ECONOMY bosses across the Tees Valley will hold talks to plan for different possible outcomes to the region relating to Brexit.

Darlington Borough Council’s deputy leader and economy boss Councillor Chris McEwan said he had been “horrified” by figures showing the North-East economy could lose out by 11 per cent if certain plans went ahead.

He told a meeting of the authority that it had a duty to collectively plan for possible outcomes with the North-East chamber of commerce and colleagues across the Tees Valley. He said: “We don’t know how it is going to land, whether there is going to be a general election, but at the end of the day we do need to plan for these eventualities.”

Cllr McEwan was responding to an appeal for a debate on Brexit by Independent councillor Alan Coultas, who said the region was facing “huge headwinds”.

Cllr Coultas said: “Now we are at this historic point where a crucial vote in Parliament will determine all our futures, the economic future of this town, should we not be sending out some clear views from this council about what we are seeking? We have not at any time debated this in this chamber.

“I know how difficult this matter is and trying to chart the way through the chaos of the last two and half years amidst what I consider as a failure of national leadership is extremely difficult.”