Harriett Baldwin has learned that Rosie Winterton, the Minister for Regional Economic Coordination, intends to push ahead with John Prescott's idea for an elected regional assembly for the West Midlands. This extra rung of government would have to be funded by a regional levy on council tax which would increase the bills of everyone living in West Worcestershire. Ms Winterton worked closely with John Prescott on plans for regional assemblies and said in a recent keynote speech on local government that she would not let the plan for elected regional bodies "slip off the agenda" and pledged the Government "will come back to it".

Commenting on the plans Harriett Baldwin said:

"In the middle of a recession when local people are struggling to keep up with the cost of living it is ridiculous that the Government wants to add another unnecessary and unwanted tax on them. The original plan for regional assemblies was rejected by the public in the 2004 North East referendum and since then I have not detected any local desire for them - in fact, quite the opposite. Making local people pay for a new layer of government that they do not want shows how out of touch Labour Ministers are. Only a Conservative Government will remove regional government and give powers back to local elected councils."