News Release : 12 July 2001

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE TO ENGAGE SOUTH EAST CITIZENS

A NEW 300 PAGE WEB SITE (www.southeast-ra.gov.uk), designed to inform and engage people who live and work in the region, was showcased yesterday (11 July) at the South East England Regional Assembly's Annual General Meeting in Woking.

Designed and developed during the past six months, the new web site is 'Bobby approved' which means it is accessible to all members of the community. This makes the site readable by special web browsers, for example a browser that reads text aloud using a speech synthesiser for blind users.

The new site is quick and simple to navigate, yet is also extremely comprehensive, incorporating more than 300 pages of information about the Assembly and its business. It has several interactive features, enabling visitors to the site to communicate their views and discuss issues with other users and members of the Assembly via the discussion boards and email.

Assembly Chief Executive Paul Bevan said: "The new web site is aimed at raising awareness of the Assembly and enabling us to better engage with stakeholders and citizens in the South East and more widely."

The site was unveiled during a web workshop at the Assembly AGM, which was attended by more than 100 delegates from local authorities, economic, social and environmental organisations in the region.

The site, designed and developed by the Assembly in conjunction with Canterbury-based agency Simon Edridge Associates, replaces the Assembly's pilot site, which was developed when the Assembly was set up in 1999.

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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