I AM afraid that I have to puncture Mrs Allison's bubble of euphoria (Letters, Nov 25).
Whilst it is true that the people of the north east overwhelmingly rejected a directly-elected regional assembly in the referendum, they will nevertheless continue to have regional government.
Mrs Allison will continue to hear about regional government despite her wish not to do so because it already exists. In London they have directly-elected regional government whilst in the other eight English regions we have regional government in the shape of the government offices in the regions, the Regional Development Agencies, and the Learning and Skills Councils. And we have the only democratic element in the shape of the existing regional assemblies.
The assemblies have major tasks, including preparation of the regional spatial strategy to which local authority local development frameworks (the successors to the Unitary Development Plans) will be required to conform. Other responsibilities include the regional energy, transport and waste management strategies to which will be added, shortly, the regional housing strategy.
I do not share Mrs Allison's enthusiasm for the 'No' vote in the north east referendum because I believe that the people there were conned by a slick and entirely negative London-based campaign.
What I also know is that they will continue to have regional government, albeit not as effective or as democratic as it could have been, but regional government nonetheless.
COUNCILLOR
DEREK BODEN,
leader, North West
Regional Assembly.
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