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=== Devolved English Parliament ===
=== Devolved English Parliament ===
The [[Campaign for an English Parliament]], the minor [[English Democrats]] party and several [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] MPs, see a [[Devolved English parliament]] as another alternative to Regional Assemblies. They believe that rather than breaking up the historic nation of England, it should be preserved - with its own Parliament similar to that of the [[Scottish Parliament]] - and that this is the only way the [[West Lothian question]] can be resolved while the United Kingdom still exists.
The [[Campaign for an English Parliament]], the minor [[English Democrats]] party and several [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] MPs, see a [[Devolved English parliament]] as another alternative to Regional Assemblies. They believe that rather than breaking up the historic nation of England, it should be preserved - with its own Parliament similar to that of the [[Scottish Parliament]] - and that this is the only way the [[West Lothian question]] can be resolved while maintaining the United Kingdom.


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 21:34, 14 April 2011

This article is part of a series within the
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Administration

The Regional Assemblies of England were a group of indirectly elected regional bodies established originally under the name Regional Chambers by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998.[1] They were abolished on 31 March 2010 and replaced by Local Authority Leaders’ Boards. These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly, which was established by separate legislation as part of the Greater London Authority.

Role

Their original defined role was to channel regional opinions to the business-led Regional Development Agencies. Their role later included scrutinising their regional development agency; integrating policy development and enhancing partnership working at the regional level across the social, economic and environmental policy agenda; as well as carrying out a wide range of advocacy and consultancy roles with UK government bodies and the European Union; but their public profile was low. Each acted as a Regional Planning Body with a duty to formulate a Regional Spatial Strategy including Regional Transport Strategy, replacing the planning function of county councils.

Election

Eight of the nine English regional assemblies were not directly elected. About two-thirds of assembly members are appointees from the county and district councils and unitary authorities in each region, the remaining one-third are appointees from other regional interest groups. The exception is the London Assembly, which has 25 directly elected members. Its role is defined in the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

The regional assemblies

There was some inconsistency in the naming of the individual assemblies. They were:

The London Assembly was established as a directly elected body by separate legislation and is part of the Greater London Authority. It continues to exist after the abolition of the eight partnership Regional Assemblies.

Each assembly corresponded to a region of England:

Plans for elected assemblies

In May 2002, the UK government published a White Paper Your Region, Your Choice outlining its plans for the possible establishment of Elected Regional Assemblies. These assemblies were to be responsible for regional strategies dealing with sustainable development, economic development, spatial planning, transport, waste, housing, culture (including tourism) and biodiversity. They would be funded primarily by central government grant, with powers to raise additional funds from a precept on the council tax.

The Assemblies were expected to be elected by an Additional Member System similar to those used for the London Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales. The Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003 made provisions for referendums to be held to create such assemblies, and to simplify the structure of Local Government where this is done. Three such referendums were planned, for the regions of North East and North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber.

On 12 February 2004, Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford announced that elected Assemblies would be able to direct local authorities to refuse strategic planning applications that are not in the region's best interest. They would be able to look across local boundary constraints and ensure planning decisions are made with region-wide interests taken into account. On 8 July 2004 it was announced that the referendums would be held on 4 November (see Northern England referendums, 2004) but on 2 July Nick Raynsford announced that only the North East England vote would go ahead on that date. This region was chosen because the government thought it was the most likely to approve the proposal, but the voters rejected the assembly by 696,519 votes to 197,310. This overwhelmingly negative vote was seen as an insurmountable obstacle to elected regional assemblies elsewhere in England outside London. On 8 November, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told the House of Commons he would not move orders for the other two regions within the effective time limit of June 2005 permitted by the Act.

The no vote by the North East also affected the Labour Government's attempt to address the West Lothian question, because the government had canvassed regional assemblies as a partial solution to this Question.[2]

The English Regions Network (ERN) is the umbrella organisation for England's eight partnership Regional Assemblies. While the London Assembly works with ERN on some issues it is not a full member of the Network.

Structure and powers of the proposed assemblies

The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott presented a Draft Regional Assemblies Bill to Parliament in July 2004.[3] The bill outlined the structure of the proposed assemblies and defined their powers.[4]

The draft bill proposed the following structure:

  • The assembly would be a body corporate with a distinct legal indetity.
  • Each assembly would be composed of between 25 and 35 assembly members elected by the additional member system.
  • The assembly would select one member as the Chairman and another as Deputy Chairman to preside over its debates.
  • The assembly would have an Executive (cabinet) composed of a Leader and between two and six Executive Members.

