ANTI-devolution campaigners are claiming victory after the Government dumped plans to hold a referendum on whether to create a Yorkshire assembly.
The decision, announced in Parliament, means the scheduled referendum on November 4 has been postponed indefinitely in Yorkshire and the Humber and also in the North-West.
Yorkshire Says No chairman John Watson said the 11th-hour move, made on the day Parliament broke up for the summer recess, proved the Government had realised the referendum could not be won in Yorkshire.
"This is a victory for common sense," he added.
A referendum will go ahead in the North-East, but not in the two other regions, the Government said.
Ministers said they were waiting for a report on all- postal voting trials held last month.
Mr Watson said: "To use the excuse of concerns over postal voting is utterly bogus.
"The referendum is being pulled because the Government knew it was going to suffer a terrible defeat.
"The proposals failed to inspire interest in - or desire for - what was a pathetic imitation of devolution," he added.
Millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash had been wasted on advertising the referendum and preparing for the vote, said Mr Watson.
He went on: "This money should have been spent on the region's public services."
He said he did not expect the plans to rear their head again.
Local government minister Nick Raynsford told the Commons: "It is a postponement, but we are still prepared to proceed with referendums in all the regions."
