Local authority leaders' board
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Local authority leaders' boards are voluntary associations of council leaders that have been established in England following the abolition of the regional chambers established in 1998 by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The establishment of the boards was part of the UK Government's Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration.[1] which brought forward the Government's plans to alter the structure of regional governance in England and was mandated by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.[2] In June 2010, the new Conservative-LibDem coalition government announced plans to remove funding from the new boards and to remove their statutory functions. It was indicated that the boards might continue as voluntary associations of council leaders.[3]
These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly, which was established by separate legislation as part of the Greater London Authority.[4]
The local authority leaders' boards
The current leaders' boards are:
- East of England Local Government Association
- East Midlands Councils
- Association of North East Councils
- North West Regional Leaders Board
- South East England Councils
- South West Councils
- West Midlands Councils
- Local Government Yorkshire and Humber
Each leaders' board corresponds to a region of England.
Structure and functions
When the regional chambers were abolished, their executive functions transferred to the regional development agencies, and their scrutiny functions became exercised by the new leader's boards. The RDA and the leader's board were to jointly produce a new Single Regional Strategy, with ministers exercising an oversight function.
The UK Government did not propose a set structure for the boards and each region was free to make its own arrangements. The Government however did aim for the boards to be:[5]
- streamlined and manageable, able to make strategic, long-term decisions;
- representative of local authorities across the whole of their region — including representing key sub-regions, upper and lower tier authorities and the political balance of leaders;
- composed of local authority leaders and with sufficient authority to act on behalf of all the local authorities in the region.
Withdrawal of funding
In June 2010, the new Conservative-LibDem coalition government announced its intentions to abolish regional strategies and return spatial planning powers to local government. These plans include the withdrawal of funding to the existing eight local authority leaders' boards with their statutory functions also being assumed by local councils. The boards may continue to exist as voluntary associations of council leaders, funded by the local authorities themselves.[6][7][8] They continue to exist as regional groupings of the Local Government Association.
See also
- Regional development agency
- Regional spatial strategy
- Historical and alternative regions of England
- List of England-related topics
References
- ↑ HM Treasury - Review of sub-national economic development and regeneration
- ↑ http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?activeTextDocId=3631312 Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
- ↑ Scrapping regional bureaucracy will save millions - Newsroom - Communities and Local Government
- ↑ http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/ukpga_19990029_en_1 Greater London Authority Act 1999
- ↑
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10341863.stm
- ↑ http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/newsroom/1618027
- ↑ http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/press_13_10.pdf
External links
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