Government shelves regional assembly referendums
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has confirmed that plans to hold referendums on elected regional assemblies in the North West and Yorkshire and Humber have been shelved.
He told MPs that the Government would not be introducing the Regional Assemblies Bill during the current Parliamentary session, after proposals for an elected regional assembly in the North East were comprehensively rejected by the region’s voters last week.
Seventy-eight per cent of people voted against the plans, with only 22 per cent voting for them on a turnout of 48 per cent.
Conservative Local Government Minister Caroline Spelman said the result had been humiliating for the Government and turned her fire on un-elected regional chambers.
She accused the Government of having “stolen” powers, such as housing, planning and fire and rescue services for the regional chambers and called for them to be returned to local authorities.
Neil Herron of the North East No Campaign told politics.co.uk that likewise he would be turning his attention towards the un-elected regional chamber in the North East “which has no mandate to exist at all.”
Mr Prescott vowed to “continue to decentralise and devolve power wherever we can”.
