Regions of England

The regions, formerly known as the government office regions, are the
Regions of England
highest tier of sub-national division in England, established in 1994.[1][2]
Between 1994 and 2011, nine regions had officially devolved functions within
government. While they no longer fulfil this role, they continue to be used for
statistical and some administrative purposes. While the UK was a member of
the European Union, they defined areas (constituencies) for the purposes of
elections to the European Parliament. Eurostat also used them to demarcate first
level Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) regions ("NUTS
1 regions") within the European Union. The regions generally follow the
boundaries of the former standard regions, established in the 1940s for
statistical purposes.

The London region has a directly elected Mayor and Assembly. Six regions
have local authority leaders' boards to assist with correlating the headline
policies of local authorities. The remaining two regions no longer have any
administrative functions, having abolished their regional local authority leaders'
boards.

In 1998, regional chambers were established in the eight regions outside Category Statistical regions
London, which produced strategic plans and recommendations to local
authorities. The regions also had an associated (central) Government Office Administrative region (1)
with some responsibility for coordinating policy, and, from 2007, a part-time Location England
regional minister within the Government. House of Commons regional Select Created 1994
Committees were established in 2009. However, the chambers and select
committees were abolished in May 2010, restoring these functions to the main Number 9
tier of local government,[3] with limited functions transferred to the regional Additional status NUTS 1 region
local authority leaders' boards created in 2009. Regional ministers were not European constituency
reappointed by the incoming Coalition Government, and the Government (1999–2020)
Offices were abolished in 2011.
Populations 2,669,941–9,180,135
From 2011, combined authorities have been introduced in some city regions, Areas 1,572–23,836 km²
with similar responsibilities to the former regional chambers (and in some cases,
Government Local authority leaders'
replacing a regional local authority leaders' board on a smaller scale), but which
board (6)
also receive additional delegated functions from central government relating to
transport and economic policy. Elected assembly (1)
None (2)
Regional development agencies were public bodies established in all nine Subdivisions
Non-metropolitan county (25)
regions in 1998 to promote economic development. They had certain delegated
Metropolitan county (6)
functions, including administering European Union regional development
funds, and received funding from the central government as well. These were Unitary Authorities (79)
abolished in 2012, with statutory functions returning to local authorities and London boroughs (33)
central government; however, smaller scale local enterprise partnerships were
voluntarily established to take on some functions relating to coordinating economic priorities and development.

Contents
History
Regions as areas of administration
List of regions
NUTS 1 statistical regions
City regions
Subdivisions of England
Notes
References
External links
History
After about 500 AD, England comprised seven Anglo-Saxon territories—Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and
Wessex—often referred to as the heptarchy. The boundaries of some of these, which later unified as the Kingdom of England, roughly
coincide with those of modern regions. During Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate in the 1650s, the rule of the Major-Generals created 10
regions in England and Wales of similar size to the modern regions.[4]

Proposals for administrative regions within England were mooted by the British government prior to the First World War. In 1912, the
Third Home Rule Bill was passing through parliament. The Bill was expected to introduce a devolved parliament for Ireland, and as a
consequence calls were made for similar structures to be introduced in Great Britain or "Home Rule All Round". On 12 September the
First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, gave a speech in which he proposed 10 or 12 regional parliaments for the United
Kingdom. Within England, he suggested that London, Lancashire, Yorkshire, and the Midlands would make natural regions.[5][6]
While the creation of regional parliaments never became official policy, it was for a while widely anticipated and various schemes for
dividing England devised.[7][8] By the 1930s, several competing systems of regions were adopted by central government for such
purposes as census of population, agriculture, electricity supply, civil defence and the regulation of road traffic.[9] Nine "standard
regions" were set up in 1946, in which central government bodies, statutory undertakings and regional bodies were expected to
cooperate.[10] However, these had declined in importance by the late 1950s.[11]

Creation of some form of provinces or regions for England was an intermittent theme of post-Second World War British governments.
The Redcliffe-Maud Report proposed the creation of eight provinces in England, which would see power devolved from central
government. Edward Heath's administration in the 1970s did not create a regional structure in the Local Government Act 1972,
waiting for the Royal Commission on the Constitution, after which government efforts were concentrated on a constitutional settlement
in Scotland and Wales for the rest of the decade. In England, the majority of the Commission "suggested regional coordinating and
advisory councils for England, consisting largely of indirectly elected representatives of local authorities and operating along the lines
of the Welsh advisory council". One-fifth of the advisory councils would be nominees from central government. The boundaries
suggested were the "eight now [in 1973] existing for economic planning purposes, modified to make boundaries to conform with the
new county structure".[12][13] A minority report by Lord Crowther-Hunt and Alan T. Peacock suggested instead seven regional
assemblies and governments within Great Britain (five within England), which would take over substantial amounts of the central
government.[14]

