Altered Devolution Reforms
On Tuesday 17 July 2007, Local Government Minister John Healey MP announced Government plans to abolish The South West Regional Assembly was replaced by the South West Regional Development Agency in 2010.
On 19 July 2007 MP Dan Rogerson welcomed the government announcement that unelected Regional Assemblies are to be scrapped and he asked the government to look again at the case for a locally accountable Cornish Assembly and Cornish Development agency, "in light of the important convergence funding from the EU”. Cornish MP Andrew George said in July 2007 I’m optimistic that the Minister’s announcement will give us the future prospects to build a strong consensus, demonstrate Cornwall’s distinctiveness from the Government zone for the South West and then draw up plans so that we can decide matters for ourselves locally rather than being told by unelected quangos in Bristol and elsewhere."
Government minister John Healey conceded that “Cornwall still faces some significant economic challenges” and said he would consider the need for a Cornish Development Agency alongside his decision on local government restructuring.
In December 2007 Cornwall Council Leader David Whalley stated “There is something inevitable about the journey to a Cornish Assembly. We are also moving forward in creating a Cornish Development Agency - we are confident that strategic planning powers will come back to us after the SW regional assembly goes.”
In 2008 Parliament agreed plans to create a unitary authority for the region, abolishing the six district councils. The unitary authority "One Cornwall" Council however does not have the same powers as the proposed Cornish Assembly. Cornish Objective One money continues to be managed from outside of Cornwall. There have in fact been suggestions that powers could be taken from the new Cornish unitary authority as it may struggle to cope with the extra workload inherited from the district councils.
The new Coalition Government introduced new legislation to windup the South West Regional Development Agency by March 2012 although with European funding programmes continuing into 2013.
In November 2010 British prime-minister, David Cameron, said that his government would "devolve a lot of power to Cornwall - that will go to the Cornish unitary authority." Exactly what these powers will be is subject to speculation.
Read more about this topic: Cornish Assembly
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