Additional tiers of local government appear to be much in demand at present, for different reasons. The Government campaign for a Yorkshire Assembly, blusteringly led by John Prescott, was rightly rubbished in Bradford at the weekend by William Hague who, although he was addressing a Conservative conference, no doubt spoke for a great many of his fellow Yorkshire men and women of all party-political persuasions.

They too have the common sense to recognise that such assemblies would cost a great deal of money to fund another set of politicians and the headquarters in which to base them and would take local decisions further away from local people.

Although regional assemblies arguably actually weaken local democracy, parish councils are a rather different matter. Admittedly they too are another layer of local government, though on a much smaller scale. But rather than taking decision-making further away from the people they actually bring it closer to the grass roots.

That is something which has been recognised by church leaders and councillors in Queensbury who are campaigning to be allowed to join the growing number of villages and townships in the Bradford district which have a parish council.

They want to be able to have more of a say on matters affecting them, which is not unreasonable. There is the additional, and very valid, argument too that at a time when the population of Queensbury is growing rapidly, a parish council could help the village to retain its identity and strengthen the sense of community - which is not something which can be claimed with any conviction for regional assemblies, however hard Mr Prescott might insist otherwise.