The Regions

Having recently moved house, I decided to find out what (unabolished) Regional Assembly was appropriate for my new address in Licolnshire. So I tried the East Midlands R.A who directed me to the Yorkshire & Humber Assembly. Note, not Regional Assembly, just Assembly. Is that significant? I was also told that my representative there was the Leader of the Scunthorpe Council. It covers an area '..from Sheffield to Whitby; Hull to Huddersfield; pop. over 5m and about equal in size to Scotland. Definitely significant! Their website blossoms with self-praise of course, but just to pick a couple of bits out -
Office in Brussels funded by the Yorkshire Forward R.D.A, - where does it get its money from?
The Assembly gets £2.50 per week from from every taxpayer - as an unelected body, on what authority?
etc, etc.
Apart from the fact that Brown has 'promised' to abolish Assemblies by 2010, he has appointed Ministers for the Regions and continues to surreptitiously fragment England into the 9 Regions on the grounds that this will bring government closer to the people. So if I want planning permission for something in Scunthorpe, instead of it being dealt with by my local council, it will be decided on in Wakefield by councillors, (and others?), from as far away as Whitby or Sheffield.
Is that bringing government closer to the people?