Some elements of regional development and economic planning began to be established in England from the mid-1960s onwards. In
most of the standard regions, Economic Planning Councils and Boards were set up, comprising appointed members from local
authorities, business, trade unions and universities, and in the early 1970s these produced a number of regional and sub-regional
planning studies.[10] These institutions continued to operate until they were abolished by the incoming Conservative government in
1979. However, by the mid-1980s local authorities in most regions had jointly established standing conferences to consider regional
planning issues. Regional initiatives were bolstered by the 1986 Government Green Paper and 1989 White Paper on The Future of
Development Plans, which proposed the introduction of strong regional guidance within the planning system,[10] and by the
Government's issuing of Strategic Guidance at a regional level, from 1986 onwards.[11]

Regions as areas of administration

In April 1994, the John Major ministry created a set of ten Government Office Regions for England. Prior to 1994, although various
central government departments had different regional offices, the regions they used tended to be different and ad hoc. The stated
purpose was as a way of co-ordinating the various regional offices more effectively: they initially involved the Department of Trade
and Industry, Department of Employment, Department of Transport and the Department for the Environment.[15] Following the
Labour Party's victory in the 1997 general election, the government created regional development agencies. Around a decade later the
Labour administration also founded the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) with £185m of devolved funding
to enhance councils' capacity to improve and take the lead in their own improvement.

The Maastricht Treaty encouraged the creation of regional boundaries for selection of members for the Committee of the Regions of
the European Union: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had each constituted a region, but England represents such a large
proportion of the population of the United Kingdom that further division was thought necessary. The English regions, which initially
numbered ten, also replaced the Standard Statistical Regions. Merseyside originally constituted a region in itself, but in 1998 it was
merged into the North West England region, creating the nine present-day regions.[16] The nine regions were used as England's
European Parliament constituencies from 1999 until Britain's departure from the European Union;[17] and as statistical NUTS level 1
regions. Since 1 July 2006, there have also been ten strategic health authorities, each of which corresponds to a region, except for
South East England, which is divided into western and eastern parts.

In 1998, regional chambers were created in the eight English regions outside London under the provisions of the Regional
Development Agencies Act 1998.[18] The powers of the assemblies were limited, and members were appointed, largely by local
authorities, rather than being directly elected. The functions of the English regions were essentially devolved to them from
Government departments or were taken over from pre-existing regional bodies, such as regional planning conferences and regional
employers' organisations. Each assembly also made proposals for the UK members of the Committee of the Regions, with members
drawn from the elected councillors of the local authorities in the region.
The final nominations were made by central government.[19] Although
they were publicly funded, one of the Regional Assemblies claimed not to
be a public authority and therefore not subject to the Freedom of North
East
Information Act 2000.[20]
North West
As power was to be devolved to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
without corresponding devolution in England, a series of referendums Yorkshire and
the Humber
were planned to establish elected regional assemblies in some of the
regions. The first was held in London in 1998 and was passed. The
London Assembly and Mayor of London of the Greater London Authority
were created in 2000. A referendum was held in North East England on 4 East
November 2004, but the proposal for an elected assembly was rejected. Midlands
West
Midlands
In 2007, a Treasury Review for new Prime Minister Gordon Brown East of
recommended that greater powers should be given to local authorities and England
that the Regional Chambers should be phased out of existence by
2010.[21] The same year, nine Regional Ministers were appointed by the London
incoming Brown ministry. Their primary goal was stated as being to South East
improve communication between central government and the regions of South West
England.[22] The assemblies were effectively replaced by smaller local
authority leaders' boards between 2008 and 2010, and formally abolished
on 31 March 2010, as part of a "Sub-National Review of Economic
Development and Regeneration". Most of their functions transferred to the
relevant regional development agency and to local authority leaders'
boards.[23]

In June 2010, the incoming Coalition Government announced its intentions to abolish regional strategies and return spatial planning
powers to local government. These plans include the withdrawal of funding to the existing eight Local Authority Leaders' Boards,
with their statutory functions also being assumed by local councils. The boards in most cases continue to exist as voluntary
associations of council leaders, funded by the local authorities themselves.[24][25][26] No appointments as Regional Ministers were
made by the incoming UK government in 2010.

