‘Local Government Shake-Up Still Needed’ -DLIB
24 th July 2004

The Governments decision to postpone the referendum on the North West Regional Assembly has been welcomed by private sector Champion Downtown Liverpool In Business (DLIB).

DLIB Chairman Frank McKenna said:

“We have been running an on line poll on this issue for almost a month, and the overwhelming number of respondents felt that the proposed Assembly would be a bad thing for Liverpool.

“Though we believe that there is a desperate need to radically shake-up Local Government, and certainly devolve power from London to the regions, the model being offered did not offer enough powers to the proposed Assembly. There also needs to be a review of the geography of the new tier of Government that was being suggested.

“There is no doubt that this whole issue will now be shelved until after the next General Election, and DLIB would urge the Government to re-visit their plans for local Government reform.

“We should explore the potential for a strategic Authority, with real powers, for the Merseyside area. This, in our opinion, would be met far more enthusiastically than the current Assembly proposals.

Mr.McKenna concluded:

“The vast number of public sector agencies and quangos that exist locally is a growing concern across the Greater Liverpool area, and the abandonment of plans for an elected Assembly should not mean that we forget the urgent need to sort this out. The introduction of a strategic Authority would be one way of addressing this important issue.”

ENDS

For further information contact Frank McKenna Tel.0151 227 1633

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