THE Darlington branch of the North-East Chamber of Commerce has been given a new lease of life.

Some of the members of the Darlington sub-group attended the relaunch, when a long-term vision was set out and Darlington businesses were encouraged to have their say on the town's destiny and development.

Chairman Jeff Fitzpatrick said: "Darlington is seen within the Tees Valley as a special case.

"It has some of the same deprivation but has other positive areas.

"For example, an idea has come forward saying Darlington should be the gateway for the Tees Valley area to attract new businesses as it has such good communication networks."

He said the Darlington sub-group of the regional chamber of commerce would allow businesses in the town to have a say in decisions made by the Tees Valley partnership. They would also be able to tap into the partnership's resources.

Darlington Borough Council chief executive Barry Keal said the chamber of commerce must be seen to promote the town.

He said: "We have to have an interest in progress, not just in solving problems, because Darlington has real potential.

"We have to get more businesses into the town, which means tackling lots of different areas, including recruitment, education and social problems such as drugs.

"It may not seem relevant to businesses, but we are all affected by social problems."