FORMER miners from the region will march on Parliament today (Tuesday, October 27) to demand more support for coalfield communities.

The protest comes as MPs debate the release of 1984 Cabinet papers which allegedly showed that the Government at the time misled the public about the extent of pit closures and tried to influence tactics used by police dealing with picketers.

Members from organisations including the Durham Miners' Association (DMA) and National Union of Mineworkers- Yorkshire Area will travel to London to take part in a rally outside the House of Commons.

Dave Hopper, DMA secretary, said the impact of the pit closures was still being felt 30 years later.

"It is now only right that Parliament recognises just how badly ministers at the time treated the coalfield communities and acknowledges the full scale of the economic legacy of the pit closure programme," he said.

"The problems in the former coalfields are horrendous and made worse by the current Coalition Government’s policies."

Parliament will debate a motion put forward by Labour which calls on the Commons to acknowledge the evidence that the Thatcher Government “misled the public about the extent of its pit closure plans and sought to influence police tactics”.

It also urges Parliament to recognise the “economic legacy” of the pit closure programme in coalfield communities and back continued regeneration and support for areas affected.

Miners also want a full investigation into the so-called Battle of Orgreave, which saw brutal picket line clashes between police and union members, including many from the North-East.

"What happened at Orgreave 30 years ago was a black day in South Yorkshire," said Mr Hopper.

"The Independent Police Complaints Commission needs to get its act together. If they can’t or won’t undertake a proper investigation, then Labour has said the Government should consider initiating a swift, independent review along the lines of the Ellison Review."

Cabinet papers from 1984, released earlier this year under the 30-year rule, revealed Government plans to shut 75 mines over three years. The government and National Coal Board said at the time they wanted to close just 20.