'LET'S STICK WITH WHAT WORKS' ADVISES REGIONAL ASSEMBLY

A STRONG PARTNERSHIP ASSEMBLY WHICH DELIVERS REAL BENEFITS TO THE REGION is preferable to the disruption and damaging effects of the local government re-organisation which a directly elected assembly would bring. This is the message from the South East England Regional Assembly.

The Assembly met last week to discuss their formal response to the Government's regional soundings exercise. This exercise, which was launched by Regions Minister Nick Raynsford last December is aimed at seeking views on whether people feel that a referendum about directly elected assemblies should be held in their region.

Paul Bevan, Chief Executive of the Regional Assembly said: "Recent research has highlighted the fact that the public are actually in favour of holding a referendum. In a public opinion survey commissioned by the county councils in the South East, 52% of respondents support the idea of a referendum while only 25% oppose it. The survey also found that 50% of people are likely, and a further 22% fairly likely, to vote in a referendum on an elected regional assembly.

"However, when asked whether they would support an elected assembly, only 43% of respondents said they would while 35% opposed it. The Assembly feel that the majorities which are in favour of both a referendum and an elected assembly in the South East are not solid enough to warrant the Government proceeding. Instead of building support for elected assemblies, a referendum in the South East would only provoke controversy about whether two-tier local government should be reorganised. This preoccupation would damage the region's interests rather than promote them."

The Assembly's formal response to the soundings exercise has now been sent to the Deputy Prime Minister for his consideration.

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