COUNCIL leader Tony Ball has gone to Finland this week to discuss regeneration of new towns.

Mr Ball, who is vice president of the European New Town Platform, will attend on Tuesday its annual board meeting in Vantaa.

From today he will attend seminars as part of the 2012 World Capital of Design event in Helsinki about revitalising and redeveloping suburbs.

A council spokesman said: “The platform exists to give the opportunity for European new towns such as Basildon to share best practise on development and regeneration."