VAL Cowell, of the UK Independence Party, has presented wrong information to your readers regarding regionalisation (You Say, October 3).

May I be permitted to set the record straight?

The Committee of the Regions is a consultative body set up to give existing regional and local governments a voice within the European Union.

West Midlands in Europe is a not-for-profit, non-political partnership that provides impartial information and advice on EU issues to public bodies, businesses and voluntary organisations in the region.

Neither the CoR nor WMiE is orchestrating English regionalism.

Misreading

"The European Union of the Regions" is not the correct title of the EU.

It is most likely a misreading of the phrase "Europe of the Regions", a term originally coined to emphasise the important role of regional and local government within Europe.

The Scottish Parliament has, due to Liberal Democrat influence, abolished university tuition fees and is well on the way to providing free personal care to elderly people.

The Welsh Assembly has reinstated free school milk and provided other vital help for Welsh farmers.

If central government powers were properly devolved, the English regions would benefit from similarly innovative and popular measures.

I can agree with Val on only one point: there is indeed a great deal of ignorance and confusion surrounding the plethora of regional institutions in England.

However, this situation is not helped by UKIP spreading irrelevant and inaccurate nonsense about the European Union.

PAUL H GRIFFITHS,

Worcester Liberal Democrats.