A local authority has agreed to stop its school closures drive, pending a Scottish Government review.

A meeting of Argyll and Bute Council on Tuesday decided to stop its consultation process about a plan to merge a total of 11 schools in the region.

However, plans to shut schools which have no pupils will continue.

Earlier this month Education Secretary Mike Russell wrote to every Scottish council requesting that they delay for a year any plans to close rural schools.

He told them a new commission has been set up to examine rural education provision and how current legislation deals with plans to shut schools. Any moratorium would last until June 2012.

Argyll and Bute Council leader Dick Walsh said: "In light of the comments made by the education secretary where he outlined his concerns with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, and described the act as "defective", we feel it is right to stop our consultation process. It is not appropriate for the council to continue working under legislation which the education secretary himself believes to be flawed and not fit for purpose.

"We will work with Cosla to explore the wider implications of a moratorium and the impact it will have on education across Argyll and Bute. Our priority remains to provide all children in Argyll and Bute with a high standard of education."

Mr Walsh said the area has surplus capacity of primary schools which needs to be dealt with.

He added: "As Argyll and Bute Council has the most recent and most extensive experience of trying to work within the current legislation we feel representatives from the council should form part of the commission itself."

The council also agreed that the decision to halt consultation would not apply to schools which have no pupils.