A REGENERATION chief hopes the North-East's regional development agency will deliver more in the next few years.

One NorthEast is carrying out a three-yearly review of its economic strategy, the blueprint it hopes will bring increased prosperity to the region.

The strategy lays out the vision of a 90,000 net increase in jobs by 2010 and the creation of a diversified, knowledge-driven economy with an entrepreneurial culture and adaptable workforce.

A three-month consultation has begun with businesses, organisations and councils and the agency says informal feedback suggests its goals are still regarded as valid.

But there are also calls for it to be more focused and to concentrate on investments that strengthen companies' capacity to compete in a rapidly changing global economy.

Alistair Arkley, One NorthEast board member and chairman of the Tees Valley Partnership, said the agency's budget was "peanuts" compared with total public expenditure in the North-East, but he praised the way it was prepared to allocate funding sub-regionally.

"It is allowing people, within the terms of its own economic regeneration strategy, to come up with priorities for their own area.

"The general view from all sectors is that the strategy needs a bit of tweaking, but it is not too bad. It just needs delivering.

"I think people are saying, can the next three years be less about strategy and more about delivery."

One NorthEast is asking everyone, from the boardroom to the shop floor, to contribute to the review.

Chairman Dr John Bridge said: "Responsibility for the region's future does not solely rest with an individual, community, business or organisation, but with every single person in the region.''

In the period 2001 to 2002 the agency invested £150m in more than 3,000 rural, urban and social regeneration projects. It created 12,878 jobs and safeguarded a further 5,908.

More than 60 hectares of land were improved or reclaimed and its funding helped 154 new business start-usp.

A final version of the strategy document, which is on the agency's website at www.onenortheast.co.uk/strategyreview, will be sent for Government approval in October.