18/07/07 - Labour Are Missing Opportunities

Regional Assembly Abolition "A Missed Opportunity" says Buckland

South Swindon's Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Robert Buckland, has described the decision to abolish the South West Regional Assembly as "a missed opportunity".  

"Instead of transferring the powers of the regional assembly to local councils and local communities, the Government will pass responsibility over to the already-existing regional development agency.  Gordon Brown promised us more democracy, but this move fails the test by a country mile.  Swindon residents are still faced with unaccountable, distant bodies in government telling them how many houses are going to be built."

"It's time to abolish the entire apparatus of regional government and to give towns like Swindon more power over vital issues such as development and planning.  Only the Conservatives can be trusted to deliver more democracy to Swindon."

July 18th 2007