Memorandum by Basingstoke and Deane Borough
Council (DRA 66)
This Council broadly welcomes the Government
White Paper on the Regions, "Your Region Your Choice—Revitalising
the English Regions" and believes it to be a major step in
the right direction, however, whilst applauding the measures already
taken regarding regional government, this Council has reservations
that are shared by many local authorities, such as:
1. the proposals fail to meet the six key
tests proposed by the Local Government assocation for regional
democracy to become a reality;
2. the powers proposed to be devolved will
be far fewer than those given to the Welsh Assembly, with some
powers being drawn from existing local government bodies;
3. the proposed electoral system is not
fully proportional;
4. the proposed maximum number of elected
members (35) in the South East of England is too small for effective
democratic accountability and too small to reflect the demographic
make-up and variety of communities and economies within the regions;
5. believes that cross-party and public
support is needed for the proposals to succeed and will require
significant amendments to the White Paper;
6. the proposed configuration of the South
East Region bears little or no resemblance to a cohesive region
enjoying appropriate communality between the component district;
and
7. in anticipation of the eventual formation
of some form of regional assembly embracing Basingstoke, this
Council will undertake urgent consideration of steps to encourage
creation of unitary authorities throughout Hampshire.
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