§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he estimates that the running costs of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Assembly will be more than the running costs of the two-tier system. [159194]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice" that an elected assembly would have running costs of around £25 million a year. The potential savings from restructuring of local government in the area of North Yorkshire county council will not be known until the Boundary Committee for England reports in May on its recommended options for local government restructuring in North Yorkshire, and voters have had their say in a local government referendum.
§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the total cost. of(a) holding the referendum for a Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Assembly, (b) setting up the Assembly and (c) holding the elections for the Assembly. [159195]
§ Mr. Raynsford(a) The Government have recently consulted on The Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Counting Officers' Charges) (England) Order 2004, that will establish the costs of conducting the referendums. Based on the figures in the draft order the cost of holding a referendum will be £1.47 per elector, if everyone eligible votes.
- (b) Assemblies will cost around £30 million to set up.
- (c) The set up costs include around £10 million for the first elections.