THE Northern Echo is today joining forces with the region's business leaders to try to overturn Government proposals that put thousands of vitally-needed jobs in jeopardy.

The threat, buried in a planning blueprint, could halt several of the region's flagship job-creation projects - including the expansion of Teesport and the science and technology NetPark development in Sedgefield, County Durham.

The Government has also watered down proposals to sort out the region's transport infrastructure, with improvements to the A1 and A66, the airports and passenger transport all put on the back-burner.

Business leaders from the North-East Chamber of Commerce say the proposals would stifle the region's economic ambitions to build on the growth of recent years and make the task of closing the North-South Divide ever harder.

The proposals are contained in the revised draft of the Regional Spatial Strategy, the legally-binding document which will govern planning and development in the North-East for the next 15 years.

The strategy, prepared by the North-East Assembly over the past two years, and already revised once by planning inspectors, was sent to London for consideration by the Department of Local Government and Communities. But the Government has revised the document, quietly ditching a number of key proposals and toning down others.

With ten weeks to persuade the Government to rethink the strategy before the August 6 deadline, The Northern Echo has joined forces with the North-East Chamber of Commerce to launch the Shaping the Future campaign.

We will be compiling a dossier to be presented to the Government, asking ministers to reinstate some of the projects vital to the region's economic prospects.

James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North-East Chamber of Commerce, said: "The Government's interpretation of what is necessary to energise the North-East economy over the next 15 years falls far short of our region's vision for the future.

"If we let this go without making the case for change, the North-East will be dealt an irreparable blow - it is that significant."

The Government is to consult a number of the region's key agencies on the revisions to the strategy over the coming weeks.

Pat Ritchie, assistant chief executive at regional development agency One NorthEast, said: "We will continue to make a very strong case for the North-East and to influence the final document to secure the best possible outcome for the region."

The North-East Assembly, which includes representatives from across the region, has already had talks with a number of the region's MPs on the issue.

Deputy chief executive Malcolm Bowes said the assembly would be considering the proposed changes over the coming months. He said: "The bottom line is, the more we can get the region responding with a single voice, the better."