Cllr Paul Carter

Assembly Position: Chairman

Assembly committees: Executive

Representing: Kent County Council

Political affiliation: Conservative

Positions held outside the Assembly:
Leader of Kent County Council

Brief biography: From his election to the County Council in 1997 until he assumed the leadership, Paul held responsibility for the Education portfolio, overseeing school performance and standards and a substantial capital education program. He remains especially committed to transforming secondary education and oversaw the introduction of an exciting 14-16 vocational education program in Kent.

Cllr Carter runs his own successful property, construction and retail businesses in central London. He is married with three grown up children. He regularly competes in many aspects of motor sport, particularly in pre-war sports cars - circuit racing, rallying and trialing.

Cllr Louise Bloom

Assembly Position: Deputy Chair (Liberal Democrats)

Assembly committees: Executive

Representing: Eastleigh Borough Council

Political affiliation: Liberal Democrat

Positions held outside the Assembly:
Eastleigh Borough Council Cabinet Member for Environment

Brief biography: Louise was elected to Eastleigh Borough Council in May 2002 having previously been a Greater London Assembly member. She is also a Hedge End Town Councillor. Her political experience, particularly as a environmental campaigner, goes back over 20 years to her student days.

Professionally she works in the voluntary sector for the mental health charity MIND, based in Southampton. She also has two teenage daughters.

Cllr Tony Page

Assembly Position: Vice Chair (Labour)

Assembly committees: Executive, Regional Transport Board, Regional Housing Board

Representing: Reading Borough Council

Political affiliation: Labour

Positions held outside the Assembly:
See Below

Brief biography: Cllr Tony Page has served on Reading Council since 1973. He was Chair of Reading Buses - one of 14 remaining Council-owned bus companies - from 1986 until Christmas 2005.

He has represented the Council on the Local Government Association since 1997 and is a member of its Regeneration and Transport Board. He is a member of the Ministerial Bus Forum.

Since 1997 he has represented Reading on the Thames Valley Police Authority and serves on the Association of Councils of the Thames Valley Region. He is currently Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Action and Regeneration, Strategic Planning and Transport.

Cllr Michael Chater

Assembly Position: Vice Chair (Town and Parish Councils and independent parties)

Assembly committees: Executive, Select Committees, ERN Group & former Joint European Committee

Representing: Town and Parish Councils (SERCAF)

Political affiliation: All-Party liaison for partnership with statutory first tier Local Government

Positions held outside the Assembly:
Vice Chair National Association of Local Councils. Range of public and voluntary bodies' management and leadership roles connected to former work as a Training & Education Officer of CC Advisory & Inspection Service. CC Regional ESPACE Steering Group, Chair of Governors, nominated Vice President of CALC

Brief biography: Embarking on his career in Higher Education Michael subsequently took up a senior appointment as National Board of Education Officer for Higher Education. He was instrumental in setting up an international body to foster worldwide exchange between Voluntary Sector Colleges/Universities.

Over the last 12 years, he has been committed to promoting the strategic and community work of Town and Parish Councils. Becoming a Parish Councillor in 1995, he has been a representative on the local, county, regional and national associations of Town and Parish Councils, subsequently being elected Vice Chair of NALC.

Michael has been involved with the Assembly since its inception in 1999 and is currently Vice Chair.

Ian Chisnall

Assembly Position: Vice Chair (Social and Environmental Partners) and lead member for scrutiny

Assembly committees: Executive

Representing: South East England Faith Forum

Political affiliation: None

Positions held outside the Assembly:
Mission & Unity Coordinator for Churches Together in Sussex, member of Sussex Courts Board, Board member of various not for profit and charitable organisations.

Brief biography: Born in Liverpool, Ian moved to Brighton to study Engineering in 1978 and has remained there ever since. After 10 years in the electronics industry, he ran a financial services business for 10 years.

Since 2001 he has been Mission and Unity Co-ordinator for Churches Together in Sussex, a network of 1,000 Christian churches and organisations. This includes involvement in a number of Local Strategic Partnerships in Sussex. Ian has been actively involved in the voluntary sector since 1997. He is currently a Trustee of several organisations and is a member of a variety of advisory bodies.

Roger House

Assembly Position: Vice Chair (Economic Partners)

Assembly committees: Executive

Representing: Federation of Small Businesses

Political affiliation: None

Positions held outside the Assembly:

Brief biography: Roger is the Regional Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses and manages a social enterprise to deliver an accredited programme on business entrepreneurship to schools in the region.

Cllr Moira Gibson

Assembly Position: Regional Planning Committee Chairman

Assembly committees: Executive, Regional Planning

Representing: Surrey Heath Borough Council

Political affiliation: Conservative

Positions held outside the Assembly:
Leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council

Brief biography: Councillor Moira Gibson is Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly's Planning Committee, a post she has held since May 2007, and leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council. She is Surrey Heath's representative for the Assembly and sits on the Executive Committee.

First elected as councillor for Windlesham in 1991, Cllr Gibson became leader of the Surrey Heath in 1998. She has been an Assembly member since 2000 and Regional Planning Committee member since 2004.

Cllr Gibson studied law at Newcastle University and once graduated was called to the Bar as a member of Lincoln's Inn.

She has been a governor at Windlesham village school, involved with the community care home and was a parish councillor.