Quangos ' a backward step for democracy'

4.12.02pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 13th Jul 2007

Lib Dem leader Cllr Jeanette Sunderland has criticised Gordon Brown's plans to abolish regional assemblies and hand their powers to unelected quangos.

She said,

" Handing powers to an unelected quango like Yorkshire Forward who are not accountable at the ballot box to local people is a step backwards for democracy. The way they have ridden rough-shod over the views of Bradford people about the Odeon shows what a bad idea this is.

The regional assembly at least has elected members on it. One search on Google and four click of the mouse is all it takes to come up with a list of members and the councils they come from. It is a small step from there to getting an address and phone number so that members of the public can talk to them face to face.

With the exception of the councillor members on the Board of Yorkshire Forward, you can't even be sure from the website that the members live in Yorkshire and none of them are directly accountable to local people.

The Regional Assembly is not perfect but until the Government comes up with something better, it should be allowed to continue. All quangos should be made locally accountably, preferable through the ballot box, or abolished."