These changes did not affect the directly elected London Assembly, which was established by separate legislation as part of the
Greater London Authority. In 2011, Greater London remains administered by the Greater London Authority, which consists of an
elected London Assembly and a separately elected Mayor of London.

Following the abolition of the Government Offices in 2011, it was announced that the former Government Office Regions (GOR)
would henceforth be known, for the purposes of statistical analysis, simply as Regions.[27]

List of regions
 % of
Median population
%
gross claiming
change % as at
Population annual Income Largest
Name[28] Population[29] from Area[29] August
previous density[29] earnings Support or
2001
urban area
(£) JSA
year[29]
2019[30] (August
2012)
South
19,072 km2 481/km2 Hampshire
South East 9,180,135 +0.51% 32,120 3.0% 5.4%
(7,364 sq mi) (1,250/sq mi) [note 1]

Greater
London 8,961,989 +0.61% 1,572 km2 5,701/km2 38,992 5.3% 10.1%
London
(607 sq mi) (14,770/sq mi) Built-up
Area
Greater
North West 7,341,196 +0.67% 14,108 km2 520/km2 28,137 5.3% 10.4%
Manchester
(5,447 sq mi) (1,300/sq mi) Built-up
Area
Southend
19,116 km2 326/km2 Urban Area
East of England 6,236,072 +0.56% 30,345 3.5% 6.2%
(7,381 sq mi) (840/sq mi) [note 2]

West
12,998 km2 457/km2
West Midlands 5,934,037 +0.56% 28,536 5.1% 9.2% Midlands
(5,019 sq mi) (1,180/sq mi)
Conurbation
Bristol
23,836 km2 236/km2
South West 5,624,696 +0.45% 28,654 3.3% 6.8% Built-up
(9,203 sq mi) (610/sq mi)
Area
West
Yorkshire and the Humber 5,502,967 +0.43% 15,405 km2 357/km2 27,835 5.2% 9.3%
Yorkshire
(5,948 sq mi) (920/sq mi) Built-up
Area

East Midlands 4,835,928 +0.66% 15,625 km2 309/km2 28,000 4.2% 7.7%
Nottingham
(6,033 sq mi) (800/sq mi) Urban Area

North East 2,669,941 +0.45% 8,579 km2 311/km2 27,187 6.1% 11.6% Tyneside
(3,312 sq mi) (810/sq mi)

130,311 km2 432/km2

England 56,286,961 +0.55% 30,667 4.45% 8.32%[31] London
(50,313 sq mi) (1,120/sq mi)

NUTS 1 statistical regions

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for statistical purposes. The NUTS code for the UK is UK and there are 12 first level
regions within the state. Within the UK, there are 9 such regions in England, together with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The
standard is developed and regulated by the European Union (EU). The NUTS standard is instrumental in delivering the EU's
Structural Funds. A hierarchy of three levels is established by Eurostat. The sub-structure corresponds to administrative divisions
within the country. Formerly, the further NUTS divisions (IV and V) existed; these have now been replaced by Local administrative
unit (LAU-1 and LAU-2 respectively).

City regions
In its later years the Labour government adopted the concept of city regions, regions consisting of a metropolitan area and its
hinterland or Travel to Work Areas. Two such areas were considered for giving statutory powers: Greater Manchester City Region and
Leeds City Region. However, this was later discontinued as a result of the May 2010 general election. The new Conservative–Liberal
Democrat coalition government did agree to the creation of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and West Yorkshire
Combined Authority in 2011, with all other proposals and the regional development agencies being subsumed into the local enterprise
partnerships.

Subdivisions of England
Local government in England does not follow a uniform structure. Therefore, each region is divided into a range of further
subdivisions. London is divided into London boroughs and one county, while the other regions are divided into metropolitan counties,
shire counties and unitary authorities. Counties are further divided into districts and some areas are also parished. Regions are also
divided into sub-regions, which usually group socio-economically linked local authorities together. However, the sub-regions have no
official status and are little used other than for strategic planning purposes.

Notes
1. This is the largest Urban Area solely in the South East of England region. The population of the part of the Greater
London Urban Area in South East England is larger.
2. This is the largest Urban Area solely in the East of England region. The population of the part of the Greater London
Urban Area in the East of England is larger.

