England's Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance is one of seven

sub-national transport bodies A sub-national transport body (STBs) is a type of ad hoc statutory transport governance organisation in the United Kingdom. They are intended to provide strategic transport governance at a much larger scale than existing local transport authorities, ...

in England. EEH is a partnership of councils and local enterprise partnerships, stretching from Swindon and Oxfordshire in the west to Cambridgeshire in the east, and from Northamptonshire down to Hertfordshire. The area includes the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, as defined by Government.

About

England's Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance was founded in November 2015. It is currently chaired by Cllr Martin Tett, leader of Buckinghamshire County Council. The vice-chairman is Cllr James Jamieson, leader of Central Bedfordshire Council. Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, chairs the Strategic Transport Forum.

Constituent members

Oxfordshire County Council Oxfordshire County Council is the county council (upper-tier local authority) for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. It is an elected body responsible for some local government services in the county, includ ...

Swindon Borough Council Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate fro ...

Northamptonshire County Council Northamptonshire County Council was the county council that governed the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire in England. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, recreated in 1974 by the Local Government Act 19 ...

Buckinghamshire Council Buckinghamshire Council is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary Local Government in England, local authority in England, the area of which constitutes most of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. It was created in April 2020 from the ar ...

Milton Keynes Council Milton Keynes City Council is the local authority of the City of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It has both borough status a ...

Bedford Borough Council Bedford Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The executive of the council is the direct ...

Central Bedfordshire Council Central Bedfordshire Council is the local authority for the Central Bedfordshire unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created from the merger of Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire District Councils ...

Luton Borough Council Luton Borough Council (also known as LBC, or Luton Council) is the local authority of Luton, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England ...

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. After the 2021 election, it consists of 78 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, ...

Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is a mem ...

Peterborough City Council Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough ...

* Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership * Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership * South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership * Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership * Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership

National Infrastructure Commission report

In its November 2017 the

National Infrastructure Commission The National Infrastructure Commission is the executive agency responsible for providing expert advice to the UK Government on infrastructure challenges facing the UK. Inaugurated in 2015, and established as an executive agency of HM Treasu ...

(NIC) released a report calling on the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge 'arc' to be made a 'national priority', with investment in major transport schemes. The NIC's report, Partnering for Prosperity, said England's Economic Heartland had gained 'recognition at national level', and 'received financial backing from the Department for Transport to advance an ambitious programme of work, including the development of an overarching transport strategy and work to identify and define a major road network across the arc'.

Sub-national Transport Body status

In summer 2017, England's Economic Heartland consulted on becoming a Sub-national Transport Body (STB). The Department for Transport's Transport Investment Strategy, states that STBs will be involved in infrastructure decision-making. They will advise on investment on the new Major Road Network.

Transport Strategy

England's Economic Heartland is producing a Transport Strategy for the region which will guide decisions about investment and priorities up to 2050. A draft version for consultation is due to be published in summer 2020. In summer 2019 England's Economic Heartland held a period of engagement on its Outline Transport Strategy.

References