REGIONAL government is now a greater threat to local government following the transfer of the portfolio to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Ongar MP Eric Pickles has warned.o

Speaking to Conservatives in Ongar, Mr Pickles said Mr Prescott wanted to "leave his mark on the political landscape and regional government is where he sees his opportunity".

He added: "If he's able to persuade his cabinet colleagues to run with his ideas, which were published in a White Paper shortly after the local elections in May, then we'll see major problems for local democracy and accountability."

Mr Pickles said the suggestion was that new regional assemblies would take power away from local councils on key areas such as housing, planning and transport the areas on which most residents who contacted Epping Forest District Council and Brentwood Borough Council had concerns or opinions.

"Here in Brentwood and Ongar it will also mean the end of Essex County Council," he said.

"Now I know this authority isn't everyone's favourite with decisions taken at its headquarters in Chelmsford sometimes seeming remote from reality but at least the members of that council are accessible and can be easily lobbied."

He cited the fight to save Matching Green Primary School as an example of local people fighting a local issue.

"A village of several hundred people can have a tremendous impact when the local elected representative has a constituency of around 10,000 residents," Mr Pickles said.

"Now imagine the situation with perhaps 35 regional assembly members sitting in Cambridge and representing the whole of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

"With such a vast area to run, would those elected representatives know where Brentwood is let alone where Matching Green is?"

Mr PIckles said regional government was not the answer as it made democracy more remote.

He said the Conservative Party under Iain Duncan Smith wanted to strengthen local councils rather than create more politicians.

"We've already laid out plans to scrap regional planning and regional house building targets in favour of locally determined targets," he said.

"Our policy review will continue identifying how the responsibilities of other regional bodies and activities carried out by Whitehall can be transferred down to local communities.

"Our job is to ensure that when John Prescott finishes his time as Deputy Prime Minister he sinks into political history without even a footnote to his credit.

"If we allow him to impose regional assemblies on England it will be the death knell of true local democracy and accountability."

July 18, 2002 08:30