ASSEMBLY 'IS A WASTE OF CASH'

Assembly 'Is a Waste of Cash'
This is Bristol
11:00 - 22 April 2005

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has called for the scrapping of the South West Regional Assembly. The business organisation, which represents 25,000 small and medium-sized firms, says businesses have delivered a damning verdict on the assembly and would rather the yearly £4million cost was spent on improving public services

The FPB's South West spokesman, Rick Hopkins, said the assembly had abjectly failed to communicate with small businesses, despite the fact it has a remit to drive the economy of the regions.

He said: "Our members are scathing about the performance of the regional assembly and many businesses do not even know it exists.

"The assembly has failed to inform businesses about who runs it, where it is and what it does, even it cost millions of pounds to run and was set up way back in 1998.

"Employers are telling us loud and clear that this money would be better spent on improving transport and public services - not creating more pen pushers in plush offices.

"The FPB believes the assembly has had enough chance to prove itself.

"Its record is lamentable