Regions
At the highest level, all of England is divided into nine regions that are each made up of a number of counties and districts. The 'government office regions' were created in 1994 and since the 1999 Euro-elections have been used as England's European Parliament constituencies. The regions vary greatly in their areas covered, populations and contributions to the national economy. All have the same status, except London which has substantive devolved powers.
There was a failed attempt to create elected regional assemblies outside London in 2004 and since then the structures of regional governance—regional assemblies, regional development agencies and local authority leaders' boards— have been subject to review. Following the change of government in 2010 these have been scheduled for abolition by 2012 at the latest.
Read more about this topic: Subdivisions Of England
Famous quotes containing the word regions:
“It is doubtful whether anyone who has travelled widely has found anywhere in the world regions more ugly than in the human face.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“We have wasted our spirit in the regions of the abstract and general just as the monks let it wither in the world of prayer and contemplation.”
—Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)
“Nature seems to have taken a particular Care to disseminate her Blessings among the different Regions of the World, with an Eye to this mutual Intercourse and Traffick among Mankind, that the Natives of the several Parts of the Globe might have a kind of Dependance [sic] upon one another, and be united together by their common Interest.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)