 462283.