LEADERS of a North Yorkshire district council have hit out at the Government's decision to hold a referendum on whether Yorkshire and Humberside should have its own regional assembly.

Senior figures from North Yorkshire County Council and Hambleton District Council have criticised Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's decision to put the question to the public, and have slated the scheme.

"The regional assembly is an unnecessary and unwanted creation," said county council deputy leader Coun Murray Naylor.

"It is not a Yorkshire Parliament, that is a dream which will never be fulfilled. I hope people will vote against it."

The councillors criticised the plan as taking decision-making away from local people and not making any real improvements.

"I do not believe that the regional assemblies will draw any powers from central Government, but more likely from local authorities," said Coun Naylor.

"It will take strategic functions away from a level where decisions can be made close to people, to an assembly made somewhere in Leeds or York.

"It will be run by bureaucrats with very few elected members to represent people across Yorkshire and Humberside.

"That cannot be good for democracy."

The same call was issued from the district council level.

"We are very disappointed that the message from Hambleton has not been heard," said Hambleton District Council leader Coun Arthur Barker.

"Our soundings exercise showed that local people were not interested in a regional assembly."

He said: "People need to be aware of all of the issues at stake here, which includes the true cost of regional assemblies."

What these costs are, councillors admit no one is yet sure of - which is one of the problems.

Coun Barker said: "The powers and what these bodies will do is as yet unclear. Whilst the Government has indicated it will have certain strategic powers, it is not definite what these will be and how assemblies will operate.

"And local people need to think seriously about the true benefits of reorganising local government again in terms of improving public services."

Coun Naylor said: "This will not mean any more nurses, or teachers, or police, just more bureaucracy."

Updated: 10:25 Wednesday, June 25, 2003