Prescott scraps plans for referendum on NW assembly (From Warrington Guardian)

Prescott scraps plans for referendum on NW assembly

DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has abandoned plans for a referendum on the creation of an elected North West Regional Assembly following last week's crushing defeat in the North East.

He announced his decision on Monday.

The news was greeted with dismay by North West Regional Assembly leader Derek Boden, who argued that the North West would have voted in favour. "Polling in the North West consistently shows an appetite for change," he said. "The Government had promised the North West the chance to choose."

Last week Mr Prescott admitted his plans for devolution in the North East had suffered an 'emphatic' defeat.

In the referendum 696,519 opposed the idea of an elected regional assembly with 197,310 voting in favour.

All 23 councils in the region, including Tony Blair's constituency of Sedgefield, returned a No vote.

Felicity Goodey, chairman of the Yes for North West campaign, said voters had misunderstood what devolution would mean.

"People thought an assembly would mean more politicians and that's not true," she said.

"People thought that an assembly would be an expensive talking shop, when in reality it would have saved money and brought in considerably more investment."

A referendum on the creation of an elected regional assembly in the North West had been postponed earlier this year amid fears over postal voting. If voters do back a regional assembly, the way Knutsford is governed will change.

Macclesfield Borough Council or Cheshire County Council will be scrapped and a Wigan-based regional assembly would make decisions affecting the town.

On Friday Tatton MP George Osborne, vice chairman of the No campaign, said: "It last week's North East vote is a fatal blow to regional government. The Government is living in cloud-cuckoo-land."