This bulletin summarises the proceedings of the Assembly plenary meeting, held at Woking on 3 March 2004.

KEYNOTE SPEECH FROM TONY McNULTY MP

Tony McNulty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, gave the keynote speech at the 3 March plenary meeting.

He welcomed the Assembly’s work on its Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) and promised the Government’s response to the document would be published shortly (Note: the Secretary of States proposed modifications are now expected on 12 March).

In his speech the Minister affirmed the Government’s recognition of the vital contribution the South East makes to the UK economy and the critical role that investment in transport infrastructure plays in sustaining that. He defended the Government’s record of transport investment in the region and looked forward to the looked forward to the transport study of the A34 corridor north from Southampton.

A27 Improvements
The Minister referred to the continuing work to find solutions to bottle-necks on the south coast. He used his speech to announce a £19 million improvement to the A27 between Southerham and Beddingham, where the level crossing will be replaced by a bridge; the road will continue to be a wide single carriageway and there will be minor improvements along the rest of the section.

Regional Transport Board
In his speech the Minister also hinted that the South East would be used as a pilot for a Regional Transport Board (RTB), as suggested in the Regional Emphasis Document submitted to the Treasury before Christmas. The purpose of the RTB would be to advise Government on regional priorities for investment; the Assembly has already commissioned work on the methodology for assessing transport priorities.

In response to questions, the Minister strongly denied that the Aviation White Paper adopts a ‘predict and provide’ approach to air traffic growth. He also acknowledged the need for additional revenue support if targets for increases in bus patronage are going to be met outside the most densely populated parts of the region.

A copy of Tony McNulty’s speech can be found on the Assembly website.

AIRPORTS WHITE PAPER

At the 3 March meeting, the Assembly considered six recommendations made by the Regional Planning Committee (RPC) on 3 February on the recently published Government White Paper on the Future of Air Transport.

The debates, both at the plenary meeting and the Planning Committee, were robust and covered a wide range of controversial issues raised in the White Paper, particularly the Government’s proposals for Heathrow and Gatwick.

Heathrow and Gatwick
There was agreement that the Government has failed to give clear enough guidance on the location of additional runway capacity. The Assembly agreed to challenge the case for early development of a third runway at Heathrow. At the same time, the Regional Planning Committee’s recommendation that a second runway at Gatwick would be preferable to a third at Heathrow was rejected.

The remaining recommendations of Regional Planning Committee received by the Assembly were:

• Disappointment at the White Paper’s failure to address the sustainability implications of rapid and unconstrained growth in air travel for the medium and long-term;
  
  
• Disappointment at the White Paper’s support for a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow, notwithstanding the severe environmental and social implications and the opposition of both the Assembly and the Mayor of London; and
  
  
• The uncertainty and blight created by holding open options for expansion at both Heathrow and Gatwick.

The Assembly will continue to seek the support of the Mayor of London for its stance on sustainable development and Heathrow. Indeed the Inter-regional Forum, comprising the planning bodies for London the South East and East of England, has already restated its opposition to the further development of Heathrow. With the aim of achieving a coherent position for the South East, the Assembly will also continue the dialogue with SEEDA, whose board has welcomed the White Paper’s conclusions.

INTEGRATED REGIONAL FRAMEWORK

The Assembly debated the draft Integrated Regional Framework (IRF) at the 3 March plenary meeting. The IRF is a revision of the regional Sustainable Development Framework (SDF), which the Assembly originally adopted in June 2001.

Members of the Assembly endorsed the terminology of ‘framework’, rather than ’strategy’ for the document. They agreed that the IRF needs to be more robust than the original SDF on issues such as health and the economy. They also emphasised the importance of promoting the IRF to regional and sub-regional partners so that it is used as a common point of departure for strategic thinking throughout the region.

The Assembly’s debate was part of a wider consultation on the draft IRF that ended this month. Once consultees’ comments have been taken into consideration, the main results and recommendations for change will be reported to the Executive Committee. The intention is then to edit the IRF so that it can be published and launched in June, hopefully to coincide with the launch of the Government’s consultation on the National Sustainable Development Strategy.

PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT

Mike Gill, Director of Public Health at GOSE, presented his annual report to the Assembly. He Although the region is comparatively healthy in relation to other UK regions, statistics show that other European countries achieve far better health outcomes. Research has shown that the greatest threats to the region’s health remain tobacco and alcohol consumption, obesity and health inequalities.

Dr Gill observed that even in a prosperous region like the South East, social inequality and health inequality are closely linked. Health and social inequality continues to increase through the generations, with more deprived areas of the South East failing to share fully in improved, general well-being. He commended the research initiated by the Healthy Region Forum into the role of Local Strategic Partnerships in promoting public health and addressing health inequalities.

On the same day the Government announced its intention to publish a White Paper on public health and health inequalities. Details of this can be found on the Department of Health website. It was agreed that members of the Healthy Region Forum would be involved in recommending a views for the White Paper to the Assembly’s Executive Committee.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Assembly Budget and Subscriptions, 2004-2005
The full Assembly agreed the budget for 2004-05 at the 3 March plenary meeting. The proposed budget includes additional expenditure of £1.094m to meet the requirements of Government guidance on South East Plan consultation (as set out in draft Planning Policy Statement 11). This would need an increase in the Assembly’s Planning Development Grant from the ODPM. The Assembly is expecting a decision from ODPM on this increase during March. The English Regions Network has, in addition, made a collective case for increased resources to meet the additional demands Government is making on regional assemblies.

As part of the budget the Assembly agreed on a below-inflation increase in local authority subscriptions in 2004-05 of 2%.

Regional Waste Management Strategy and Regional Minerals Strategy
The Regional Waste Management Strategy and the Regional Minerals Strategy were submitted to Government for its consideration on Monday, 1 March.

The Regional Waste Management Strategy (Proposed Alterations to Regional Planning Guidance, South East – Regional Waste Management Strategy) proposes a radical change in the way waste is managed in the South East. Meanwhile the Regional Minerals Strategy (Proposed Alterations to Regional Planning Guidance – Regional Minerals Strategy) sets out a regional framework up to 2016 for the development of minerals such as chalk, clay, sand and gravel. This strategy is needed to replace a set of old and obsolete targets and policies which were published in 1994.

The Secretary of State is conducting a consultation on the proposed strategies between 1 March and 24 May 2004. This period of consultation will be followed by a public examination for both strategies in October 2004 at Reading Town Hall.

The strategies, consultee letters and comments form can be downloaded from the Assembly website, www.southeast-ra.gov.uk. Alternatively, ring the Assembly on 01483 555200 for copies.

In the meantime the Assembly, together with SEEDA, is holding a Regional Waste Summit on 16 March at Le Meridien Gatwick. If you’re interested in participating, contact David Payne on 01483 555200.

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Last updated: 21 August 2007