It will be some time before the dust settles on John Prescott's announcement that Yorkshire and the Humber will be one of three regions to hold a referendum next year on whether to establish directly-elected regional assemblies.

However long it takes, the reality will be the same: a regional assembly would be bad news for Bradford.

Were Mr Prescott's campaign to result in a "Yes" vote, Bradford - which, in recent years has effectively enjoyed a warm (if not quite a hot-) line to central Government - would instantly find itself afflicted with another tier of bureaucracy and much of its remaining powers effectively stripped away.

The 25-or-so-member elected assembly would have power over planning, housing and economic development and, more than likely, a lot more besides with transport, sport and culture already being mentioned. The likelihood is that Bradford would find it even more difficult than it does now to attract regional money - which is pretty damning given Yorkshire Forward's record in financially supporting the district.

For the privilege of losing much of their clout, Bradford people would face a double-whammy of payments: the cost of this extra tier of red-tape would come from a Government grant (paid for, naturally, from taxes) and a local council tax levylikely to be at least an extra £25 per year.

And all based on what? A spurious notion of a Yorkshire identity that doesn't really exist at any practical level. This newspaper is as proud as anyone to be at the heart of this great county. But ask someone from Barnsley, Hull, Doncaster or York what they know or care about in Bradford and the answer will leave you in no doubt as to why a regional assembly won't work in our district's best interests.