The draft bill would have given the assemblies the following powers:

  • Promotion of economic development
  • Promotion of social development
    • Promote health, safety and security of the community
    • Reduce health inequalities
    • Enhance individual participation in society
    • Improve the availability of good housing
    • Improve skills and the availability of training
    • Improve the availability of cultural and recreational activities
  • Improvement and protection of the environment
  • Additional functions and duties that the Secretary of State thinks appropriate

Abolition and replacement

On 17 July 2007 the UK government published the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration.[5] The review brought forward the Government's plans to alter the structure of regional governance in England known as the Single Regional Strategy. The impact of the review will be that the "Regional Assemblies in their current form and function will not continue" and that the Regional Development Agencies will be given "executive responsibility for developing the single regional strategy".[6]

In practical terms, the Regional Assemblies will be abolished in 2010 with their executive functions transferring to the Regional Development Agencies. Local authorities will be given an increased role in scrutiny at the regional level including scrutiny of Regional Strategies and the RDAs through participation in new Local Authority Leaders' Boards which will be established in each region. The two bodies will now jointly produce new single regional strategies, with Ministers exercising an oversight function.[7]

Local Authority Leaders' Boards

Following the abolition of the Regional Assemblies, there are plans to establish smaller Local Authority Leaders' Boards for each region which will take over responsibilities for scrutiny of RDAs and Single Regional Plans.[8]

The first Local Authority Leaders' Board, 4NW, was established in July 2008.

In June 2010, the new Conservative-LibDem coalition government announced plans to remove funding from the new boards and to remove their statutory functions. The boards may continue as voluntary associations of council leaders.[9]

The leader's boards

Alternative arrangements

Cornish Assembly

In Cornwall, there was opposition to the South West Regional Assembly and the South West Regional Development Agency. A campaign for a Cornish Assembly has been running since July 2000,[10] and attracted the support of a petition signed by 50,000 Cornish residents and visitors, which was presented to 10 Downing Street on 12 December 2001.[11][12] The campaign has the support of all five Cornish Liberal Democrats MPs, Mebyon Kernow and others; they stated that the SW regional assembly was undemocratic and unaccountable, and believed Cornwall should be able to take decisions about local services in their own directly elected and accountable assembly.[13] Cornwall Council was established as a unitary local authority on 1 April 2009.

Merseyside Assembly

In July 2004, a five Merseyside MPs, lead by George Howarth MP, launched a Manifesto for Merseyside which proposed a Merseyside Assembly, which would take a form similar to the existing London Assembly. As well as the five Merseyside boroughs, the proposals also included the Cheshire authorities of Halton and Ellesmere Port / Neston. The main argument was that the North West was too large and did not represent a cultural or economic area; something Merseyside did better.[14][15]

City regions

Since the General Election in May 2005, the concept of city regions has gained currency in academic, policy and government circles, with several think tanks pushing the idea as a viable alternative to elected regional assemblies.[citation needed] However, opinion is divided on the question of whether to impose new city regional structures from above or to allow existing elected bodies to come together on a more informal voluntary basis.[citation needed]

Devolved English Parliament

The Campaign for an English Parliament, the minor English Democrats party and several Conservative Party MPs, see a Devolved English parliament as another alternative to Regional Assemblies. They believe that rather than breaking up the historic nation of England, it should be preserved - with its own Parliament similar to that of the Scottish Parliament - and that this is the only way the West Lothian question can be resolved while maintaining the United Kingdom.

See also

References

  1. ^ Regional Development Agencies Act 1998
  2. ^ Oonagh Gay The West Lothian Question (PDF) Standard Note: SN/PC/2586 Page 9 and footnote 21 "21 For a description of government policy see Library Standard Note no 3176 The draft regional assemblies bill" [dead link‍]
  3. ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmodpm/62/62.pdf
  4. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wXdg3ZLRFZAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Draft+Regional+Assemblies+Bill&source=bl&ots=6PUTDjRy_n&sig=G7FHIbfYgkqo5RkxFPsDzZBK5NI&hl=en&ei=w-JITLqcEonw0wSoztyECw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBQ
  5. ^ HM Treasury - Review of sub-national economic development and regeneration
  6. ^ "Regional assemblies will be axed". BBC News. 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
  7. ^ [www.communities.gov.uk/documents/citiesandregions/pdf/1073344.pdf] DCLG
  8. ^ http://www.4nw.org.uk/members.php# [dead link‍]
  9. ^ Scrapping regional bureaucracy will save millions - Newsroom - Communities and Local Government
  10. ^ Cornish Assembly
  11. ^ Blair gets Cornish assembly call
  12. ^ Government urged to hold a referendum in Cornwall
  13. ^ Mebyon Kernow support the Cornish Assembly
  14. ^ http://www.georgehowarth.org.uk/georges_views/regional_government.html George Howarth MP
  15. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3985719.stm BBC article


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