A SOUNDING is being taken to test public support for a directly-elected regional government in the North-East.

Thousands of people in County Durham are being surveyed to discover if there is backing for a referendum on proposals for a regional assembly.

Durham County Council has written to 32,000 randomly selected homes in the wake of the Bill that could pave the way for the first directly-elected assemblies in the English regions.

People outside of London are to be offered the chance of regional government following the publication of the White Paper, Your Region - Your Choice, last May.

The Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill was published in November following the Queen's Speech.

As a first phase in the three-stage process, the level of interest in each region will be gauged.

Should that test fail to be passed no further action will be taken, but if it is considered there is sufficient interest a referendum and commission of a review of local government will be carried out in county areas.

That review would recommend the most appropriate form of unitary local government, followed by the third step of a referendum in which the entire region would vote on whether to create a regional assembly.

As part of stage one, the county council has been invited to express a view on the issue and is therefore anxious to discover the thoughts of the electorate.

Chief executive Kingsley Smith said: "It needs to be stressed that what is being judged at this stage is the level of interest in having a referendum, and not in an assembly itself.

"This survey allows local people the chance to have a say on a matter of great importance.

"All responses will be treated confidentially, but they will help to shape our response to the Government."

The county council's head of economic development, Mark Lloyd, said apart from the household survey, the council had also contacted 800 businesses at random, as well as seeking views from other community and voluntary groups.

Survey forms must be completed and returned by January 25.

The survey results will feature strongly in the county council's submission to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the beginning of March.