Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Why they say NO
Sep 23 2004
By Peter Young, The Evening Chronicle

A poster campaign aimed at persuading people to vote against a North East Assembly was launched today.

Posters will be appearing on billboards at between 25 and 50 sites across the region in the run-up to the referendum on November 4.

Meanwhile, leaders of the North East Says No campaign challenged Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to provide every voter with copies of the Government's draft Assemblies Bill.

They say this will enable voters to see for themselves what is proposed and cut through the arguments over whether people are being misled.

The key arguments of the business-led No campaign are that an assembly will lead to higher council taxes, will not give more power to local people and will create more professional politicians.

Leaders were in Durham today to officially launch their campaign with the slogan "Politicians talk. We pay".

Papers for the all-postal referendum will start going out to voters on October 18.
The No campaign has a council of around 100 members, mainly from business, and the coalition also includes teachers, doctors, academics and farmers.

Its plan is to mail every voter and business and target teachers and doctors.

Any assembly is expected to be based in Durham, with 25 elected members representing people across Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside. A tier of local government in Northumberland and County Durham would be axed.

Businessman John Elliott, chairman of manufacturers Ebac and chairman of North East Says No, said: "The Yes campaign are trying to claim that creating 25 extra professional politicians will give local people more power.
"That's obviously not true and it will just lead to higher council tax. We will be getting this message across with posters, billboards, leaflets and public meetings.

"I am confident that when people realise what's on offer in this referendum they will vote no."
Ian Dormer, director of Rosh Engineering in Newcastle, said: "A regional assembly will not give local people more control and London will still stay in control over the things that really matter like jobs, health and education.

"All an assembly will do is create more professional politicians and lead to higher council tax. It will just be politics as usual for the North East."
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Yes view
Supporters say an elected North East Assembly would have the power to improve the lives of people across the region.

They say an assembly would enable decisions to be taken by elected representatives in the North East rather than by civil servants 280 miles away in Whitehall.

Prof John Tomaney, chairman of the Yes campaign, said it would have wide-ranging powers on jobs, transport, skills, housing, planning and public health.

"It will have responsibility for setting the budget of the regional development agency, providing funding, approving its strategy and appointing its chair and board members," he said.
"An assembly would have considerable freedom to allocate funds according to regional priorities."