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37-538: The South West Regional Assembly (SWRA) was the regional chamber for South West England , established in 1999. It was wound up in December 2008. Its functions were taken on by the Strategic Leaders' Board , the executive arm of the newly established South West Councils . The SWRA covered an area of 23,829 square kilometres including Cornwall , Devon, Dorset , Gloucestershire, Somerset , Wiltshire and

74-642: A strategic environmental assessment . RSS were prepared by the relevant regional planning body (RPB), in the form of the Regional Assembly , and were then submitted to the Secretary of State . Once the RPB prepared a draft RSS, it published it for at least 12 weeks public consultation. Following public consultation, an Examination in Public was held to debate and test the RPB's proposals. A Panel formed by

111-626: A precept (demand for payment) 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

148-509: 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. The English Regions Network (ERN) was the umbrella organisation for England's eight partnership regional chambers. While

185-549: Is a statutory, legal document. Planning Policy Statement 11: Regional Spatial Strategies commonly abbreviated as PPS 11 , set out the procedural policy on the nature of RSSs and focuses on what should happen in preparing revisions to them and explains how this relates to the Act and associated regulations. The current version was introduced in September 2004. Regional Spatial Strategies were expected to: They were each subject to

222-581: 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

259-608: Is part of a wider Greater London Authority and has 25 directly elected members. Its role is defined in the Greater London Authority Act 1999 . There was some inconsistency in the naming of the individual assemblies. Each chamber adopted either "regional assembly" or "assembly": 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

296-558: Is the responsibility of the mayor .) They were introduced in 2004. Their revocation was announced by the new Conservative/Liberal Democrat government on 6 July 2010. RSS emerged from the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 , which abolished structure plans and replaced regional planning guidance (RPG) with RSS, which then became the strategic level plan charged with informing local development frameworks (LDFs). These were required to be in 'general conformity' with an RSS, which

333-539: The Isles of Scilly , and represented a population of almost five million people. The South West Secretariat which supported the member organisations is based in Taunton , as is its successor body. SWRA was not a directly elected body, but was a partnership of councillors from all local authorities in the region and representatives of various sectors with a role in the region's economic, social and environmental well-being. It

370-663: The Planning Inspectorate - independent of the RPB and central Government - oversaw this process. Following the Examination in Public, the Panel prepared a report of findings and recommendations to the Government on how the draft RSS might be improved. The Government then issued Proposed Changes to the draft strategy, taking account of the Panel's recommendations and representations on any matters not considered at

407-608: The South West Regional Assembly and the South West Regional Development Agency . A campaign for a Cornish Assembly had been running since July 2000, 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. The campaign had the support of all five Cornish Liberal Democrats MPs, Mebyon Kernow and others; they stated that

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444-604: The Examination in Public. The Secretary of State then made any final amendments in the light of the responses to the Proposed Changes consultation, and issued the final 'Regional Spatial Strategy'. Local authorities then prepared Local Development Documents, which were to be consistent with the Regional Spatial Strategy, identifying specific locations for development and conservation, and establishing local policies for managing development . By

481-586: The Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, on 6 July 2010. Supporting guidance to local authorities upon the revocation of RSS stated: "In the longer term the legal basis for Regional Strategies will be abolished through the "Localism Bill" that we are introducing in the current Parliamentary session. New ways for local authorities to address strategic planning and infrastructure issues based on cooperation will be introduced." In respect of housing figures,

518-654: The London Assembly worked with ERN on some issues it was not a full member of the Network. The eight regional chambers as defined by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 were not directly elected. About two-thirds of assembly members were appointees from the county and district councils and unitary authorities in each region , the remaining one-third were appointees from other regional interest groups. The London Assembly

555-453: The SW regional assembly was undemocratic and unaccountable, and believed Cornwall should be able to take decisions about local services in its own directly elected and accountable assembly. In July 2004, five Merseyside MPs, led 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

592-846: The Strategic Leaders' Board of South West Councils on 13 May 2009. The transfer followed agreement between the Assembly Leaders, the Strategic Leaders, the Social Economic and Environmental Partners and South West Councils. The outgoing Chairman of the Assembly, Sir Simon Day said: "The assembly achieved a huge amount over the past few years and has risen to a number of difficult challenges. From our first successful lobbying activity for Objective 1 funding to encourage investment in Cornwall and Isle of Scilly, to backing

629-682: The UK government published the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration . 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 was that the regional assemblies in their current form and function would not continue and that the regional development agencies were given executive responsibility for developing

666-458: The UK's Olympic Bid and the case to host the sailing event in the South West through to making make tough decisions on allocating funding for major transport and infrastructure, each challenge has require a grit and determination to achieve a regional consensus and provide a clear message to Government." Regional chamber Greater London has a directly elected London Assembly , which

