Case Studies – Campaign for the English Regions https://www.cfer.org.uk Campaigning for Devolution to the Regions of England Tue, 23 Jul 2013 13:44:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 Concrete examples of how Regional Government would benefit our everyday lives https://www.cfer.org.uk/concrete-examples-of-how-regional-government-would-benefit-our-everyday-lives/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:19:50 +0000 http://www.cfer.org.uk/?p=37 Jane Thomas sees greater regional autonomy as one way to help ease Yorkshire and the Humber’s transport problems

Jessica Hall examines the current tier of regional governance in the North East, and exposes a remarkable lack of democracy

]]> The Case for Regional Government at a glance https://www.cfer.org.uk/the-case-for-regional-government-at-a-glance/ Wed, 23 May 2007 13:16:41 +0000 http://www.cfer.org.uk/?p=33 Read more]]>
  • A Fair Deal for the English Regions.
  • The Government has created new institutions in Scotland, Wales and London. These all now have a strong political voice, but the English regions are being left behind.
  • England has strong and historic regions, each with different needs and aspirations. People identify with their region – it defines who they are. The regions need elected assemblies because they need a strong political voice.
  • There are many problems that don’t fall neatly into local or national issues. Local government could be too small geographically, and central government too remote. Regional government is necessary for regional problems.
  • Central government does not understand the regions – it can never develop the policies the regions so desperately need. We need to find regional solutions to the regional problems.
  • The regional bureaucracy is not up to the job – it’s too wasteful, too inefficient, too fragmented. Regional government could provide strategic and cross-cutting policies. The regions need ‘joined-up’ government.
  • Every region has its own tier of unelected bureaucrats and quangocrats. This tier of government is unresponsive, inefficient and unaccountable. They should be made democratically accountable to the people they are supposed to serve.
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