is one of the
Regions Of England . It is one of the two regions (along with
Yorkshire And The Humber ) that were expected to have a referendum about the establishment of an elected
Regional Assembly . However, when the
North East region of England recently rejected having an elected regional assembly in a referendum,
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott subsequently announced that he will not move orders for other referendums. The proposals for elected regional assemblies in England therefore are on hold.
The highest point in the region is
Scafell Pike , in
Cumbria , at 3209 ft / 978 m (which is also England's highest peak).
Two large conurbations, centred on the cities of
Liverpool and
Manchester , dominate the south of the region. The north of the region (that is, north
Lancashire and Cumbria) is largely rural. This has caused questions to be asked whether the region should be altered so that Cumbria is transferred to the North East region (creating a new
North Region of England), as currently there are stark contrasts within the North West region.
''See
Counties Of England and
Districts Of England ''
The region is divided into the following
Local Government areas:
Districts that form the metropolitan counties are known as
Metropolitan Boroughs .
