SOUTH EAST AND EAST OF ENGLAND REGIONAL AIR SERVICES STUDY (SERAS)

The Executive Committee of 25 October was asked to consider recommendations made by the Regional Planning Committee (RPC) of 15 October. After a lengthy and detailed discussion, it was decided to refer the recommendations back to the Regional Planning Committee (who will meet on 12 November). The Regional Planning Committee will then commend a final set of recommendations to the Assembly at the Plenary. These will form the basis for the region's response to the Government's consultation on the future development of air transport in the United Kingdom.

Some of the key points in the recommendations to the RPC are:

• Traffic forecasts are open to question especially over the longer term and are only starting points for decision.
• Air transport should not be treated in a fundamentally different manner to other transport issues. National and regional air transport developments should be based on the 'invest and manage' approach set out in the Regional Transport Strategy.
• The scope for airports in other regions and, to a lesser extent, smaller airports in the South East to take a larger share of traffic needs to be further explored.
• Further expansion of runway capacity at Heathrow should be resisted.
• Of the options offered for expansion in the consultation, excluding Heathrow, a focus at Stansted is preferred to development at Cliffe.
• Any further expansion at Stansted would, however, need to be accompanied by major publicly-funded improvements to surface access.
• A common position should be sought with other regions.

The full list of these recommendations can be found in the 25 October Executive Committee papers on this web site.

SOUTH COAST MULTI-MODAL STUDY (SoCoMMS)

The Executive Committee of 25 October was asked to consider recommendations made by the Regional Planning Committee (RPC) of 15 October. Like the SERAS Study, after a lengthy discussion, it was decided to refer the recommendations back to the Regional Planning Committee (who will meet on 12 November). The Regional Planning Committee will commend a final set of recommendations to the Assembly at the Plenary as the basis for the region's advice to the Secretary of State on the South Coast Multi-Modal Study.

Some of the key points in the recommendations to the RPC are:

• The overall strategy of balanced package of measures which include highway schemes, public transport measures and demand management proposals should be supported and delivered as a package within a coherent and managed programme.
• The public transport elements of the strategy should be developed as a priority and implemented in conjunction with the highway schemes in order to maximise the aim of reducing the growth in trips.
• The rail proposals of the strategy should be supported but the SRA's degree of commitment to the proposals is a matter of serious concern.
• The proposed capital and revenue investment for buses seems inadequate and needs to be reviewed.
• There are adverse environmental impacts arising from the larger highway and some rail schemes proposed. The full implication of these will need to be investigated.
• The demand management elements of the package, including the various forms of charging, will contribute to the success of the strategy.

The full list of these recommendations can be found in the 25 October Executive Committee papers on this web site. The South Coast Multi-Modal Study consultants' report can be found at www.socomms.org.uk.

MORI REPORT

Earlier this year the Regional Assembly commissioned research from MORI to examine current perceptions of the Assembly and the region among residents and key stakeholders. This project was commissioned and funded under the Assembly's agreed delivery plan with the ODPM for strengthening regional accountability.

The research programme had four stages:·

• Desk research;
• A survey of 1,888 residents from the across the region;
• A web-based survey, of which 149 were completed;
• 10 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders.

Key findings in the residents' survey can be divided into three main headings:

1. Regional identity
   Regional pride and awareness is high among residents surveyed.
1. 81% of the residents surveyed are aware that they live in the South East.
2. 72% say they are proud to live in the region.
   (According to an earlier MORI survey in 1999, this level of awareness is comparable in strength with the North East and other regions).
2. Regional Government
   Residents display positive attitudes towards regional government:
1. 69% think the Assembly should have more influence that central Government on the region.
2. 58% think that the region will lose out to others if it does not have a Regional Assembly.
3. Regional Assembly
1. 24% had heard of the Assembly (in comparison to 25% who had heard of SEEDA and 12% of GOSE).
2. Depth of knowledge about the Assembly's work is low but, when prompted, regeneration, transport and planning were identified as its responsibilities.

The full report to the Executive Committee is available on the web site. MORI will be presenting the findings in a workshop at the Assembly plenary on 20 November.

SEEDA ACCOUNTABILITY

Regional Economic Strategy (RES)
The Executive Committee of 25 October considered and endorsed the final version of the Regional Economic Strategy 2002.

This endorsement is the culmination of an extended process of Assembly consultation and involvement that began at the RES hearing at Gatwick last November. The process included a special plenary hearing on 4 October at which the draft of the revised RES was considered and a range of Assembly comments on the draft were agreed.

Select Committee on Culture and Regeneration
It was also agreed that the next Select Committee to consider the impact of SEEDA's work will convene in February 2003. Its focus will be the role of culture in regeneration and how much this has been recognised within the regeneration programmes that SEEDA supports. Chair of the Committee will be Cllr Don Turner of Brighton & Hove Council.

NEWS IN BRIEF…

ODPM Select Committee
Paul Bevan and Ray Bowers appeared before a House of Commons Select Committee on 22 October to give evidence on housing supply in the region and the Assembly's work on affordable housing.

Regional Transport Strategy
The Executive Committee of 25 October endorsed the revised policy framework of the Regional Transport Strategy that was agreed by the Regional Planning Committee on 15 October. The RPC will consider a full draft of the revised document prior to it going before the full Assembly on 20 November for its endorsement.

The Queen's Speech
The Queen's Speech in November is expected to mention two bills that will shape the work of the Assembly. The first is the bill that will follow on from the Planning Green Paper published in December last year. It will set out the legislation for the introduction of the new regional spatial strategies. The second bill follows on from the Regional Government White Paper and will contain information about the consultation process that will proceed any regional referendum and advice to the Boundaries Commission on local authority reorganisation.

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Last updated: 21 August 2007