East of England Regional Assembly
Encyclopedia
The East of England Regional Assembly was the regional assembly
for the East of England
region of the United Kingdom
. It was based at Flempton
, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a voluntary regional chamber in 1998 by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The first meeting was held in March 1999. In July 2003 the assembly was reconstituted to combine its existing functions with those of the regional arm of the Local Government Association
and of the Regional Employers Organisation. The assembly was abolished on 31 March 2010, its functions transferring to the newly constituted East of England Regional Strategy Board, part of the East of England Local Government Association.
Membership lasts one year and begins in July.
Following criticism of the regional assemblies
, it was proposed in July 2007 that they will be axed, losing their role by 2010 with powers passing to the East of England Development Agency
and to local authorities.
Regional Assemblies in England
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. They were abolished on 31 March 2010 and replaced by Local Authority Leaders’ Boards...
for the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
region of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was based at Flempton
Flempton
Flempton is a village in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England. It is on the A1101 road from Bury St Edmunds.The East of England Regional Assembly is based in Flempton House. The village pub is The Greyhound on The Green...
, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a voluntary regional chamber in 1998 by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The first meeting was held in March 1999. In July 2003 the assembly was reconstituted to combine its existing functions with those of the regional arm of the Local Government Association
Local Government Association
The Local Government Association is a voluntary lobbying organisation acting as the voice of the local government sector in England and Wales, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf....
and of the Regional Employers Organisation. The assembly was abolished on 31 March 2010, its functions transferring to the newly constituted East of England Regional Strategy Board, part of the East of England Local Government Association.
Organisation
Membership of the assembly was not by direct election. The assembly had 102 members made up as follows:- 54 members from local government (one from each of the local authorities)
- 16 further members from local government, drawn to reflect political balance
- 31 members nominated by stakeholders (must total 30%)
- 1 member from the Broads AuthorityBroads AuthorityThe Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads in England. Originally, the Nature Conservancy Council , pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time. In 1978, the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority...
Membership lasts one year and begins in July.
Leadership
- Chair of the Assembly, Leader of the Conservative Group - Cllr Sue Sida-Lockett (Suffolk County CouncilSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
) - Deputy Chair, Leader of the Community Stakeholder Group - Michael Allen (Stakeholder)
- Deputy Chair, Leader of the Labour Group - Cllr John Kent (Thurrock Borough CouncilThurrockThurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council....
) - Deputy Chair, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group - Cllr Chris White (Hertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
)
Role
The assembly acted as the representative voice of the region and works to promote its economic, social and environmental well-being. http://www.eera.gov.uk/category.asp?cat=386 The key functions of the assembly were:- Co-ordinate the public expenditure of local authorities
- Act as regional planning body
- Scrutinise the work of the East of England Regional Development AgencyRegional Development AgencyIn the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
Following criticism of the regional assemblies
Regional Assemblies in England
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. They were abolished on 31 March 2010 and replaced by Local Authority Leaders’ Boards...
, it was proposed in July 2007 that they will be axed, losing their role by 2010 with powers passing to the East of England Development Agency
East of England Development Agency
The East of England Development Agency is a non-departmental public body and the regional development agency for the East of England region of England....
and to local authorities.
East of England Plan
The East of England Plan, a Revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England, was published on 12th May 2008See also
- East of EnglandEast of EnglandThe East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
- East of England Development AgencyEast of England Development AgencyThe East of England Development Agency is a non-departmental public body and the regional development agency for the East of England region of England....
- East of England Regional Strategy Board