Regional 'empowerment'.

[Khandro]

Is it a good idea?

[RATTER15]

No!

[agchristie]

Bit vague Khandro, any link?

[douglas9401]

You can never have too many over-promoted councillors with too much power. :-)

[Old_Geezer]

No matter at what level the power lies, whoever has it will make a load of daft decisions we then have to live with.

It is a good idea to find the balance where power is best placed but for every level of government there is another budget for the taxpayer to provide.

I'd rather none had regional but if one has then so should all.

[rockyracoon]

Nooooo, we already have enough

Town Council
District Council
County Council
Westminster

If we have another one slipped in between County and Westminster, what will the cost be?

[rockyracoon]

Hang on, are you talking about England being a region?

[Khandro]

^ No, I was thinking of the suggestions yesterday of more regional power to Manchester and Liverpool etc. and thinking of the previous fiefdoms of Derek Hatton and Ken Livingstone (LCC).

[237SJ]

In some respects, yes. An example is at my childhood picturesque, rural village. A developer put in an application for 22 wind turbines. It was refused over and over again. He kept trying for years and kept being turned down by the council for years. Eventually, the application went to Westminster (200 miles away) and it was approved. The turbines have ruined the place.

[Old_Geezer]

That is more major type level, I too was thinking of larger chunks. IMO mayors have proved a gigantic mess, seemingly being the worse for letting power go to their heads and forcing through all sorts of c rap that may never get repealed.

[Khandro]

Yes, we have to take care the lunatics (can one I still use that word?) don't take over the asylum (that too?).
I remember Ken Livingstone as leader of the LCC strutting his stuff about the South Bank, wanting to fire the Director of the Hayward gallery and replace him with a mate of his (neither knowing f.a. about art), in order to exhibit 'a more amateur, democratic art', the kind of stuff done by a black, apprentice car mechanic he'd seen on a garage wall somewhere.
Thank heavens Mrs T. saw him off, but who would do it today?

[Noe-schitt]

No
More politicians more expense more corruption

[jno]

Ken came back by popular acclaim, so Thatcher abolishing his job was hardly democratic. As for the Hayward, does anyone ever go there?

[Old_Geezer]

That's interesting. I type "mayor" and come back and read "major". We really do need an editing facility.