News Release : 12 July 2001

DAVID SHAKESPEARE RETAINS THE REINS AT THE REGIONAL ASSEMBLY

Cllr David Shakespeare, OBE, was re-elected as Chair of the South East England Regional Assembly at their Annual General Meeting in Woking, Surrey (11 July 2001).

In a two-way contest with Reading Labour Councillor, Lawrence Silverman, Cllr Shakespeare secured 103 of the 195 votes cast by Regional Assembly members during the election.

Cllr Shakespeare, OBE, has been a Buckinghamshire County Council for the past 20 years. He is Leader of the Council and has over 25 years experience in business, managing successful engineering and distribution companies in the South East.

Cllr Shakespeare, OBE, pledged to continue "fighting the South East Corner". The Assembly, he said, has achieved a great deal in the past year. It has successfully taken over as the Regional Planning Body from SERPLAN. It has also established a voice for the South East in Europe with the opening of South East England House in Brussels and the development of a Joint European Strategy with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

In the coming year, he wanted to ensure that the Assembly continued to "add value to the quality of life in the South East" and strengthen its position as the "voice for the eight million residents of the South East."

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
   
   
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
   
   
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
   
   
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
   
   
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007

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