COULD I reassure everyone that the North-East councils are moving swiftly on the combined authority front.

The sub-regional Tees Valley authorities of Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland are going through the consultation process with the five council cabinets agreeing with the combined authority concept.

However once again we up North were short-changed via the latest round of central government cuts with our neighbours Middlesbrough taking the biggest hit on the grants and council tax front in the North-East - a cut of 5.6 per cent a reduction of £8.9m.

We in Redcar and Cleveland will lose £5.2m or 3.7 per cent.

We look south with envy as their spending powers goes up.

Tewkesbury got the biggest increase of 3.2 per cent and Surrey a whopping £27m or 3.1 per cent increase.

There are other examples like East Devon up 2.7 per cent, Buckinghamshire by 2.3 per cent (the same as Cambridge) along with Dorset up 1.9 per cent.

I'm always a bit cynical when governments profess they want to devolve powers to the regions.

However I will keep the combined authority glass half full and look to the Government of the day to top it up and deliver more power to the regions.

All aboard for a power ride.

Cllr George Dunning, Leader Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.