THE politician brought in to assess the North East’s economic future will today unveil the evidence of educational failure and missed chances which have held the region back.

The former transport secretary will go over submissions made to him which will eventually underpin a detailed report set to be handed over to the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Evidence presented to the review and seen by The Journal spells out a mixed record on the economy, underpinned by failing schools and a growing skills crisis which could undermine the offshore energy sector if action is not taken.

While there are success stories for firms such as Nissan and the oil and gas industry, there are still too many areas where the region has not united to push for a few critical Government interventions, Lord Adonis’s review has been told.

From transport to housing there are troubling predictions, with one group controversially insisting that forcing through green belt development is the best way to short term economic success for the North East.

The CBI has also piled pressure on Lord Adonis, urging him to take a tough line with teachers and education authorities.

Regional CBI chiefs said: “For too long the North East has been complacent and failed to recognise and act on the under-performance of many of our schools.”

On land sales there is also a message for Lord Adonis that will worry green belt campaigners. Many councils have said they will try to regenerate inner-city sites to make them more attractive to home builders.

But a draft report put to the former minister says this will not be enough. Experts looking at the issue for the review say councils should be made to “start shifting development away from brownfield sites towards more desirable, less costly greenfield sites.”

And from the multi-billion pound Homes and Communities Quango comes a worrying revelation.

The group informed Lord Adonis of economic research which shows that “overall, all regions but the North East are forecast to return to 2008 peak employment levels during the next decade.”

On transport many business groups have told Lord Adonis he must force the region to pick a handful of priorities then lobby only for these, meaning councils would have to drop hopes of securing, for example, A1 dualling in the short term.

A detailed warning of the potential for regional economic failure was made by the people behind the Tyne Tunnel, TT2 Ltd, which warns that a Government promise to look into removing a congestion-hit Silverlink roundabout from the A19 north of the River Tyne is nowhere near secure enough.

The firm calls for the improvements along the A19 on the Silverlink junction and Testo’s Roundabout should be a priority for the region, it says. If not, growth at business sites such as Nissan’s Wearside factory may be hindered.

Calling for firmer funding guarantees, the group said: “It is vital that the considerable benefits of the New Tyne Crossing can be maintained and that the potential for the tunnels to actively boost the regeneration of the east coast is not lost as a result of heavily congested junctions either side of the tunnels.”

Lord Adonis will address business leaders at a review event at the Baltic in Gateshead today. His final report will go to Mr Clegg and include five keys recommendations for Government intervention, alongside 10 things for the region and its local enterprise partnership to do.

For too long the North East has failed to act on the under-performance of many of our schools