TURNING down the chance for an assembly would put the resurgence of the North-East back 20 years, union bosses have said.

TUC regional secretary Kevin Rowan, backed by the leaders of the North-East's four biggest unions, warned that a No vote would be a disaster for the region's economy.

Mr Rowan said: "The people behind this campaign are the same as those who wrecked the North-East in the 1980s and turned it into an industrial wasteland.

"A regional assembly is the best way to revitalise our attempts to regenerate the North-East. It will bring more jobs and apprenticeships for young people.

"The Tories are trying to stop us making more decisions here in the region and trying to gag our potentially strong voice.

"A No vote will take us back 20 years and more."

Mr Rowan was speaking at the launch of the unions' ten-point plan for a regional assembly -ten questions they challenged the No campaign to answer.

It was backed by the TGWU, Unison, GMB and Amicus.

Stella Guy, the regional secretary of the TGWU, said: "A regional assembly is a starting point to really putting things right in the North-East.

"The powers may be limited at the moment, but wherever there has been devolution before, extra powers have followed.

"The people of the region have been misinformed over costs, extra politicians and threats of new buildings.

"There is still a vision for the region and we should all embrace the regional assembly as the body that can deliver it."

John Elliott, chairman of North-East Says No, said: "By campaigning for an assembly they know has no power, the Yes campaign have decided to obediently follow whatever the politicians want them to.

"Unfortunately for them, people in the North-East are more independent-minded and they can see that a regional assembly would be an expensive white elephant that would raise council tax, but not have the powers to do any good."