Regional Assembly: John Prescott answers your questions

Thursday's visit is part of the Government's Your Say' campaign leading up to the referendum on regional devolution this autumn, when people will be able to vote on whether or not they want a regional assembly for the North West. A second question will ask what type of local government they want in the future.

Ahead of his visit, Mr Prescott agreed to answer questions from The Westmorland Gazette and its readers about regional assemblies. The questions, and Mr Prescott's answers, are printed here.

Question:Why do we, in South Lakeland, Eden and Furness, need a regional assembly and a new unitary local authority? What's wrong with the status quo in our case, a system of district and county councils? What makes it worth going to the expense of a local referendum?

John Prescott:

Choice is at the heart of our policy of devolution to the English regions. It's up to you whether you vote yes or no at the referendum. If you vote no and choose to keep the status quo' then you have exerted your democratic will through the ballot paper. If, however, you believe that a new form of government, bringing decision-making closer to the people of South Lakeland, Eden and Furness, is the right way to go, you can say yes at the referendum.

I believe this new alternative is better than the status quo'. An elected regional assembly would make government in the North West more efficient, more effective and more accountable to the people it represents. Almost £2.1 million a day is being spent in the North West by largely unelected organisations (such as the North West Development Agency or through the Government Office for the North West) answerable to Government in London, and the people of the North West have no direct say over them or the decisions they make.

But no region will be forced to have an elected assembly - it is your region and your choice. An elected regional assembly will only be established if the region wants one and changes to local government will only be implemented if the region as a whole votes to establish an elected assembly.

We held soundings last year asking whether people were interested in a referendum on this issue. In your region, 56 per cent of those who responded said they wanted a referendum on whether or not to have an elected regional assembly. The people of the North West spoke then on this issue - we are now offering you a referendum. Whichever way you want to vote - make sure you have your say when the time comes.

Question:If people vote for a regional assembly, what powers will it have? Will it be too remote to deal effectively with an area like south Cumbria, which is a unique area with very special needs? Will our needs be swamped by those of bigger towns and cities like Manchester and Liverpool?

JP:An elected regional assembly would have the clout and funding to make a real difference to the quality of life of people who live and work in the North West. In key areas such as economic development, jobs, planning, housing, transport, fire and rescue, culture and environment, an elected regional assembly would make decisions based on regional priorities and needs - an accountable assembly, making regional decisions for the benefit of people living in the North West.

It would manage the North West Development Agency, and sponsor and fund other regional bodies. If people vote to have an elected assembly, the Government will need to introduce a Bill to Parliament to enable assemblies to be set up.

An elected regional assembly for the North West would have about 25 members - small enough to be streamlined and focused but large enough to ensure the views of the whole region are represented. Elected assemblies will be expected to govern for the whole of their region, not just some parts of it; the proposed electoral system (the Additional Member System) will encourage assembly members to take a region-wide view as there will be a directly elected member from every part of the region.

Question:If we go ahead with a regional assembly, how can we be sure that whatever type of unitary local government we get will be more efficient than what we have now? Is there a danger we will end up with more bureaucracy, not less?

JP:Our proposals are intended to reduce bureaucracy, not increase it. But without a change to the structure of local government, regions that vote to have an elected assembly would have an additional tier of elected government. We believe that streamlining local government structures will help to provide more efficient working.

Regional and local government will have clearly defined roles so there will no overlapping of responsibilities, no duplication and no waste. Effective partnership between regional and local structures will be encouraged, but local authorities will continue to deliver front-line local services - such as education and rubbish collection - to communities and regional government would take a more strategic role, making key decisions on a region-wide basis. These would be very different roles for very different bodies.

Elected assemblies will draw their powers mainly from central government, its agencies and quangos not from local government. So at a regional level, decisions will be taken closer to the people they affect and this could also increase the speed with which decisions can be taken and implemented.

Question:Many local people are employed by existing local authorities, such as South Lakeland District Council, Eden District Council and Cumbria County Council. Will the creation of a new unitary authority lead to the loss of some of these jobs in our area?

JP:No decisions have yet been taken about the arrangements that will be put in place for local government staff affected by reorganisation. Before doing so, the Government will fully involve local government and the public sector unions in both the principles and the detail of these arrangements.

The impact on local government staff will depend on the type of unitary local government to be established following the Boundary Committee's review and the local government referendum. It will also depend on the decisions that the new unitary authorities take, after they are established, about the most appropriate form of service delivery and their internal organisation. Services delivered by local government in the area now will still be the responsibility of the unitary authority after reorganisation. We would expect that, for the vast majority of local government staff in the area, the reorganisation will simply mean that they become employees of a new unitary authority instead of their existing county or district council.

Question:Do you feel you have managed to engage people properly in the process? Is there a risk that the referendum could come and go and there would be a large number of people who would not have been aware of the vote and its future significance and impact on their lives?

JP:It is vital for people to be aware of their opportunity to vote in these referendums and of what the proposals could mean for them. This is why we launched the Your Say' information campaign in November 2003 which intends to raise awareness of elected regional assemblies in the three northern regions due to hold referendums.

The information campaign uses several different ways of engaging with people directly - from information leaflets and advertisements to regional hearings and debates and, of course, not forgetting Q&A features in regional media! We have still got a way to go before the referendum. I can see the debate has started across the North and hope that continues until ballot day. In light of the referendums being planned for autumn 2004, and in addition to the other Your Say' activity, we have already promised to provide a leaflet about the referendums to every household in each of the three regions over the summer, once Parliament has approved the orders setting the referendum date. Yes' and No' campaigns in the run-up to referendums should also help to raise awareness of the key issues and help people to make up their minds about how to vote.

Leaflets are available from the Government Office for the North West on 0161-952 4284 and can also be accessed through the website www.yoursay-northwest.odpm.gov.uk

Question:Is it right to have a referendum on a North West assembly when we still have not been told what our local unitary authority will consist of if we vote "yes", and where the administration headquarters will be situated? Without this information it is impossible to make a sensible decision.

JP:People will know the options for local government restructuring before they vote in a referendum there will be information about them with the ballot paper and available through the Your Say' campaign. People in areas which currently have both district and county councils will have an additional referendum vote on their preferred option for their area. This is about choice, and that choice should be made by the people it affects. This is also why we believe that it should be up to an elected regional assembly to decide where to have its administrative headquarters and where to hold its meetings. Our overall approach is that elected representatives in the region should make key decisions rather than central government imposing its view. It would be ludicrous and hypocritical for central government to offer devolution to the regions and then start dictating key regional decisions from London.