Quick Links:

• What is the South East England Regional Assembly?
• What are the Regional Assembly's Key Work Areas?
• What is the South East Plan?
• What is the South East England Regional Housing Board?
• What is the South East England Regional Transport Board?
• Fact or Fiction?

What are the Regional Assembly's key work areas?

1. What are the Regional Assembly's key work areas?
The Regional Assembly's core areas of business can be summarised as three Rs and three As:

• Regional Planning - Vision for South East England to 2026
• Regional Housing - Housing investment priorities
• Regional Transport - Transport investment priorities
• Advocacy - Representing the region's interests in London and Brussels
• Alignment - Co-ordinating public sector priorities to maximise the value of investment in the region
• Accountability - Scrutinising the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

Regional Planning

2. What responsibilities does the Regional Assembly have in regional planning?
In April 2001, the Regional Assembly became the regional planning body for South East England. In 2004, this was made a statutory role under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. The key task of the regional planning body is to prepare and keep under review a Regional Spatial Strategy for the region for the next 20 years.

Our strategy - the South East Plan - covers the period 2006-2026. It sets out broad strategic policies at regional level for matters that apply across the whole region or major parts of the region, and need consideration on a scale wider than that of a single council.

The Regional Assembly ensures local authorities' development plan documents fit in with current Regional Planning Guidance (RPG9) and the draft South East Plan.

The Regional Assembly also has to be consulted on large, regionally significant planning applications such as large scale employment sites.

3. What is the timetable for the South East Plan?
Work on the South East Plan began in September 2003 following five topic based reviews of the previous regional strategy - on transport, energy efficiency and renewable energy, tourism, waste and minerals between 2001-2003. Work was led by the Assembly's Regional Planning Committee, with final decisions made by the full Assembly.

After extensive regional and local consultation on the South East Plan in 2005, a final draft Plan was submitted to Government on 31 March 2006.

The full South East Plan consists of the following six documents:

• Executive Summary
• Core Document - regional and sub-regional policies
• Implementation Plan
• Monitoring Framework
• Pre-submission Consultation Statement
• Sustainability Appraisal Summary

There was a 12-week consultation on behalf of an independent panel of inspectors after the draft Plan was submitted, followed by an Examination in Public (EiP) in winter 2006-2007.

The EiP inspectors published a report on the changes they believe are needed in summer 2007.

Reviews of the South East Plan are being carried out on Minerals and Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.

The timetable for the remaining stages of the Plan will be confirmed by Government.

4. How does the South East Plan fit in with local authority planning responsibilities?
The South East Plan will become a statutory document, which means that it sets a framework for decisions on important issues such as transport, homes, the economy and the environment. District and unitary councils will still deal with local planning applications and decisions, but they will have to make sure their decisions do not conflict with any of the principles set out in the South East Plan.

5. What is the Regional Assembly's role in Local Development Framework?
The Regional Assembly has the role of advising Government and local authorities on how well local authorities' Development Plan Documents (DPDs) fit with RPG9 and the draft South East Plan.

This is a legal duty under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The aim is to ensure that local authorities are following policies in the South East Plan and RPG9 and that there are no inconsistencies or omissions in a DPD that would cause significant harm to the implementation of the South East Plan.

6. How is the Regional Assembly involved with planning applications?
Local planning authorities in the region have to consult the Regional Assembly on large-scale planning applications that have a regional significance. Applications referred to us are normally a minimum of 10 hectares, which is a site the size of 20 football fields.

Until the South East Plan is approved by Government, the Regional Assembly will consider how new major planning applications match the framework set out in RPG9 and approved amendments such as the Regional Transport Strategy.

This is a legal duty, set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The consultation process was introduced to ensure that decisions on large-scale planning applications reflect the policies and principles in South East England's regional planning framework.

7. How does the Regional Assembly review the implementation of its planning policy?
Monitoring is an essential aspect of the implementation and review of regional planning policy. Progress towards targets is monitored through the collection of data relating to specifically designed indicators that measure the 'state' of the region.

Currently progress is monitored against policies set out in RPG9 and the objectives in the Integrated Regional Framework, which is being updated to form a Regional Sustainability Framework.

The results of this monitoring are published annually in our Regional Monitoring Report.

