NORTHERN Conservatives have attacked the Government and claimed the costs of promoting a North-East regional assembly are as much as £20,000 a week.

North-East MEP Martin Callanan and Hexham MP, Peter Atkinson, say they have been trying to establish the true expense of the 'Your Say' campaign to tax payers.

Mr Callanan said that at a launch event for the proposed North-East assembly Deputy PM John Prescott had refused to answer a question about the cost of the campaign.

Mr Atkinson then tabled a parliamentary question in the Commons, to which in his reply, Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said the cost for the campaign for this financial year would be £500,000 plus £25,000 for the launch event.

This works out at about £20,000 a week being spent between now and next March.

Mr Atkinson has now tabled another question in a bid to find out what the cost of the campaign will be for the next financial year which will run from April 2004 to the referendum expected next October.

He said: "The fact that we are only getting answers to our questions bit by bit suggests the government has something to hide - or perhaps they are ashamed?"

Mr Callanan added: "Spending this huge amount of money on a propaganda exercise is absolutely outrageous.

"This is money that could be put into frontline public services rather than frontline spin."

A North-East assembly, possibly based in Durham City, could have influence over £5bn worth of spending in the region, according to Deputy Prime Minister Mr Prescott.