Housing minister Yvette Cooper has rejected Lord Rogers鈥� call to create a single body to oversee the regeneration of the Thames Gateway.

Lord Rogers鈥� urban taskforce report, published last week, recommended the creation of an overarching body to direct the gateway鈥檚 development.

Speaking at last week鈥檚 Thames Gateway Forum, Cooper said: 鈥淭o have a single delivery board with control of everything that happens in the Thames Gateway is not the best way forward. We need lots of delivery bodies in different areas, but we need better co-ordination.鈥�

Judith Armitt, Medway council鈥檚 chief executive, backed the minister. She said: 鈥淚t [the Gateway] is not going to be a single drawing board. We must get used to the differences. It will have to be a more organic process.鈥�

Cooper said the government had asked the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership鈥檚 executive to draw up a strategic framework, pulling together efforts by existing agencies to provide housing and green space.

She added that the government would take a fresh look at the membership of the executive to ensure it is 鈥減roperly balanced and properly representative鈥�.

Niall Lindsay, Thurrock Urban Development Corporation chief executive, has criticised moves by London mayor Ken Livingstone to bring the Essex unitary authority under his control. He said: 鈥淭he idea of Thurrock falling within the Greater London Authority is misguided. I have yet to meet anybody who lives there who thinks it should be part of London.鈥