HYNDBURN Council's survival hopes have soared amid rumours that the Government is set to postpone plans for a referendum on a North West Regional Assembly.

Labour MP Greg Pope this week defied a three-line whip to vote against the plans and praised the Observer's Back Off Big Brother campaign in the House of Commons.

He said yesterday: "Rumours are sweeping Westminster that the Government is on the verge of pulling the plug and admitting defeat."

"Even if it does go ahead with a referendum, it will surely go down to a heavy defeat. Regional government in itself is not a bad idea, but this version is flawed."

In the event of a "yes" vote in a referendum, Hyndburn Council would be abolished.

It would be replaced by either a Lancashire-wide authority or by a merger with Blackburn with Darwen, widely seen as a takeover.

The Observer has led a campaign against this latter proposal and Mr Pope referred to our 1,000-signature petition in a House of Commons committee this week.

He asked Government Minister Phil Hope why he had ignored it.

Mr Pope said: "As there was no satisfactory answer, I voted against the order despite being on a three-line whip to support it."

"Two other Labour MPs voted against the plans and they were only carried because the Liberal Democrats on the committee voted with the Government."

He added: "Very few people I've met in Hyndburn want regional government in the form it is being offered."

"There is widespread concern about the referendum by all-postal ballot, especially after some of the things I've heard about the way the local elections were conducted. There is open hostility to the Blackburn takeover plan and I haven't met any distinterested parties that want to see a unitary Lancashire."

"I put some of these points to the minister and felt that my views and those of my constituents were being ignored again."

Councillor Peter Britcliffe, leader of Hyndburn Council, said it would be "terrific news" if the Government cancelled the referendum

He added: "Rumours have been sweeping Government and local government for weeks. It is generally felt the Government has enough problems without adding a catastrophic local government referendum to the list. The best news for all of us would be that we were not going to have to merge with Blackburn."

There was widespread confusion as the Observer went to press yesterday. The BBC reported that the North West referendum was to be postponed, but the Press Association quoted the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as denying it.