LANCASHIRE County Council has pulled out of the North West Regional Assembly and demanded its subscription back after accusing it of breaking government guidelines.

A resolution calling for withdrawal from the unelected body was passed by ruling Labour councillors at a meeting of the Cabinet.

County council leader Hazel Harding attacked the motives of the regional assembly -- which is currently made up of local authorities who come together to campaign on regional issues. She said it had been deliberately campaigning in favour of the referendum on elected regional government and for a yes vote in that referendum.

The Government is considering changing local government to include directly elected regional assemblies which would replace county councils.

The county council has opposed such a move and Coun Harding said that her authority could not justify the £47,700 subscription to an organisation which was campaigning against the county council.

A report she presented said that legal advice had been sought and that the council's barrister believed that the county council had no choice but to pull out because the NWRA was campaigning rather than asking for opinions.

Attached to the report were press releases from the North West Regional Assembly's website which she said the cabinet believed was proof that the NWRA had been campaigning in favour of regional assembly.

Coun Harding said: "This decision has been made purely on the legal principle that public money should not be used for political campaigning."