SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL LEADER RE-ELECTED CHAIR OF THE REGIONAL ASSEMBLY

MR NICK SKELLETT, EXECUTIVE MEMBER AND LEADER OF SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL, was re-elected as Chair of the South East England Regional Assembly at its Annual Meeting in Reading (23 July 2003).

In a two-way contest with Milton Keynes Liberal Democrat Councillor, Cec Tallack, Mr Skellett secured 112 of the 188 votes cast by Regional Assembly members during the election.

Mr Skellett has been Leader of Surrey County Council since May 1997 and a Conservative member since 1993. Chair of the Regional Assembly since 2002, he has been instrumental in lobbying Government on key regional issues such as infrastructure investment and increasing the supply of affordable housing in the South East.

Mr Skellett pledged to carry on his hard work for the Assembly: "The Assembly has a very important role to play over the next year in ensuring that the Government’s proposals for significant additional growth in the South East bring the investment in infrastructure that’s needed to ensure we create sustainable and successful communities.

"Much of the current Government spending is currently biased heavily towards the needier regions in the north. While it is vital to strengthen the economies of those regions which have suffered years of deprivation, this cannot be done at the expense of the South East. As the Chair of the Regional Assembly, I will continue to remind Government that the South East is the locomotive that drives the UK economy and you don’t speed up the train by slowing down the engine."

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