Do we need this new authority?

THE report on the launch of the yet another regional authority (Chronicle, November

3) left many questions unanswered.

It triumphed in the claim that it was to be rewarded with over £600 million of new investment into the new region of North of Tyne, itself another redefinition of the County of Northumberland, without explaining that this is a piddling sum of just £30 million a year multiplied over 20 years.

Nor did it mention the future status of the many quangos left over by Margaret Thatcher’s careless abolition of Tyne and Wear County Council, or question the future of the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and the secretive Northern Assembly all of which are devoid of any direct democratic control.

The idea of giving back power and money to the regions is commendable but

while our existing councils have to bid from London for scraps of the massive funding that has been cut since 2008, the creation of more executive positions to oversee existing roles and bid in tame compliance with central Government policy invites more than a little skepticism.

The scant information released about the North of Tyne suggests that the power and funding of the new authority will lack both the scope and democratic accountability of the abolished Tyne and Wear while dividing the administration of the Tyne in both planning and development policy with a structure that is as archaic as that which existed in the 18th Century.

Such a pity that our political leaders did not have the vision to bring together the councils on both sides of the river as a power for progress with the skills and strength needed for the 21st Century.