In the 1990s, the process of the devolution of powers from central government to Scotland,
Wales, Northern Ireland, and London became an important issue. At the end of the 1990s, this
resulted in legislation with devolved competences and separate parliaments in Scotland,
Wales, and Northern-Ireland. Since the devolution process to the UK-home countries,
devolution to the English regions became an important theme in England. More attention
arose for decision-making at the regional level. This manifested itself in a number of ways,
among them the establishment of a Regional Development Agency (RDA) for each of the
English regions. The RDA develops a regional economic strategy and ensures its
implementation. These RDAs were created for policy co-ordination and new approaches to
economic development. The Regions White Paper stressed that they should be business-led.
The RDAs were also to take on some of the functions of GORs and regional quangos.
Another way of increasing attention for decision-making at the regional level was the
government encouragement of the establishment of non-statutory chambers in each English
region as precursors of democratically-elected regional governments. We elaborate on one of
these regional chambers below.
Parallel to the Planning Reform, the White Paper entitled Your Region, Your Choice (ODPM,
2002) was launched. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently responsible for
regional policy within England, and aims to promote sustainable development in the English
regions. The objectives include:
- ‘Work with the full range of Government Departments and policies to raise the levels of
social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal, and regional prosperity.
- ‘Provide for effective devolved decision-making within a framework of national targets and
policies.’
In the White Paper, the regions were offered the opportunity to opt for a democratically-
elected regional government. These bodies would be responsible among other things for
spatial planning and economic development. It was left to the regions themselves to decide
whether to hold a referendum for citizens to vote for the institution of a new regional
government. Should the result of the referendum be positive, the existing counties where there
are still districts and counties would be reorganized as single-tier local authorities. The
previously discussed Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations
2004 introduced instruments that would be available to the potential new regional
government. Should a region be opposed to having a democratically elected regional
government, the regional planning instruments would then be dealt with by the regional
chamber; these chambers include representatives from the business, environmental, and
voluntary sectors and have become known as ‘social and economic partners’ or ‘community
stakeholders’.
The first referendum was held in the region where the call for more influence at the regional
level had been the loudest: the North East. On 4 November 2004, 78 percent of the electorate
voted against such a governmental reorganization. As a reaction to this, the referenda in the
North West and Yorkshire & the Humber regions were cancelled. In spite of this
disappointment, the central government continues to pursue a policy of decentralizing power
and improving performance through reform in local government and the strengthening of all
the English regions.
In England, land use and economic planning were considered as important, but separate
elements of spatial planning until the 1970s. Under urban regeneration programs, the
economic objectives were leading. Since then, attempts have been made to provide coherence
in the development and implementation of a range of regional land-use, economic, transport,
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