703-604: The abolition of the eight regional chambers. Each assembly corresponded to a region of England . In May 2002, the then Labour 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

740-543: The abolition of the regional chambers, smaller local authority leaders' boards took over responsibilities for scrutiny of RDAs and single regional plans. The first local authority leaders' board, 4NW , was established in July 2008 and others were formed once the regional chamber for that region was abolished. By April 2010, eight leaders' boards had been established. In June 2010, the new Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition government announced plans to remove funding from

777-566: The all-party Commons Communities and Local Government Committee published its report on the implications of the abolition of the RSS system. It stated that: "The intended abolition of regional spatial planning strategies leaves a vacuum at the heart of the English planning system which could have profound social, economic and environmental consequences set to last for many years." Committee chair Clive Betts said: "Regional Spatial Strategies bridged

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814-521: The case of Cala Homes (South) Ltd v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was not entitled to use the discretionary power to revoke regional strategies contained in s 79(6) of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 to effect the practical abrogation of the regional strategies as a complete tier of planning policy guidance. In March 2011,

851-543: The end of 2006 there were five revised RSS submitted to the Secretary of State. In other regions, Examinations in Public were held in 2006 and 2007. The Panel's reports on each of these were published, and in some cases proposed changes to the RSS were subject to public consultation. In May 2010 the new Government announced the abolition of the Regional Strategies. They were formally revoked, under s79(6) of

888-666: 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. 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

925-609: The gap between those planning issues determined by local policy or concern, and those subject to policy goals defined at a national level – such as those for housing or renewable energy. We...are concerned about the hiatus created by their intended abolition. This is giving rise to an inertia that is likely to hinder development - making it much harder to deliver necessary but controversial or emotive 'larger than local' facilities - such as waste disposal sites, mineral workings or sites for gypsies and travellers. It will also make it more difficult to ensure that our national need for new housing

962-437: The government had canvassed regional assemblies as a partial solution to this anomaly. The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott presented a Draft Regional Assemblies Bill to Parliament in July 2004. The bill outlined the structure of the proposed assemblies and defined their powers. The draft bill proposed the following structure: The draft bill would have given the assemblies the following powers: On 17 July 2007

999-471: The guidance stated that: "Local planning authorities will be responsible for establishing the right level of local housing provision in their area, and identifying a long term supply of housing land without the burden of regional housing targets. Some authorities may decide to retain their existing housing targets that were set out in the revoked Regional Strategies. Others may decide to review their housing targets." On 10 November 2010 Mr Justice Sales ruled in

1036-561: 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. Regional spatial strategy Regional spatial strategies ( RSS ) provided regional level planning frameworks for the regions of England outside London . (In London, spatial planning

1073-504: The idea as a viable alternative to elected regional assemblies. 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. 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

1110-454: The new boards and to remove their statutory functions. The boards may continue as voluntary associations of council leaders. Regional development agencies were abolished on 31 March 2012, with their functions being taken over by smaller local enterprise partnerships which are not based on regional boundaries. LEPs were themselves phased out in April 2024. In Cornwall , there was opposition to

1147-523: The project itself should be ditched. If Scotland and London are benefiting from devolution then Cornwall should learn from this and increase the intensity of its own campaign for devolution to a Cornish Assembly." In July 2007, Local Government Minister John Healey MP announced Government plans to abolish regional assemblies . The functions of regional assemblies were planned to pass to regional development agencies in 2010. The assembly's responsibilities for planning, housing and transport transferred to

South West Regional Assembly - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-428: The same region as Gloucestershire would be comparable to linking London with Yorkshire. The feeling was especially strong in Cornwall where in July 2000 Mebyon Kernow issued the "Declaration for a Cornish Assembly ". In October 2007 Lib Dem MP Andrew George stated in a press release, "Just because the Government has approached the whole Regional Devolution agenda in entirely the wrong way, does not mean to say that

1221-593: The single regional strategy. The regional chambers were abolished between 2008 and 2010 with their executive functions transferring to the regional development agencies. Local authorities were 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 were established in each region. The two bodies would jointly produce new single regional strategies, with Ministers exercising an oversight function. Following

1258-482: Was announced that the referendums would be held on 4 November, but on 22 July 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. However, the voters rejected the assembly by 696,519 votes to 197,310, or about 78 percent to 22 percent. This overwhelmingly negative vote

1295-450: Was established by separate legislation and is part of the Greater London Authority . 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

1332-611: Was made up of 119 members, of which: The main functions performed by the SWRA included: There was much opposition to the formation of the South West Regional Assembly with critics saying it was an unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable quango , and the area covered was an artificially imposed region and not natural. This opinion was based upon geography, arguing that having the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in

1369-613: 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

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