Sub National Review
Released by the Treasury on 16 July 2007, the Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR) contains a number of key recommendations for the way in which organisations should work at a regional and local level. In particular, the Review announced that Regional Assemblies would not continue in their current form after 2010.
The SNR Consultation document was released by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) on 31 March 2008.
The ERN submitted its response to the Consultation document on 20 June 2008. The submission was developed through the ERN Annual Conference held on 23 May 2008 and from ERN working groups. The ERN position statement is as follows:
The ERN:
(a) supports a single regional strategy based on the principles of sustainable development;
(b) recognises that the single regional strategy needs regional buy-in if it is to be credible and effective;
(c) opposes the democratic deficit implied in the proposed transfer of planning, housing and transport powers to an unelected government agency; *
(d) proposes that the forum of council leaders (or regional equivalent) be responsible for development and submission of the single regional strategy;
(e) recognises that each region needs the freedom to develop its own governance arrangements including an appropriate future role for stakeholders representatives.
* It should be noted that the position ERN has adopted on this issue is not at this time supported by the North West Regional Assembly.