Review into £1.5bn cost of coalfield projects

It comes after Westminster's spending watchdog, the Commons Public Accounts Committee, criticised the Government for allowing projects to run over budget and behind schedule and also questioned how successful the schemes had been.

Housing Minister and Wentworth MP John Healey, who made yesterday's announcement in Doncaster, said the "wide-ranging" review would look at how to get the best out of the coalfields programmes.

Mr Healey said: "Former coal mining communities in Yorkshire were devastated by the pit closures 25 years ago and it's been a huge task to revive these areas.

"Over the last decade we've invested 1.5bn to help almost 150,000 people across the country into jobs and training and brought derelict land the size of 4,500 football pitches back into use. But there's more to be done and we will stand by the former coalfield areas.

"The review I'm announcing is to check the investment we've put in and the schemes we've set up are doing everything they can for people in Yorkshire who were hardest hit by the pit closures."

Since 1985, 54 collieries have closed in Wakefield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Selby, Leeds and Kirklees and various schemes have been set up to help those facing unemployment and poverty as a result.

These have included 22m spent on creating 1,300 new jobs in Barnsley and 11m that has gone into Rotherham's Breathing Space project, for those suffering from severe respiratory disease.

The review will be headed up by former miner and retiring Barnsley MP Mick Clapham.

There will be representatives from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and the Coalfields Enterprise Fund.