YORK'S civic leaders are to discuss the possible creation of a regional "parliament" and its implications for the city.

Members of City of York Council's executive will be asked on Friday to respond to the Government's consultation over the possibility of providing an elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and Humberside.

It will discuss a report about the prospects locally for a referendum on regional government.

Members are also being asked to decide whether they want to back a referendum on regional government.

The council has already sounded out residents' immediate reactions through one of its Talkabout "people's panel" questionnaires.

People were questioned before the details of the Government's plans were widely publicised, and the numbers viewing the idea as "bad" or "good" were split 42 per cent to 32 per cent - with a large 26 per cent expressing a "don't know" response.

But 99 per cent of those who backed the idea said they would like to see the regional assembly located in York.

The Government consultation ends on March 3.

The council's chief executive, David Atkinson, said: "It is generally thought that the consultation will indicate that interest is sufficient in Yorkshire and the Humber for it to be in the first phase of referenda taking place in Autumn 2004 along with the north-east and the north-west."

Council leader Dave Merrett said: "Could elected regional government get a clear grip on identifying what needs to be done in Yorkshire and Humber regionally and provide an effective voice for us at Whitehall and in Brussels? We have yet to see any real detail."

Liberal Democrat opposition leader Steve Galloway was worried that no attempt had been made to seriously define the powers, scale or cost of the new structure.

Updated: 11:15 Monday, February 17, 2003