Memorandum by Forum for the Future (DRA
62)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Forum for the Future welcomes this opportunity
to comment on the draft Regional Assemblies Bill. We welcome the
way the draft Bill reflects our previous comments on making the
overarching purpose of an elected regional assembly reflect the
key elements of sustainable development. These elements are the
integrated delivery of economic, social and environmental benefits
for the region, internationally, and for future generations. We
consider that the draft Bill addresses most of these by providing
a legal framework for regional assemblies overall purposes, scheme,
and reporting. However we believe this needs to be further clarified
within the final bill. Our key recommendations are:
— Further define the purpose of the
Assembly to reflect the promotion of sustainable development.
— Further define the Assembly scheme
to reflect the promotion of sustainable development.
— Further define the annual reporting
to reflect the promotion of sustainable development.
— Include other functions and roles
of influence for the Assemblies that would benefit from regional
co-ordination and accountability.
— Define the growing role and function
of unelected Assemblies.
FORUM FOR
THE FUTURE
AND THE
REGIONAL FUTURES
PROGRAMME
2. Forum for the Future is recognised as
the UK's leading sustainable development charity. Our mission—to
accelerate the building of a sustainable way of life, taking a
solutions-oriented approach—is a passionate commitment for
our seventy staff. It is one we share with over hundred partners
drawn from business, finance, local authorities, regional bodies
and higher education. We publish Green Futures, the award wining
magazine on sustainability solutions, run a Masters course in
leadership for sustainability, and cutting-edge projects and networks
on environmental, social and economic issues. We communicate what
we learn with our partners to a wide network of decision-makers
and opinion-formers. For more information see www.forumforthefuture.org.uk
3. Regional Futures is our programme with
regional and devolved organisations. This has provided us with
extensive experience of regional policy. One of our Directors
is on the board of the South West Regional Development Agency.
We have worked with or have current partnerships with the Welsh
Assembly Government, East Midlands Regional Assembly, South East
Regional Assembly, North West Regional Assembly, Greater London
Authority, One NorthEast, South West Development Agency, and the
London Development Agency. We have a wider learning and research
network of over 200 individuals from all the key regional organisations.
However, this submission represents our views, and not necessarily
those of our partners or network members. For more information
see www.regionalfutures.org.uk
4. Forum for the Future believes that the
regional scale and new forms of governance in England offers great
opportunities for sustainable development. Regions are a new level
of working which is open to fresh ideas; offers the potential
to "join-up" central government thinking at a specific
geographic scale; and demonstrates subsidiarity by devolving power
from the centre. A regional approach can result in distinctive,
innovative, and appropriate regional and local responses to policy
and delivery; improvements in regional leadership; and increased
public participation in addressing inter-regional economic, environmental,
and social equity in the UK and beyond.
5. We have developed key criteria for what
type of processes and structures a region committed to sustainable
development would look like. These are developed in more detail
in our publications: "Elements of a sustainable region"
(December 2002); "Regions to be Cheerful" (July 2003)
and our submission on the draft UK sustainable development strategy
(July 2004). They include:
— Scope—does the leadership and
structures emphasise how regional issues can make a difference?
— Direction—does the region use
sustainable development as the over-arching framework, and is
it long-term in focus?
— Content—does the region consider
overall economic, social, and environmental benefits?
— Delivery—does the region involve
processes that integrate different policy areas and deliver them
together?
6. We believe that a democratic form of
elected assembly offers the potential to improve the regional
contribution to sustainable development, but new forms of governance
do not automatically result in more sustainable development. The
right legal framework is vital in helping to set the challenge
of achieving long-term economic, social and environmental goals.
However developing solutions will continue to rely on the leadership
and support of the representatives and staff of these organisations.
Forum for the Future is committed to continuing its work through
Regional Futures in supporting these people and organisations
as they continue to pioneer regional sustainable development.
RECOMMENDATION 1: FURTHER
DEFINE THE
PURPOSE OF
THE ASSEMBLY
TO REFLECT
THE PROMOTION
OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT.
Recommendation 1a: New overall purpose of
sustainable development
7. The draft Bill identifies three general
purposes for Regional Assemblies:
— The promotion of economic development
— The promotion of social development,
and
— The improvement and protection of
the environment.
These objectives are supported by the requirement
for Regional Assemblies to maintain a balance across the range
of their functions between the needs of present and future generations,
and to consider the needs of different communities within and
outside the region. These are a good start in reflecting what
the key elements of sustainable development should look like and
fulfil many of the functions of the statutory sustainable development
duty of the Welsh Assembly Government. However, there are some
gaps and presentation issues.
8. The majority of the existing draft Bill
does cover many of the elements of sustainable development, but
the overall purpose of the Regional Assemblies should be more
strongly communicated as the promotion of sustainable development.
The same applies to the current commitment to consider future
generations and impacts on different communities within and outside
the region. This could be achieved by the first sentence of 43(1)
stating that "the overall purpose of the regional assembly
is to promote the sustainable development of its region for the
benefit of present and future generations, and communities outside
the region, as detailed in the general purposes below". Or
other wording could be used to convey the overall importance of
sustainable development and the elements of global and long-term
thinking.
Recommendation 1b: Existing general purpose
to include resource use
9. To reflect the UK Sustainable Development
Strategy, Regional Assemblies should have an additional purpose
to promote the prudent use of natural resources, or the existing
environmental purpose should be expanded. For example "the
prudent use of resources and improvement and protection of the
environment".
Recommendation 1c: New general purposes to
include integrated delivery
10. One of the key processes of sustainable
development is integrated delivery of long-term, economic, social,
and environmental objectives. There should be a new general purpose
that states "the integrated delivery of these purposes".
