SOME of the poorest parts of the region are enjoying hundreds of thousands of pounds of Government aid aimed at reviving former coal field communities.

Projects in the North-East have grabbed nearly a fifth of £9.3m so far awarded by the Coalfield Regeneration Trust (CRT), launched last September.

A further £34m worth of grant applications nationally are under consideration, including more bids for cash from the region. The CRT has £52m to spend over three years.

The figures were released by the Government following Liberal Democrat claims that economically-depressed areas are being starved of Government help.

Liberal Democrat spokesman for the regions, Don Foster MP, had claimed that only £1m had so far been distributed by the CRT.

He said: "Labour's flagship regeneration projects have lost their way. Labour's aims are laudable, but the Government is failing Britain's most deprived areas.

"The Government is making local authorities jump through too many bureaucratic hoops to qualify for funding. As a result, funding announced with a flourish often remains unspent and is quietly siphoned back to the Treasury."

CRT's chief executive Alan Wallace said the North-East had done well in comparison to other areas, but because communities had to apply for grant aid, much of the money could not be distributed immediately.

He said: "It is precisely because partnerships and cooperation is so important to us that effective programmes are being developed over a period of months. We are not in the business of knee-jerk responses.