TODAY we publish statistics which give an indication of how busy and effective the region's MPs have been in Parliament over the past year.

They show how many written questions they have submitted, how many debates they have taken part in and the percentage of votes in which they have participated. It is for constituents to draw their own conclusions and question whether they believe their MPs are doing enough to justify their salaries and expenses.

A name which no longer appears in the list of North-East MPs is Derek Foster, who represented Bishop Auckland for 26 years before standing down at the last General Election.

In our judgement, Mr Foster was a good MP; a gentleman who earned the respect of his constituents through his commitment, local knowledge and visibility. He was part of the community and it is good to see his successor Helen Goodman getting so involved in Parliamentary activity that she has voted in 92 per cent of Commons divisions.

Mr Foster was honoured this week at a dinner at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon. It was attended by the Prime Minister, along with Labour colleagues and prominent figures from across the region.

As his local newspaper, we wanted to join in the tributes to Mr Foster and publicly acknowledge his commitment to the area. Despite receiving prior consent to attend the dinner by the organisers, our photographer was turned away by a Labour Party press officer.

All we wanted to do was take a picture of a local political stalwart alongside the Prime Minister. We rather think Derek Foster would have liked that.

Unfortunately, we live in an age of political spin and control which denies a local newspaper access to a local politician's moment of glory. And we find that very sad.