Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Eight offices to go ...

England's eight regional government offices are to be closed, communities secretary Eric Pickles has confirmed.

The Government Offices for the Regions across England (including that for the South West - GOSW) will be scrapped, subject to using the forthcoming Spending Review to resolve any consequential issues. A final decision will be made this autumn.

Scrapping regional government is central to the wider aim of transferring power from central government to councils and communities. Mr Pickles said: “I do not believe the arbitrary government regions to be a tier of administration that is efficient, effective or popular.

“Citizens across England identify with their county, their city, their town, their borough and their neighbourhood.”

The government had also previously announced the abolition of regional spatial strategies, regional assemblies and regional development agencies.

The Coalition Agreement committed ministers to review the eight government offices as part of a wider localism and decentralisation agenda. Ministers have now decided, in principle, that the offices will be closed.

“Unelected regional government equally lacks democratic legitimacy, and its continuing existence has created a democratic deficit. Government offices were not voices of the region in Whitehall” said Mr. Pickles.

“They have become agents of Whitehall to intervene and interfere in localities, and are a fundamental part of the 'command and control' apparatus of England's over-centralised state.”

COMMENT. I have long said that the regional quangos were undemocratice. Not only was their membership unelected but it included representatives from lobby groups such as the large UK based house building companies. Who could ever give credence to bodies where the membership had such clear vested and financial interests?

Anything that brings accountability back to local areas (and weakens the calls for regional government overseen from Europe) is to be wholly welcomed in my opionion.