John Prescott hopes the voters will give the thumbs up to his plans

Mr Prescott was in the region on Monday to launch a Your Say information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the issues involved.

A postal ballot on whether an elected regional assembly should be set up will be held in the autumn of 2004.

Regional devolution has been a long-time dream for Mr Prescott, whose Hull East constituency would come under a Yorkshire and the Humber assembly.

The powers of the new body have yet to be finally fixed but would include economic development, planning and housing.

It's your say. I'm not making the decision John Prescott

Opponents of an assembly have already started their campaign with a Yorkshire Says No group led by the former Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, John Watson.

They argue that there is no need for another layer of bureaucracy.

If a regional assembly is established, there would be changes to local government in North Yorkshire.

There, the county council and district councils would be replaced by the single tier system used in the rest of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Answer questions

Part of government's information campaign involves a leaflet which will explain what the assembly would do.

Speaking on the Politics Show on BBC One on Sunday, Mr Prescott explained it was for the people to decide if they want this new form of government which, he claimed, would give voters in Yorkshire similar influence those in Scotland and Wales.

"It's your say. I'm not making the decision," he said.

"You can say 'yes', you can say 'no'. But it's for the people of the north to make the decision.

"We have got to tell people what differences it will make, answer all the questions that are being put."

Referendums on regional assemblies are also planned for the North East and the North West of England.