IF the result of the referendum on an elected regional assembly for the North-East was not a surprise, the scale of the "No" vote was.

While the polls were broadly right about how the vote was going to go, they were wrong about the level of participation. The turnout of almost 50pc was far higher than anyone expected.

In rejecting the proposals outlined in the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill, the electorate also demonstrated a level of political sophistication which surprised many observers, particularly in London, who had expected the region to follow the Labour Party line. It was clear that in the course of the campaign many undecided electors took the trouble to note what was on offer and realised they were, in the parlance of the motor trade, being "sold a pup".

Prof John Tomaney, leader of the "Yes" campaign, was gracious in defeat, admitting that his group had nothing tangible to offer voters. The "No" campaign might have been negative (by definition could it have been anything else?) but it dealt in specifics which people could understand.

Most importantly, the vote should have taught Westminster politicians - ironically the hate figures of the Yes campaign - a lesson. They know now that they cannot take the votes of traditional Labour supporters in the region for granted. Regional pride has manifested itself in a most resounding way.

Looking forward, ways must be found to strengthen our existing local government structures. The temptation to tinker further should be resisted because experience has taught us that every shake-up of the last 40 years has cost us money with little to show for it. We should accept that the perfect local government structure doesn't exist and make the best of what we have got.