I UNDERSTAND the Government is insisting that any region that goes ahead with a directly elected regional assembly must undertake a reorganisation of local government to cut down on layers of local bureaucracy. Good!

However, taxpayers beware. The art of government has continued to expand -- councillors, unelected members of regional assemblies, MPs and MEPs.

I suggest that, for every elected member of a regional "parliament", there is a corresponding reduction in the number of MPs in Parliament. After all, according to reports, former Defence Minister Peter Kilfoyle said MPs have too much time of their hands and too little to do. They take 22 weeks holiday a year.

Mr R Gratton

Radcliffe