REGIONAL GOVERNMENT IN THE EAST MIDLANDS

Ian Crompton, UKIP S Derbyshire.
July 2007

In Nov 2004, there was a referendum in the NE of England. The government wanted a "Yes" vote, to establish a elected regional assembly for the NE region. Meanwhile, in the rest of England, there was no referendum. Why a referendum only in the NE ? This is because this cynical government sensed that its best chance of winning is in this region. In spite of this, only 22% of people who voted did so in favour of regional government, and a massive 78% voted against.

How has this all come about ?

The story behind regional government in England is a complicated one. Regional government in England is being driven forward by several groups - the Council of Europe, the EU, elements in the UK government, and elements in some local authorities. Regionalisation certainly fits in with the aims of the EU. Following the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, the EU established the Committee of the Regions. The Treaty established the principle of "a Europe of Regions", with 111 regions in all. The vision is for EU institutions to govern these regions directly, bypassing national governments entirely.

In England, 8 regions (plus London) were created. This was done as a condition for receiving EU money from the EU Regional Development Fund. The government's intention is for each of these regions to have its own elected assembly. It is claimed that this will only happen if the people in each region approve through a referendum.

However, regional institutions are already well established in the East Midlands, as in all of the other regions. These are all unelected. The regional institutions are together engaged in a campaign to grow further and increase their powers.

It is clear that Regional Government is a "done deal". It is already happening, right now, in the so-called East Midlands Region. This has all happened with no public support, and little public knowledge. Even if we never have a referendum, all of the structure of Regional Government is established already. If a referendum does happen, and the vote is "No", then what will happen to the institutions already here ? Will they be abolished ? I think not – vested interests have already been established.

THE EAST MIDLANDS REGION OF ENGLAND
This is made up of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire. I know not how this was decided. As far as I am aware, the regions first appeared in 1994 with the establishment of Government Offices (see below). The same boundaries were kept for the European Elections, which were first held on a regional basis in 1999.

THE DRIVE TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
A key aspect to this is "Marketing The Region" - a strategy to establish the East Midlands Region positively in the minds of the public. Part of this is the production of a logo and associated promotional material. The theme for the E Midlands is "Life" ("Full of Life" ; "Passion for Life", etc). The promotional package can be obtained "free" from regionalidentity@emrlga.clara.net, Tel 01664 502571. Please take the trouble to send off for this, so that you can show other people. The material must have been designed by a marketing agency at some considerable cost. It is glossy, with pictures of smiling people to create a friendly, positive image. Gems include (I have not made this up) -

Welcome to England's East Midlands.
A great place for life.
A place where people thrive. Where tradition never fades.
A place where opportunity can flourish for all.
Charming. Yet progressive.
Vibrant. Yet fulfilling.
A quality of life to live for.
Ambitious to be one of Europe's premier regions.
Whatever you want out of your life, find yourself in England's East Midlands.

INSTITUTIONS
In 1994, the government established a Government Office for the E Midlands. In 1998, the Regional Development Agency was formed. In 1998, the Assembly was formed, and this has spawned a large number of regional sub-institutions. In addition, there is an office based in Brussels called East Midlands In Europe. Each of these is covered below in a bit more detail.

GOVERNMENT OFFICE
The Government Office is the part of Whitehall which covers the region. It administers the regional aspects of the Departments for Transport, Environment, DEFRA, Trade & Industry and Home Office.
See their website.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
The RDA claims to provide a "regional focus for economic development". See their website .

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY
It has 111 appointed members -
- 70 nominated from the local authorities which make up the region.
- 35 from diverse groups such as trades unions, voluntary bodies, religious groups, environmental groups, education providers, cultural groups and health groups. I do not know the basis on which these groups and their representatives were chosen.
- the 6 MEPs elected for the region at the last Euro elections.
The assembly is managed by a Steering Group, made up of 15 assembly members. It also operates the Integrated Regional Strategy Policy Forum, the Economic Review Group and the Regional Planning Board. I know not what on earth they do. It also has a eight "Task Groups" - Social Inclusion, Transport, Housing, the Environment, Life Long Learning, Public Health, Energy and Community Safety. All of these groups are busily engaged in establishing regional strategies.
I am not aware of the budgets of any of these institutions, or their source of funding - if anyone has any information, please let me know.
The Assembly produces a glossy magazine called "Life", and a copy can be obtained from info@eastmidlandsassembly.org.uk Tel 01664 502563. The following organisations have placed advertisements in "Life" - East Midlands Electricity, Northampton Borough Council, Warners plc, UNISON, East Midlands Airport, Clegg, Royal College of Nursing, East Midlands Development Agency, University of Nottingham.
See their website .

BRUSSELS OFFICE
The East Midlands Brussels office is the direct link between the E Midlands Regional institutions and their paymasters in Brussels. There are about 5 employees. A very nice lady told me that she has strict instructions not to reveal information about their budget. Can anyone out there reveal any information please ?
See their website .

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
In many other regions, Constitutional Conventions have been set up. These are to discuss the future of regional government in each region. However, to the best of my knowledge, none has been set up in the E Midlands. The group East Midlands Constitutional Convention Ltd opposes regional government.

REGIONALISATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES
The most recent development involves the merger of County-based police, ambulance and fire services. This is supposedly at a consultation stage. However, organisation on regional lines is being discussed. The proposed regions have the familiar boundaries already set up, as covered above. If all this goes through, this would create a direct link between Brussels and our public services.

So there we have it - regional government, ready to go !

In NE England, on 4 Nov 2004, there was a massive vote against regional governement. But what will happen to all of the institutions that have already been set up, including the present unelected regional assembly ? One year on, things are exactly the same. So really, the referendum really was a sham. The real choice on offer is between an elected assembly, and and an unelected one ! Some choice !

In July 2007, we are informed by Gordon Brown that a government minister - Gillian Merron (who ?) – will now represent the East Midlands.

The information above is correct as far as I am aware - however, if you have any corrections or additional information, please email me on ian@savethepound.fsnet.co.uk

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