MINISTER for Work Nick Brown yesterday pledged Government backing to reverse economic decline in an area hit by massive job losses.

The Newcastle East MP met partners drawing up a rescue plan for south Durham centred on the town of Spennymoor, where power tools giant Black & Decker is shedding 950 jobs.

With the town's MP, Derek Foster, he met senior figures from regeneration, employment and training agencies, local authorities and Black & Decker at Sedgefield Borough Council's offices in Spennymoor.

He said: "Whatever we need to put in to fulfil our function will be provided.

"We have given that commitment. Support for new jobs is under consideration at the moment.

"We have to focus our minds on how we create a new future and help the community that is going to be impacted by redundancy.

"We are trying to see what we can do for other jobs here. We want to underpin the employment base here in County Durham rather than have the area depopulated."

With manufacturing a declining force, the group's vision for the area is centred on new technology, both on the part of the Black & Decker site being bought by redevelopment agency One NorthEast and the planned North-East Technology Park (NetPark) near Sedgefield.

Black & Decker told the group that there had been no compulsory redundancies, some workers were retraining and some had found work through a JobCentre Plus project set up for staff.

Mr Foster said: "We have to focus all the resources of the Government in the region to try to deal with this body blow."