IT is hard to see what an elected Yorkshire regional assembly could do for the people of North Yorkshire.

As has been extensively reported, the idea leaves people in this part of the county stone cold.

The existing, unelected, assembly has hardly bothered to involve local people in the "sounding exercise" designed to give Government an indication of views about the issue.

If enough people indicate there should be a referendum on an elected regional assembly with considerable power the Government will hold one.

But most people in the county have only the vaguest idea of the issues in general and the importance of the matters at stake.

The one thing that has been established is that the people of North Yorkshire believe that they alone should be allowed to decide on the shape of local government in the area.

As in the North-East, where Durham County Council is under threat from an elected regional assembly, a vote for an elected assembly in Yorkshire means the end of the county council administration in Northallerton.

Apart from the loss of local democracy, the economic loss the county town would suffer would be a body blow.

There is still three days to put a stop to this nonsense. Readers have until Monday to make their views known to the Wakefield-based assembly at the address given on page 20.

The effort is worth making to stop power over North Yorkshire affairs drifting away to South and West Yorkshire. In this part of the county regional government does not mean more relevant and accountable government. It means a more distant administration - and a Labour one