Local authority leaders' boards are voluntary regional associations of council leaders that have been established in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
outside of
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
to replace certain functions of the now abolished
regional chambers. 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
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
-
LibDem coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
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.
The remaining four areas of the UK have similar voluntary or mandated associations:
London Councils, the
Welsh Local Government Association, the
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the
Northern Ireland Local Government Association.
The local authority leaders' boards
The leaders' boards are:
*
East of England Local Government Association
*
East Midlands Councils
*
North East Regional Employers' Organisation
*
North West Employers
*
South East England Councils
*
South West Councils
*
West Midlands Employers
*
Yorkshire and Humber Local Authority Employers' Association
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:
* 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
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
-
LibDem coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
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.
They may continue to exist as regional groupings of the
Local Government Association or as
regional employers organisations.
See also
*
Regional employers organisations
*
Regional development agency
*
Regional spatial strategy
*
Historical and alternative regions of England
*
List of England-related topics
References
External links
Regional Groupings - from the LGA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Local Authority Leaders' Board
Regional planning in England
Regionalism (politics) in the United Kingdom