Council set to pull plug on assembly

By David Jackman

EPPING Forest district councillors could be asked to vote on whether the district council should sever its ties with the controversial regional assembly.

The council has already voted in favour of asking Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to abolish the body which has been making key decisions over plans for thousands of new homes across the region, including some 11,000 in the Epping Forest district.

But now, following a reported move by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to give the assemblies more power to decide on traveller sites in district council areas, Epping Forest Council leader John Knapman says it is time for the district council to reconsider its position.

Commenting on a national newspaper article that said the assemblies had been given the power to dictate to district councils how many sites should be allocated to travellers in their areas, Mr Knapman said: "This is unacceptable. Epping Forest Council is already examining its provision of sites for travellers and is actively considering where new sites need to be provided. That should be a decision for this council or Essex County Council. It's not a decision which should rest with the bureaucrats at Bury St Edmunds."

He added: "This has caused me to consider the council's position as far as maintaining its membership of the East of England Regional Assembly is concerned. I find it difficult to argue that we should continue to spend £12,000 a year in membership fees to a body which is being castigated by a large majority of councillors.

"I shall be discussing with members this view and am considering bringing a report to council that we withdraw from the East of England Regional Assembly."

The council, in the current financial year, paid over £10,000 in its subscription to the East of England Regional Assembly which, as already reported in your local Guardian, has an annual budget of some £2m yet meets only fully about twice a year.