Democracy for North Wales - Burnham wins

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 23rd Oct 2007

Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales and former chair of the North Wales Regional Committee has won her battle to re-establish the Assembly's North Wales Regional Committee.

The committee was scrapped following the adoption of the new Government of Wales act in May, but Ms Burnham has campaigned hard to bring back the popular committee, which allowed people in North Wales to get involved in the Assembly's discussions - without trekking to Cardiff.

Ms Burnham said: "The North Wales Regional Committee is of utmost importance to our region. It gives us a forum in which the needs, opinions and interests of people, organizations and politicians across the North can be voiced. The Assembly is an awfully long way away from North Wales, which means people can feel it is remote from their lives.

"Despite opposition from the Presiding Officer, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas (PC), I was absolutely delighted to have won this important battle. My North Wales constituents will now once again be able to speak openly and democratically on the real matters that concern them. I trust that we'll still be able to convince Ministers to attend so that true democracy can continue across North Wales.

Ms Burnham added: "North Wales regional committees are held from Anglesey to Wrexham and everywhere in between. They give people a chance to debate the topics and issues most important to them and crucially they form a basis for the affecting the work and the actions of Assembly.

"I look forward to having a transparent and open debate on the future of a North Wales Regional Committee early on in the new Assembly term."

Notes:

The following AMs signed Eleanor Burnham's statement of opinion calling for the committee to be re-established:

Mark Isherwood 15/05/2007

Brynle Williams 15/05/2007

Darren Millar 15/05/2007

Janet Ryder 23/05/2007

Alun Ffred Jones 23/05/2007

Gareth Jones 23/05/2007

Leanne Wood 31/05/2007

Mike German 13/06/2007

Eleanor's petition can be found here:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-guide-docs-pub/bus-business-documents/bus-business-documents-state-opinion.htm?act=dis&id=48853&ds=6/2007