SIX MPs have signed an email sent to every Labour councillor in County Durham calling on them to reject or delay the proposed North-East devolution deal.

The letter, sent to all 96 Labour members of Durham County Council, asks councillors to reject the current proposals or at least postpone a deal until the Government clarifies details of what is on offer for the region.

Last month, Gateshead Council rejected the Government’s offer while the remaining six members of the North-East Combined Authority (NECA), including Durham County Council, agreed to continue the process, but press for further concessions.

Further negotiations have taken place with Whitehall over recent weeks, with details on the progress of talks expected to be revealed at the NECA meeting on May 13.

However, Labour MPs Pat Glass, Roberta Blackman-Woods, Helen Goodman, Kevan Jones, Grahame Morris and Phil Wilson have today (FRI) written to all Labour councillors in County Durham calling on them to delay a decision until June when Whitehall is expected to reveal the fine details of the proposed deal.

The email describes the deal as “fundamentally unsound” and adds “We support greater devolution for the North East but this is not a good deal and should not include a North East Mayor which is being forced on us by George Osborne and which the people of the North East do not need or want”.

It goes on: “We urgently request that even if you feel unable, at this stage, to reject the proposed deal then, at a minimum, you postpone any decisions in the County Council until after the publication of the detailed secondary legislation to enable detailed scrutiny to take place”.

The package currently on offer from Chancellor George Osborne offers the region some powers over economic development and skills, transport, housing and planning, along with a £30m-a-year investment fund.

But council leaders have raised concerns over the Government’s insistence on an elected North-East mayor and are also demanding what they describe as “fair funding” as part of the deal.

Cllr Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council and NECA chairman, described the funding of the devolution deal as “absolutely critical.”

He added: “There have been further talks between council officials and civil servants and those talks remain ongoing, so we are not in a position to announce the outcome until the next round of meetings arranged for early in May. Those meetings were put in place in the hope that we could move forward”.

However, businessman Jeremy Middleton, the only declared candidate to date for North East mayor, described the MPs’ letter as “sabotage tactics”.

He said: “It is clear that the deep divisions in their party are manifesting themselves through political games. The whole point of the devolution deal is to bring powers and budgets from Westminster to the North East. And again we see Westminster politicians desperately trying to cling on to power”.

Mr Middleton added: “Durham councillors, who have backed the devolution deal so far, need to stand firm and make sure County Durham don’t miss out on devolved powers and budgets like Gateshead will.”

Graham Robb, North-East chairman of the Institute of Directors, said: “I hope Durham County Council continues to be at the forefront of the deal because it is important that the North East is in the first phase of devolution alongside Manchester and Sheffield.

“We don’t want County Durham to lose out on the opportunity to have resources and power devolved down from Whitehall.”