Teesdale District Council's Corporate Strategy Group is to decide on Monday whether it should be involved in any advance publicity to promote the referendum on a Regional Assembly being held on November 4.

The council has six weeks to publicise the referendum before a 28-day period when no public money can be spent on it.

In August last year, the authority's members narrowly gave their support to the concept of a North-East assembly by 16 votes to 15.

But there was controversy after it was discovered that one councillor had mistakenly voted 'for' the assembly when he had intented to vote against it.

In the event of a 'yes' vote, the council will support the creation of three unitary authorities, rather than a single over-arching authority for County Durham.