Local Authority Leaders’ Board
Encyclopedia
Local authority leaders' boards are voluntary associations of council leaders that have been established in England
following the abolition of regional assemblies
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. 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
. 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.
These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly
, which was established by separate legislation as part of the Greater London Authority
.
Each leaders' board corresponds to a region of England
:
The UK Government did not propose a set structure for the boards and each region was free to make ito own arrangements. The Government however did aim for the boards to be:
-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.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
following the abolition of regional assemblies
Regional Assemblies in England
The Regional Assemblies of England were a group of indirectly elected regional bodies established originally under the name Regional Chambers by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. They were abolished on 31 March 2010 and replaced by Local Authority Leaders’ Boards...
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. 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
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The legislation places a duty on local authorities to promote understanding of the functions and democratic arrangements of the authority among local people...
. In June 2010, the new Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
-LibDem coalition government
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
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.
These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
, which was established by separate legislation as part of the Greater London Authority
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority is the top-tier administrative body for Greater London, England. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers...
.
The local authority leaders' boards
The current leaders' boards are:- East of England Local Government AssociationEast of England Local Government AssociationThe East of England Local Government Association is an association of council leaders form the East of England Region of England. It was established in April 2010 following the abolition of the East of England Regional Assembly...
- East Midlands Councils
- Association of North East CouncilsAssociation of North East CouncilsThe Association of North East Councils is a partnership body made up of representatives of local authorities in North East England. In April 2009 it assumed the role of the regional Local Authority Leaders’ Board following the abolition of the North East Assembly. -External links:**...
- North West Regional Leaders Board
- South East England Councils
- South West CouncilsSouth West CouncilsSouth West Councils is an association of council leaders from the South West region of England. It was established in April 2010 following the abolition of the South West Regional Assembly....
- West Midlands Councils
- Local Government Yorkshire and HumberLocal Government Yorkshire and HumberLocal Government Yorkshire and Humber is the partnership of local authorities, including fire, police and national park authorities, across Yorkshire and Humber...
Each leaders' board corresponds to a region of England
Regions of England
In England, the region is the highest tier of sub-national division used by central Government. Between 1994 and 2011, the nine regions had an administrative role in the implementation of UK Government policy, and as the areas covered by elected bodies...
:
Structure and functions
When the regional assemblies 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 ito own arrangements. The Government however did aim for the boards to be:
- 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 ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
-LibDem coalition government
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
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.
See also
- Regional Development AgencyRegional Development AgencyIn the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
- Regional Spatial StrategyRegional Spatial StrategyRegional spatial strategies provided regional level planning frameworks for the regions of England outside London. They were introduced in 2004...
- Historical and alternative regions of EnglandHistorical and alternative regions of EnglandEngland is divided into a number of different regional schemes for various purposes. Since the creation of the Government Office Regions in 1994 and their adoption for statistical purposes in 1999, some historical regional schemes have become obsolete...
- List of England-related topics