ONE of the most fundamental arguments against the introduction of regional assemblies is the consequent upheaval their creation will wreak on the local government structure beneath them.

Local government is only just recovering from the last upheaval which created unitary local councils in some parts of the country and not in others. That in turn had followed hard on the heels of the reorganisation in 1974.

As Richmond MP William Hague said in the Commons this week, the 1974 shake-up which scrapped the old urban and rural district councils triggered 30 years of change. Are we really better off for it?

The regional government debate has set all sorts of hares running. The yearning on Teesside for some form of city status, or least a county borough, has been evident on this page in recent weeks. Arguably Teesside does need a stronger voice. The move towards a "Tees Valley" approach towards some of the area's problems has some merit but Darlington sits uncomfortably within that.

What the area needs more than anything else is stability in its local government structures. Politicians have to resist the temptation to tinker with structures rather than deal with issues that matter to people.

Recent public opinion polls on the regional government question have produced at best lukewarm responses and plenty of don't knows/don't cares.

What people do care about is how well those responsible empty the bins, repair the roads and run the schools. Politicians have to learn that nobody is really bothered about the shape, size, location and responsibilities of the town hall/civic palace - except them.