Further assembly blow for Prescott

William Green, Political Correspondent,
Thursday, January 06, Yorkshire Today

JOHN Prescott's stillborn plans for regional mini-parliaments in Yorkshire and across England were yesterday savaged by an influential group of MPs.

The Deputy Prime Minister had already been humiliated when voters in the North East derailed his proposals by overwhelmingly rejecting an elected regional assembly last November.

But the Hull East MP yesterday faced further embarrassment when the Commons Select Committee scrutinising his Government department published a highly critical report.

The committee, which includes Labour MPs, said powers the Government was prepared to give to assemblies were "disappointing and would limit their effectiveness".

The MPs also issued an implicit criticism of Whitehall in terms of handing over real power to the mini-parliaments and expressed concern that responsibilities would instead be taken from local government.

"Any initiative to promote effective elected regional assemblies has to have the commitment of all Government departments. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and to a lesser extent the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were the only Government departments prepared to devolve powers to the assemblies," said their report.

The committee warned the general power proposed for assemblies could "overlap" with local councils, while their role in helping steer the operation of elected mini-parliaments needed clarifying.

It added the Government needed to devolve decisions about how funds are spent on promoting economic development and skills, with assemblies able to develop their own programmes and targets.

The MPs also said: "A clearer case is needed for elected regional assemblies in terms of value for money for the electorate. Voters in the North East were not convinced about the "cost-benefit" calculation in regard to elected assemblies."They were unable to see in the modest powers of assemblies sufficient prospects of concrete improvements in their daily lives..."The MPs added assemblies should act as transport authorities, as in London, in deciding distribution of funding now allocated by Whitehall for local projects.

And they warned the Government's proposal to establish regional fire and rescue services as functional bodies of elected regional assemblies could result in them losing their community focus.

The committee also called for a simple system to elect assembly members and said the proposed membership of between 25 and 35 was too restrictive.

But the MPs, who were looking at the draft Regional Assemblies Bill, warned English devolution needed addressing, with a "democratic deficit" due to unaccountable regional bodies.

"Further legislation needs to be more ambitious than the draft Bill to create regional bodies that are fit for purpose," said their report.

The ODPM said it accepted the North East vote and that the Government was not proceeding with the Regional Assemblies Bill but promised to study the Select Committee's report.A spokesman added that unelected regional assemblies, regional development agencies and the Government's offices in the English regions would continue to carry out "necessary strategic leadership at regional level".