In his regular column, David Andrews, chief executive of the York-based Yorkshire Tourist Board, speaks up for regional democracy and argues the case for York as the home of the new regional assembly.

As the crisis in Iraq and the dangers of SARS wane from your news screens and the front pages become more concerned with the movements of a certain blond Adonis of football, perhaps we will finally have the time to think about issues a little closer to home.

Last week, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that Yorkshire and the Humber was one of only three of the eight regions in England to show enough interest in having regional assemblies. The result: our region will move onward down the road toward our own regional mini-parliament.

An elected regional assembly is the hot topic of the day. But, is there a lack of interest at the grass roots, and a lack of understanding of the issues involved and the powers that will be accorded an elected regional assembly?

Do the majority of businesses actually understand what an elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber will be responsible for?

In the tourism industry in York and North Yorkshire, more than 80 per cent of businesses are SMEs.

What kind of impact will the decisions made by the assembly, if the people of Yorkshire vote "yes", have on them? What powers will it have to help them in their businesses?

The power of the elected assembly is yet to be fixed, but sport, culture and tourism; skills and training; transport, economic development, the environment, planning, public health and housing were originally highlighted to be within its remit.

It will be responsible for setting priorities, delivering regional strategies and allocating funding, as well as having powers to scrutinise and make appointments to regional public bodies (QUANGOs) including the Regional Development Agencies, Government Office and the regional chamber, giving a more democratic approach to how our region is run.

From a tourism point of view, a strategic approach to planning, the environment and of course transport has to be a positive move. An integrated strategic approach across all of the local authority districts in North Yorkshire has to be beneficial to the tourism industry. It might even result in achieving the "Holy Grail" of transport coordination, an integrated transport policy for the region!

Taking a regional look at planning should give a much more balanced and effective dispersal of for example of accommodation and attractions, placing them where they are most needed rather than continuing to develop those areas which are already over-stocked and running the risk of decreasing occupancy and visitor numbers. Sustainability is, after all, of primary importance to tourism in our region.

So much of North Yorkshire is divided by boundaries that the visitor does not recognise, they do not care that part of the North York Moors comes under the remit of Scarborough Borough Council, part under Ryedale and part under Hambleton. They just want to visit the North York Moors. The same can be said for the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire's coast and the rest of North Yorkshire and York.

Another question to be asked is, where will the headquarters for the elected assembly be located? I would suggest York. Where better than this ancient city, from which the region takes its name?

York has a history of governance, the Romans recognised it as the hub of the North, and from the 4th century, it was the capital of lower Britain. The Anglo-Saxon King Eoferwic made it his chief city, as did the Vikings, and Charles I even brought the Royal Mint to York. Siting the Assembly in central York would send a powerful message and lend the infant body a gravitas that no other site in Yorkshire could confer.

But if we do want the opportunity to call York the home of our regional parliament, we will need to prepare, plenty of other cities in the region are already rubbing their hands together in anticipation of what being the centre of government in the region will bring them. It may seem a distant possibility at present, the referendum itself is not likely to take place until autumn 2004 and even then a poor turnout and lack of interest amongst the voting public could result in the idea being shelved, only a strong and positive "yes" vote will guarantee that an elected assembly will become a reality, with voting to appoint members taking place following the next national elections. I expect to see more and more of the debate filling our screens and newspapers, as we move forward to what could be one of the most influential decisions we will be asked to make in the near future.

Updated: 11:50 Tuesday, June 24, 2003