A NEW group campaigning to reclaim the name "Teesside" and ban the made-up Tees Valley region is writing to the area's MPs asking for their backing.

The chairman of Teesside Together said the area needed to end its identity crisis and grasp the opportunities offered by regional devolution.

Dave Roberts, who stood in Middlesbrough's mayoral election this year, said after the launch of the organisation last week the message coming from the public was that ‘Tees Valley’ is a failed ‘brand’ and that ‘Teesside’ was the most popular choice for the area’s identity.

TeessideTogether is now writing to all the area’s local MPs—including Stockton South MP James Wharton who is heading the Government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ devolution initiative—urging them to recognise the case for adopting the Teesside identity.

He said: "‘Our belief, which we know is shared not only by the vast majority of the public but also a number of key figures amongst the local authorities, is that trying to move forward under the ‘Tees Valley’ brand is actually counterproductive.

"Whilst it may have been (and perhaps remains in certain circumstances) a useful ‘label’ in political and administrative terms, it remains, totally lacking in any significant public support and lacking recognition in the wider world."

The Teesside Together Chairman said it was vital that the public continued to show their views through voting on the website www.teessidetogether.com and giving their comments via Twitter on @teessidetog.