IN launching our "Right Lines" campaign last year, our aim was to bring a united voice behind lobbying for a fair deal for the north on rail services.

We, therefore, welcome the launch of "Transport For The North" – a new body to co-ordinate the transport needs of the north of England.

Anything which helps to strengthen the north's case in the corridors of power has to be seen as a positive development.

What is hard to understand, however, is why such a large and important swathe of the North-East has been left without any representation on the new organisation.

The leaders of Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) have rightly protested about the south of the region being omitted. The Tees Valley, linking the vital steel-making and chemical complexes of Teesside with the perfectly-placed transport hub of Darlington, clearly has strategic importance.

It is unthinkable that any joined up transport plan for the north of England would not include the unique road, rail and air assets of the area which gave the world the railways in the first place.

So who in their right mind decided that Transport For The North should be formed without a Tees Valley voice?

A Department for Transport spokesman told The Northern Echo that it was "vital" that the new body spoke with one voice for the whole of the north. The spokesman added: "It is crucial everyone works together to deliver a world-class, integrated transport network."

We couldn't agree more – but it is deeply frustrating when you can't finish a jigsaw because a vital piece has been left out of the box.