WITH apathy already a strong feature of council elections, it is hard to imagine a rush to the polls in the special referendum next year on whether the North West should get its own mini-parliament and, in turn, a shake-up of local government.

But if people do say 'yes' to devolved government, a major concern for those in Lancashire is whether they will be fairly represented in the new regional assembly if the combined votes of members for the Manchester and Merseyside conurbations stand to put their areas' interests first. Safeguards against this are needed.

And the knock-on effect of regional government leading to one-tier local government is another important consideration.

It may be that Lancashire County Council will not be much mourned if its abolition is an upshot. For it has long been too remote and its shameful rejection of public opinion over the closure of old folk's homes has cast doubt on its willingness to represent voters fairly.

But while it may be an improvement for Lancashire communities to represented instead by a clutch of strong new unitary councils of the sort that Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool now have, it remains uncertain whether the trigger for this change - regional government - will be of great benefit for the North West or, as critics argue, a remote and unnecessary talking shop.