Labour councillors plan to appoint a three-member panel to look again at plans to merge Wisewood and Myers Grove schools, with a new secondary on the Myers' Stannington site.

The review is designed to head off likely moves in council by the LibDems and Greens to overturn the proposals, with Labour now lacking a majority after the recent elections.

The merger was given the go -ahead at a full council meeting in March after an extensive consultation period.

Now a panel will be expected to review all possible options again and produce a report within a month, before the end of the summer term.

Coun leader Jan Wilson has said the rethink is necessary after the election result in Hillsborough. The LibDems scored a convincing victory with a campaign based on the school merger issue.

Members of the Wisewood parents' group SOCS, Save Our Community Schools, said they welcomed the decision to appoint an independent panel.

"It's excellent news - it's very much what we've been pushing for," said Jim Davies.

"This is the first step in getting our community school reinstated. It seems the elections must have forced Labour's hand. With the gains the LibDems have made, they have been forced into a corner."

Lucy Fairest, who has children at Wisewood Primary, which feeds the secondary school, said the decision was unexpected.

"We've been looking at taking legal action with a view to seeking a judicial review of the whole process. Now it seems the council may be backtracking.

"It is encouraging and it is a good idea to have people take another independent look."

Parent Robert Palmer said the campaign group argued that the council decision making process was not independent.

"We have felt that it was the council that was in control of what information was available. So this is certainly a step in the right direction, as long as all parties can submit information to the panel," he said.

"It seems Labour must have been scared by the result in Hillsborough."