By 'eck, we deserve an assembly too

PROFESSIONAL Yorkshiremen have been in great demand this past week, dealing with media inquiries about the prospects for a Yorkshire parliament. Fast bowling legend Fred Trueman, MPs such as Austin Mitchell and Roy Hattersley, and personalities such as Sir Jimmy Savile were all wheeled out to give their views and touted as potential presidents of Yorkshire.

The reason for the excitement was the launch, in the historic 15th century Guildhall in York, of a campaign for a Yorkshire parliament. A campaign director, on a salary of up to #25,000, is to be appointed, although so far campaigners are long on rhetoric and short on detail.

There seems to be a large element of "me too" in their sales pitch. Scotland and Wales will soon have elected assemblies, so why not Yorkshire? A similar cry has come from the north-east of England and from Cornwall. The public can be excused if it is confused. Yorkshire and Humber already has a government-funded regional assembly with an office in Brussels and a full-time director to promote the region. And it has a regional chamber of 22 local authorities and 12 partner organisations. In two weeks time there will also be a regional development agency, as part of the government's devolution plans. So why the need for a parliament? Diana Scott, from Harrogate, previously best known for her campaign on behalf of consumers against Yorkshire Water, is one of a 10 strong steering committee for the campaign. She agrees it is very difficult for the public to sort out what is happening. "We are not asking for yet another body. All we are asking for is that the Regional Development Agency is made into an elected body," she explains. "The agency is being set up, as were development agencies in Wales and Scotland before their assemblies. The next step should be to change the agency from a quango, which is unelected, into a democratically elected body. It has the power to affect people's lives and a budget of #150 million, and this should be in the hands of elected representatives." Funding for the campaign is coming from the York-based Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, a limited company set up to promote democracy. The idea of some sort of elected assembly covering Yorkshire and the Humber is not new. The need was dramatically illustrated during the last government's pit closure programme, when no grants for job creation in the region were made until after the decision to shut the mines had been taken in Westminster. Arguments for a regional assembly are that it could scrutinise the work of water companies and other private utilities as well as government agencies, and that it could help eradicate power struggles between different parts of the region, such as Leeds and Sheffield. "Yorkshire and the Humber has distinctive characteristics which make it an ideal test bed for further reform," said the statement issued by the Campaign for Yorkshire. "It has a strong popular identity and follows closely the historic boundaries of the three Ridings. There is no serious debate about boundaries. "Many believe English regions will be disadvantaged unless they evolve towards the democratic and accountable structures enjoyed by Scotland and Wales. Government nominated bodies cannot have the legitimacy and popular support needed for effective regional government." The campaigners have drawn up a claim of right, already signed by about 500 people, including the Archbishop of York, local bishops and some local MPs, which asserts the right of the people of Yorkshire and the Humber to determine their own domestic affairs, should it be their will to do so, and calls on the government to bring forward laws for accountable and representative regional government in the area as soon as possible. However, the campaign has attracted criticism. Councillor Rodney Hills, leader of City of York Council, branded the idea of a Yorkshire parliament as "nonsense", while Simon Mallett, deputy chairman of the city's Conservative association, predicted it would be an expensive talking shop. The launch of the campaign coincided with the launch in York by Rowntrees of a new single bar Kit Kat. As the Yorkshire parliament campaigners tried to distribute their claims of rights to passers- by, there seemed to be more interest in the chocolate bar. "We have enough parliaments telling people what to do already," said one woman. Diana Scott says the campaigners expected trivialisation of the subject and that they would have detractors. "But all we are doing is sparking off the debate. People need to understand the issues, and we would only continue to push for legislation for a Yorkshire parliament if the people in the region want it. It is up to them to have their say." The prospects of vociferous Yorkshire icons following the example of Sean Connery in Scotland seems remote. While he gave a fortune to support the cause of Scottish Nationalism, Mr Trueman raffled off an autographed cricket bat to pay the vet bills for his daughter's injured horse, rather than stump up himself. And legendary umpire Dickie Bird, another potential peoples' choice for the Yorkshire presidency, while plugging an autobiography which made him a fortune, was thrown into panic at the thought of having to pay for a pot of tea. The campaign for a Yorkshire parliament was founded last summer with support from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. Potential parliament buildings include the Guildhall and the De Grey rooms in York. The campaign has its own website at http://www.yorkshirenet.co.uk/campaign/ where support for the Claim of Rights can be registered.

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