Opposition leader criticises government’s regionalisation agenda

April 1, 2006
Opposition leader David Cameron has panned the government’s regionalisation agenda, calling for a rethink of the establishment of regional bodies, which have \"no public support,\"and a review of the way counties work together to deliver housing and planning targets. \"My basic approach to the regional agenda is to pull it apart,\"said Cameron, addressing developers at an event organised by public affairs consultancy Green Issues. \"I think it doesn’t have public support and the government is going down entirely the wrong track. They have set up regional assemblies that nobody wants and they have transferred planning and housing powers to regions that people feel are remote from them. \"I think the answer is to recognise that there’s no public identification with these regions. We should actually work with structures that people identify with and understand, which is counties and districts, rather than to create these artificial regions that people don’t want.\"Cameron added: \"I think there is a lot more we can do to transfer power down to those levels and give counties the opportunity, where they want to, to work together on development issues. I think that would work much better.\"

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