. Riots-aftermath

Se'minar seeks-more entral control

By David Walker

Mr' Michael Heseltine's departure from Merseyside yesterday ended an extraordinary exercise in peripatetic governmient. .

Sharing his Royal Liver Building -perch has been a select group of senior officials and advisers detached from their Whitehall duties. They have been engaged in what one described as a fortnight-and-a-half policy seminar.

Participants included Mr Timothy Raison, Minister of State at the Home Office and former editor of New Society, and his departmental expert on ethnic' relations, Mr Denis Peach, assistant under-secretary of state in charge of community programmes and equal opportunities.

One result of the semlnar is ,likely to be a stronger central government presence on Merseyside. Among options now being considered in the Depart

ment of the Environment is the establishment of a minister's office in Liverpool, to which Mr Heseltine or colleagues would make regular visits.

Changes in the regional structure of the department are likely. Its Manchester office will probably be split. The appointment of an official "C Mr Merseyside " to coordinate the various government initiatives has also been suggested.

At the head of Mr Heseltine's team of officials have

been Mr Peter Harrop, second permanent secretary at the department, and Mr Paul McQuail, head of the inner cities directorate in the department. Mr McQuail, helped to draft Mr Peter Shore's inner cities White Paper and the legislation that followed.

Officials have made forays on their own. Mr Harrop went to inspect.housing in Netherley, probably the worst in the city of Liverpool after the slums :of Arkwfright &ardens. He noted that despite bad housing, Nietherley has had none of T>oxteth's street disturbances.-

Mr Heselidne has taken advice on Liverpool's housing from Mr Tom Barron, his friend and former paid adviser, who is a private luousebuilder. Mr Barron, who joined the mninister for his sojourn, is convinced of the need for central government rather than local councils to take charge of inn er-city regeneration.

Nothing that the Heseltine party saw of the workings ot the various local authorities, notably Liverpool city and Merseyside county, lessened its misgivings about councils' ability to cooperate with each other and with the Government. Any extra money for inner urban areas is likely to be channelled through the department to its own projects rather than used to increase the grant. to local councils.

E[ Two crates of petrbl bombs found in Bradford were to have been used in city centre riots last month, it was claimed at Bradford City Court yesterday (Our Bradford Correspondent writes).

They were not used because police moved in to disperse the crowds and made arrests, Mr Warwick Simpson, for the prosecution, said. Eleven Asians were remanded in custody until August 13, charged with conspiring to cause damage or destruction by fire or explosion.

El Greater Manchester police are to hold a camp for 50 young people, many from the Moss Side area, in the Lake District next week (Our Manchester Correspondent writes)....