8. Who was the regional planning body before the Regional Assembly was established?
SERPLAN (London and South East Regional Planning Conference) was the regional planning body prior to the Regional Assembly. However, SERPLAN also covered London and parts of the East of England. Once regional assemblies were established it was decided to divide planning responsibilities between the three assemblies covering those regions and to disband SERPLAN.

Regional Housing

9. What is the role of the Regional Housing Board?
The South East England Regional Housing Board (RHB) is a partnership board chaired by the South East England Regional Assembly.

The RHB is tasked with:

• Developing a regional housing strategy
• Agreeing regional priorities to inform advice to Government on funding allocations
• Monitoring progress against the regional housing strategy
• Advising Government on funding priorities for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling
• Showpeople pitches.

It meets four times a year and comprises six Assembly members together with representatives from SEEDA (the Regional Development Agency), Government Office, the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships.

Regional Transport

10. What is the role of the Regional Transport Board?
The South East England Regional Transport Board (RTB) is a partnership board chaired by the South East England Regional Assembly.

The RTB meets four times a year and gives advice on all aspects of delivery and implementation of regional transport projects. It has five principal roles:

• Provides advice to Government on strategic transport matters.
• Prioritises the region's transport improvements and spending using transparent methods.
• Advises Government on the allocation of regional transport funds.
• Reviews the delivery of transport infrastructure
• Seeks to align the region's transport strategy and delivery with other regional policies and implementation frameworks

It comprises six Assembly members plus representatives from SEEDA (the Regional Development Agency), Government Office, Highways Agency, the Confederation of Passenger Transport and Network Rail.

Advocacy

11. What is meant by 'advocacy'?
The Regional Assembly has an important role to play as 'voice of the region'. There is no other body in South East England that speaks out on behalf of the interests and concerns of the South East region's councils and communities. It is the Regional Assembly's role to lobby on behalf of the South East region. For example the Regional Assembly, along with SEEDA, put the region's case for more investment to the Government's indepth examination of national spending priorities, the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.

12. Who does the Regional Assembly want to influence?
The Regional Assembly presses the region's interests in London and Brussels. It is important that central Government in Whitehall hears the interests and concerns of South East England and takes them into account when making decisions. Equally, it is important that the region's voice is heard by the European Commission in Brussels to ensure that European policy reflects the region's interests.

Alignment

13. What is meant by 'alignment'?
The Regional Assembly works to co-ordinate regional priorities across organisations in South East England, such as SEEDA, the Environment Agency and the Learning and Skills Council to maximise the impact of public investment in the region. Representing a wide range of interests in the region means the Regional Assembly is the ideal body to co-ordinate these priorities.

14. How does the Regional Assembly do this?
The Regional Assembly is working in a number of ways to align priorities in the region for example it is leading work on the Regional Sustainability Framework (RSF), which will update and simplify the Integrated Regional Framework. This is a shared vision and set of objectives used by regional organisations to make sure economic growth benefits people in the region, protects and improves the environment and makes efficient use of natural resources. The Regional Assembly is developing the RSF in partnership with SEEDA, Government Office for the South East, Department of Health, Environment Agency. Regional Action and Involvement South East, Culture South East, South East Forum for Sustainability, and the Social Inclusion Partnership South East.

Another example of alignment is co-ordinating the region's advice to Government on Regional Funding Allocations. The advice covers housing, transport and economic development spending in the region and was submitted by the Regional Assembly and SEEDA after wide consultation with regional partners and stakeholders.

Accountability

15. What is meant by 'accountability'?
The Regional Development Agencies Act gave the Regional Assembly the role of scrutinising SEEDA to make sure that economic development and regeneration work reflects the region's priorities. With the majority of Assembly members from local authorities in the region, sitting alongside business, environment and voluntary representatives, the Regional Assembly is the best placed body to hold SEEDA to account.

16. How does the Regional Assembly carry out its accountability work?
The Regional Assembly holds SEEDA to account in a number of ways:

• Assembly members and officers examine SEEDA's Regional Economic Strategy, corporate plan and business plan
• The Assembly Executive Committee reviews SEEDA's quarterly performance reports against its business plan
• The Regional Assembly holds regular 'select committee' hearings that examine the success of SEEDA initiatives. Each select committee makes recommendations on how SEEDA's work can be improved and the Assembly Executive Committee monitors progress to ensure that these recommendations are followed through
• SEEDA's Chief Executive and Board Committee regularly report to the Assembly Executive Committee
• There is an annual progress and performance report to the full Assembly by SEEDA's Chairman.