LEADING councillors in Burnley will discuss a government proposal to replace local authorities with a North West regional assembly next week.

The council's executive committee will hear how government proposals for an elected regional assembly will replace the two-tier system of district and county councils.

Chief executive Dr Gillian Taylor said the council believed people in the borough would be better served by a single-purpose authority.

A regional assembly would spell the end for Burnley Borough Council.

She told councillors the assembly would have 35 directly elected members covering a North-West region stretching from Merseyside to Cumbria.

The plans are seen by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, as a way of devolving power away from London and rekindling voter interest in local democracy.

The Regional Assemblies Bill is set to be passed through the House of Commons in April. In June, ministers are set to announce which regions of the country will hold a referendum on the issue.

Burnley MP Peter Pike has spoken in favour of regional assemblies and said he would like to see East Lancashire councils join together to form a new authority which would represent local people within a new regional assembly.

He has written to Lancashire County Council outlining his views but has been told County Hall opposes the Bill.

The Burnley Task Force, the body set up to investigate the cause of the riots in June 2001, also touched on the subject.

Chairman of the Task Force, Lord Clarke, said there was a strong case for a single authority big enough to get the resources necessary to reinvigorate the North-West.

The idea of an assembly in the North-West also has the support of Dr Taylor.

She said: "The council's position is that the people of Burnley would be better served by a single-purpose authority.

"We would support an early referendum in Burnley. We know how difficult it is to get resources in this region and this is a wonderful opportunity for us to make the battle for resources easier.

"If people vote in favour , they need to be aware that they are also voting in favour of unitary authorities and the County Council and Burnley Council would be abolished."

The council's executive committee will be asked for their views on the proposals.