The North West Regional Leaders Board is the
Local Authority Leaders’ Board
Local authority leaders' boards are voluntary regional associations of council leaders that have been established in England outside of Greater London to replace certain functions of the now abolished regional chambers. The establishment of the boa ...
for the
North West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
region of England. It was established on 15 July 2008 and replaced the
North West Regional Assembly
The North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) was the regional chamber for the North West England region of the England. It was based at Wigan, in Greater Manchester. It was abolished in July 2008.
Creation and functions
The assembly was created by ...
. It was initially based at
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
, in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
but has since moved to
St Helens in
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...
.
[http://www.4nw.org.uk/downloads/documents/oct_10/4nw_1287671203_NWRLB_Newsletter_Oct_2010.pdf ]
Structure and membership
The board has 23 members of which 15 represent local government in the region and the remainder are drawn from business and the
third sector. Three local government representatives will be drawn from each
Ceremonial County in the region i.e.,
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
,
Cheshire,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
,
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...
and
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
. A further 7 members represent Social Economic and Environmental Partners (SEEPs) and one further member is nominated by the
Lake District National Park Authority. Participating (non-voting) observers can also be appointed.
The board holds an annual meeting in July where a Chair and Deputy Chair are elected. The Chair is currently Councillor Sir
Richard Leese
Sir Richard Charles Leese, CBE (born 21 April 1951) is a former British politician who served as the leader of Manchester City Council from 1996 to 2021. He has been a member of the Labour Party since 1984.
On 6 May 2017, Leese was appointe ...
, and the Chief Executive is Phil Robinson.
Functions and responsibilities
The board will work in the areas of housing, energy and transport, will scrutinise the work of the
Northwest Regional Development Agency and will contribute to the Single Regional Strategy combining economic development and spatial planning.
The forum's constitution describes its role as to:
* set the strategic direction for, contribute to the development of, support and approve the Regional Economic Strategy, Regional Spatial Strategy and any subsequent Single Regional Strategy
* approve the Forum budget
* influence key Regional strategies
* approve the Business Plan for the Forum
* monitor the delivery of the Business Plan
* approve and amend the Constitution and Standing Orders
* appoint its Chair and Deputy Chair
* appoint representatives to outside bodies.
* establish any sub-groups, appointing their Chairs and determining their terms of reference
References
External links
North West Employers4NW Constitution
{{Regional planning in England
Local authority leaders' boards in England
Local government in North West England
2008 establishments in England
Organisations based in Merseyside
Government agencies established in 2008
Local Government Association