THE Government’s shake-up of economic development has given rise to some confusing views about how the North-East is responding, with some suggestion that the region is not unified in its approach.

The facts are these: the Government has asked local areas to come together to form Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) – local collaborations of business and local authorities that will deliver certain functions which include planning, housing, local transport, employment and the low-carbon economy.

This is different from the proposal that the Association of North-East Councils and the Northern Business Forum is developing, which is for a strategic economic body for the region that will be responsible for six functions based around inward investment, managing European funding, sector development and innovation.

As such, they do not compete but complement each other because they recognise that some things need to be done locally and others at a North-East level.

While the Tees Valley has been the first North-East area to submit an initial proposal to form a LEP, this is completely consistent to and in agreement with the North-East proposition.

Our aim is to drive business growth, create jobs and ensure we have a strong and thriving private sector across the region and that’s what we are all united on.

Councillor Paul Watson, Chairman, Association of North-East Councils.