CHANCES are you may never have heard of it. But, take it from us, there would be serious consequences if the Tories actually went ahead with their threat to scrap the current Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

Unbeknown to most people, the RSS has played a vital role in recent years in underpinning many of the key infrastructure projects aimed at driving our region forward to ever greater prosperity. Those that do know about it, however, are aghast that David Cameron and his team are seemingly so determined to do away with it.

The professional body for Town Hall planners, for instance, claimed any such move would “take the planning system back decades”.

Labour has been quick to pounce on the Tory proposals. But they would, wouldn’t they, because there is an election only a matter of months away, and every opportunity for political point-scoring, whether it’s about Spatial Strategy or something we might actually be familiar with, is going to be gratefully seized upon.

The Tories, on the other hand, have failed to come clean about their proposals, saying only that the leaked document which discussed the plan was “one of several versions” in circulation.

So undoubtedly we need clarification. Political debate should not be hindered by obfuscation and excuses.

If, after all, key projects such as the Second Mersey Crossing, the £100m Liverpool to Manchester rail route electrification plan, and expansion schemes for both the Port of Liverpool and John Lennon Airport are actually in jeopardy, it would be decent if we could be told about it.

And, also, we need equity. Any chance that, on top of all those plans for our region above, the £9.35bn construction costs of the 2012 London Olympics might also face the axe? Thought not.