Or other wording could be used to convey the importance of the
sustainable development element of integrated delivery early on
within this section.
Recommendation 1d: Further definition of general
purposes
11. In the bill the social development purpose
is further defined. Further definition should also be carried
out for the other economic and environmental purposes, and the
new suggested purpose of integrated delivery.
RECOMMENDATION 2: FURTHER
DEFINE THE
ASSEMBLY SCHEME
TO REFLECT
THE PROMOTION
OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT.
Recommendation 2a: The Assembly scheme should
provide the overall objectives and vision for the region that
reflects its general purpose of promoting sustainable development.
12. The suggested scheme appears to have
two roles. One of co-ordinating regional policy and monitoring
progress made by the region, the other to act as an internal check
on the organisation performance of the Assembly. These need to
be further clarified and the role of sustainable development within
this.
13. Once sustainable development is suitably
defined within the general purposes section, this should translate
to the aims and coverage of the scheme. Having regard to community
strategies and national policies will help, but the assemblies
should also draw from the existing Regional Sustainable Development
Frameworks (RSDFs) and Integrated Regional Strategies. The result
should be an overall vision and set of objectives that reflect
sustainable development and which will guide all other strategies,
appraisal and monitoring within the region. This could also provide
the basis for the overall strategy for the region.
Recommendation 2b: The Assembly scheme should
include an action plan related specifically to its role in delivering
the overall objectives and vision and key sustainable development
issues.
14. A distinction needs to be made between
the role of the scheme providing a regional policy direction and
co-ordination role and actions for the Assembly. A separate action
plan should include the specific role of the Assembly and "crunch"
sustainable development issues, such as climate change, that require
regional leadership and action.
Recommendation 2c: Defining medium and long-term
objectives.
15. In our experience there is confusion over
the time scales related to these terms that will need to be defined.
Given the strategic nature of regional working and sustainable
development—long-term should be at least 25 years.
Recommendation 2d: Require one of the executive
posts formed by the Assembly members to include a remit for future
generations.
16. Given the strategic nature of regional
working and sustainable development one of the political posts
should include the remit of future generations to counter short-term
political decision-making. This political representative role
has been experimented with in Finland where their parliamentary
committee is trained annually to consider long-term issues as
part of their scrutiny processes.
RECOMMENDATION 3: FURTHER
DEFINE THE
ANNUAL REPORTING
TO REFLECT
THE PROMOTION
OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT.
Recommendation 3a: The annual report should
reflect the progress of the region and the Assembly in delivering
sustainable development through the overall regional objectives
and internal action.
17. Once sustainable development is suitably
defined within the general purposes section, this should translate
to the aims and coverage of the scheme. This should produce an
overall vision and set of objectives for the region and an internal
action plan. The annual report should reflect progress against
these regional objectives and internal action by the Assembly
itself.
Recommendation 3b: The annual report should include
the collective results of scrutiny and sustainability appraisal
of regional projects, policies and organisations.
18. The results from scrutiny and appraisal
are often viewed in isolation. The co-ordination role of the Assembly
would be able to see if any particular consistent gaps were emerging
from regional activity that needed to be addressed or good practice
that needed to be shared in the sustainable development of the
region.
RECOMMENDATION 4: INCLUDE
OTHER FUNCTIONS
AND ROLES
OF INFLUENCE
FOR THE
ASSEMBLIES THAT
WOULD BENEFIT
FROM REGIONAL
CO -ORDINATION
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Recommendation 4a: For the Government to consider
transferring other existing or new regionally based public agencies
to become functional bodies of the Assembly.
19. References are made throughout the bill
for regional organisations to "take account" of the
assembly or for the assembly to work "in partnership"
with them, or to appoint members to relevant committees. This
does not differ greatly from the influence of unelected regional
assemblies. The new elected assemblies should have the opportunity
to maximise regional delivery and effectiveness by taking greater
control over regional bodies. This is particularly important when
a whole range of policy issues such as water, waste, minerals,
energy, and to some degree transport, all appear to benefit from
regional management. For example the Environment Agency and Countryside
Agency were all established at the regional level due to operational
requirements. An ideal opportunity will be presented with the
new Integrated Land Agency to promote natural resources.
20. Before the final bill the Government
should investigate and make public its reasons for not turning
other existing regional organisations into functional bodies of
the new Assemblies.
Recommendation 4b: Clarify the role and relationship
of the Government Office with the Assembly.
21. There is little discussion within the
bill about the relationship with regional Government Offices.
These have the potential to become a "mini regional Whitehall"
supporting and accountable to the Assembly. Otherwise they will
continue to be a powerful, but unaccountable public organisation
within the region.
RECOMMENDATION 5: DEFINE
THE GROWING
ROLE AND
FUNCTION OF
UNELECTED ASSEMBLIES.
Recommendation 5a: To consider what new roles
and functions can be defined for existing Assemblies within the
final bill to further sustainable development.
22. The reality of regional governance is
with us as more powers and responsibilities are passed to the
unelected Assemblies and Regional Development Agencies and Government
Offices. The new powers and functions of the elected Assembly
will only cover one region initially. There is an opportunity
with this bill to further define the growing role and function
of existing assemblies.
23. Given the time scales involved and the
importance of supporting sustainable development within each region,
we would recommend that the majority of the regional assembly
functions, such as setting and policing the overall regional objectives
and reporting on progress, are confirmed in legislation. We realise
that many of the Assemblies are already doing this, but the backing
of legislation would support their emerging roles, and help their
transition to elected assemblies in the future.
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