98.5% say No...but we have an excuse

...and the one who said No (actually it was an undecided) was the wife of the Yes speaker, John Cresswell!
Hexham Courant
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATE REACHES BOILING POINT
Published on Friday, October 22nd 2004
By WILL GREEN
RURAL people at a debate in Hexham have voted by a whopping 98.5 per cent against a proposal supporting a North-East Regional Assembly.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) hosted the debate at Hexham Mart on Monday night, with guest speakers from both the Yes and No camps trying to persuade an audience of 64 to support their cause.

In a vote at the end of the debate the audience voted by 63 to one against the motion, “This house believes that a regional assembly will benefit all the people of the North-East”.

The debate was called because, explained CLA regional director north Douglas Chalmers, it was felt that even at this late stage, voters did not have sufficient information to make an educated decision on the issues.

Tynedale councillor Philip Latham opened the debate for the Yes campaign, highlighting key policy areas which would be affected by a regional assembly.He said that the biggest powers would include economic development, learning and skills, integrated transport, housing, and planning.The councillor also said that arts, tourism and heritage, classed as culture, would benefit from the creation of a North-East assembly.

Author Dr Richard North opened the case for the No campaign. He likened the campaign for a regional assembly to “a train without a destination”.“We are all lining up on the platform, with second class tickets (only the politicians have free passes to ride first class),” said Dr North. “And they are not even telling us where it is going, what it will do when we get there, and how much it will cost. It is a huge mirage.”He added: “They talk about going forward, but we are standing on the edge of a precipice. Stepping forward is not a good idea.”

CLA North-East chairman John Cresswell, for the Yes campaign, and Northumberland tenant farmer David Lockie, for the No campaign, spoke next.

Mr Cresswell explained that although a regional assembly was a gamble, it was a gamble worth taking. Mr Lockie said that if it was a gamble, it was a gamble with tax payers’ money.

The chairman of the debate Matt Ridley, international best selling author and member of the CLA, then asked the panellists a series of questions.Asked why the North-East was the only region where a regional assembly referendum was still taking place, Coun. Latham said: “It is a privilege. The desire for a regional assembly is stronger in the North-East.”Given that people in the region are always grumbling about the power of Westminster, Dr North was asked, why not have an assembly here? He replied that there would be no powers coming to the region from Westminster even if an assembly was put in place.

Both camps were then asked how much a regional assembly would cost.Mr Cresswell said: “I am told that it will cost £1m per week in running costs – also that there is no chance of a Scottish parliament style overspend building.”Dr North said that there were no figures for the assembly, and no reliable estimates as to expenditure or the increase in council tax necessary to fund them. “The only guarantee is that it will cost more,” he added.Asked what the region would actually get from an assembly, Mr Cresswell stressed revitalisation and a focus for the region, while Coun. Latham said that the tourism board fiasco would never have happened if there had been suitable political scrutiny, as would be provided by an assembly.Dr North said: “We are descending into madness. First we had local authority powers given to unaccountable quangos, and now they have decided to create another level of politicians to make these bodies accountable.“My logic would say, if these quangos are unaccountable, the answer is to get rid of them in the first place and give their powers back to local authorities.”

A vote taken before the debate showed two in favour, 55 against, seven undecided, and several people who did not vote. The concluding vote showed one person in favour, one undecided, and 63 against.