Regional Assembly?

[Martin]

quote:

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Supercouncil plan 'is a dog's breakfast'

SOUTH Ribble residents could lose their political voice if new government plans for a supercouncil go ahead, furious political bosses claimed today.

Proposals unveiled by the government's Boundary Committee this week could see local councils wiped out and have been branded a 'dog's breakfast' by council leader Howard Gore.
The plans would see the formation of a new super authority which would include South Ribble, Chorley, Preston and parts of Fylde and Wyre, if the public vote 'yes' to a regional assembly in a referendum to be held next autumn.

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http://www.leylandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=77&ArticleID=700851

[William R]

Not being resident in South Ribble, can`t comment, Martin. The local Authority here is run by a Council which practises "Cabinet" rule. Of all the elected members, a select few who are deemed to know what they are talking about, are appointed to the Cabinet. they are the ones who make the decisions,which are then rubber stamped in open Council (shades of No.10) It has often been suggested here that to get onto the elected body, you have to be a member of the Trades Club, where many a decision could be made over a pint of the local brew. If you are not one of the "Brothers" in T.U. parlance, don`t bother trying to become one of the elected few.There was a saying here that if a pig was proposed for election and had a red ribbon round its neck, it was sure to be elected. The local paper has just had to publish the list of Allowances to be paid to to the selected few, and I was thinking all the time that they did for for the good of the Borough. The publicity must have hurt, but memories are very short here. At one time the Parks Dept were only permitted to put red and white flowers outside the Town Hall, they were the colours of the local football team, doesn`t apply now. On the original subject of this posting, the Boundary Commision looked at the distribution of Wards here, and re-defined some of them, was it a coincidence that that one of the "oppostion" wards had its boundaries moved to give a better balance in favour of the ruling party? Vote for "this lot" - what do you think? Not on your Nellie, (the do-gooders will be after me for denigrating all the Nellies, sorry) W.R.

[Martin]

quote:

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Changes 'threat to democracy'

FINAL plans which could reshape the face of local government have been blasted by South Ribble council bosses.

The Boundary Committee this week revealed their final proposals for changing the way local councils operate if members of the public vote for a regional assembly at a referendum later this year.
The first option for Lancashire would see the formation of a super-authority with a population of more than one million people from across the county.
The second would see South Ribble joined with Preston and Chorley to form a Central Lancashire authority.
But councillors in South Ribble believe that the plans have been made without enough consideration of local people.
South Ribble Council leader Coun Howard Gore said: "I am concerned at the failure of the Boundary Committee to consult the people of South Ribble by the abject failure to ensure the delivery of their consultation proposals.
"I am pleased that the proposals for South Ribble do not split the borough.
"However, I still remain opposed to the proposals, which I believe will dilute and decrease local democracy, moving decision making further away from grass roots.
"South Ribble Council has been opposed to the proposals for a directly elected regional assembly, in their current format, and these proposals do nothing to change that view."

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http://www.leylandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=77&ArticleID=796911

[Spitfire]

As a general rule, I think that governing from a distance is never the best option. Local knowledge of needs and problems of a particular area has to be the best route to follow. Having said that, the elected representativs (local or otherwise) must be of the right calibre.