ECONOMIC growth must take place across the North of England and not just the big cities, conference delegates were told.

Politicians and experts from across the country attended the Growth Beyond the Big Cities event, at County Hall, in Durham City, on Thursday.

The conference heard that areas like County Durham and the Tees Valley had a vital role to play in creating economic growth.

Experts questioned the current focus on England's core cities, including Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds, to drive the economy forward.

They argued that smaller towns and cities had more to offer than just being dormitories for commuters working in the larger cities.

The conference heard that the big cities had not out-performed other areas of the country in terms of economic growth in recent years, meaning a reliance on big cities to drive growth in the future was questionable.

Among the speakers at the event, which was organised by the Industrial Communities Alliance, was Ed Cox, director of thinktank IPPR North.

He said George Osborne's Northern Powerhouse initiative and the role of big cities in boosting the economy of the North of England was important.

However, he suggested that focusing solely on the big city regions would not bring about the re-balancing of the economy that was sought.

Mr Cox said the country needed to acknowledge the roles of smaller places and develop strategies to develop their skills and assets, as well as improve connectivity between large cities and surrounding areas.

He added that smaller areas needed strong leadership and improved civic and business engagement, adding: "Places like the North-East and the Tees Valley have to follow the process that is set out and make demands of central government - they need to be proactive.

"We need to develop a narrative and appreciation of how smaller towns and cities fit within the urban hierarchy - places like Darlington have a large role to play in the success of the North-East economy."

Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, told delegates that the formation of the North East Combined Authority which included more the rural areas of County Durham and Northumberland - and having two local enterprise partnerships that covered all areas of the region - had given the North-East a big advantage.

"If we're going to move forward we need to move forward together in an inclusive way so that no areas are left behind.

"I believe areas such as ours have a strong role to play in the economy moving forward given all the advantages that we have."

Cllr Henig added that the next government needed to insure devolution was offered to all and not just areas "cherry picked" by the Chancellor.