References
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file/7448/1622442.pdf), Department for Communities and Local Government. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
2. Regions (Former GORs), Guidance and Methodology (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/h
ttp://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/administrative/england/government-office-regio
ns/index.html), ONS. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
3. Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster (27 May 2010). "House of Commons
Hansard Debates for 27 May 2010 (pt 0001)" (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100527/
debtext/100527-0001.htm#10052726000005). Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
4. Little, Patrick (2012). "Major-generals (act. 1655–1657)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford
University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/95468 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F95468). (Subscription or UK
public library membership (https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.)
5. Local Parliaments For England. Mr. Churchill's Outline of a Federal System, Ten Or Twelve Legislatures, The Times,
13 September 1912, p.4
6. G. K. Peatling, ''Home Rule for England, English Nationalism, and Edwardian Debates about Constitutional Reform''
in ''Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies'', Vol. 35, No. 1. (Spring, 2003), pp.71–90.
JSTOR 4054518 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4054518)
7. In 1917 the Royal Geographical Society debated a paper by C.B. Fawcett that detailed 12 provinces he considered
to be the "natural divisions of England". Detailed boundaries were proposed with regional capitals designated on the
basis of the possession of universities or university colleges. C. B. Fawcett, Natural Divisions of England in The
Geographical Journal, Vol. 49, No. 2. (February 1917), pp. 124–135 JSTOR 1779341 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/17
79341)
8. In 1919 Fawcett expanded his paper into a book entitled the Provinces of England, and a similar system of regions
was proposed by G.D.H. Cole in The Future of Local Government in 1921. In 1920 the Ministry of Health published
its own proposals for 15 provinces, subdivided into 59 regions E. W. Gilbert, Practical Regionalism in England and
Wales in The Geographical Journal, Vol. 94, No. 1. (July 1939), pp. 29–44. JSTOR 1788587 (https://www.jstor.org/st
able/1788587)
9. E. W. Gilbert, ''Practical Regionalism in England and Wales'' in ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 94, No. 1. (July
1939), pp. 29–44. JSTOR 1788587 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1788587)
10. Paul N. Balchin and Luděk Sýkora, Regional Policy and Planning in Europe, Routledge, 1999 (https://books.google.
com/books?id=j14KIB-3wxYC&dq=regional+planning+wannop&source=gbs_navlinks_s), pp.89–100
11. Urlan Wannop, Regional Imperative: Regional Planning and Governance in Britain, Europe and the United States,
Routledge, 2002 (https://books.google.com/books?id=tc-e1Hjn4XsC&dq=regional+planning+england+1973&lr=&so
urce=gbs_navlinks_s), pp.8–30
12. Whitehall powers would go to Scotland, Wales and regions, but no full self-government. The Times. 1 November
1973.
13. More freedom for Scots, Welsh in proposals to region regions. The Times. 1 November 1973.
14. Dissenters urge plan for seven assemblies. The Times. 1 November 1973.
15. Devolution and British Politics. Chapter 10. English regional government: Christopher Stevens
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2015.
18. "Regional Development Agencies Act 1998" (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980045.htm). Opsi.gov.uk. 1
February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
19. Committee of the Regions (http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/presentation/national_delegations.htm#) – Appointing the
UK delegation Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20060821200926/http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/presentation/nat
ional_delegations.htm%23) 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
20. "South East Regional Assembly: Policy on access to information" (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/201005
28142817/http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/about_info_access.html#policy). Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. 28
May 2010. Archived from the original (http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/about_info_access.html#policy) on 28 May
2010. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
21. HM Treasury Press Release 79/07 (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_79_
07.cfm) – 17 July 2007 Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070808115208/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsr
oom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_79_07.cfm) 8 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
22. Regional Ministers at Government Offices webpage (http://www.gos.gov.uk/ournetwork/675481/). Retrieved 27
February 2010. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090218005902/http://www.gos.gov.uk/ournetwork/675481/)
18 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
23. eGov monitor – Planning transfer undermines democracy (http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/16178). 29 November
2007 Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20080219014022/http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/16178) 19 February
2008 at the Wayback Machine
24. "In Full: The projects axed or suspended by government" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10341863.stm). BBC
News. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
25. "Scrapping regional bureaucracy will save millions – Newsroom – Department for Communities and Local
Government" (http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/newsroom/1618027). Communities.gov.uk. 17 June 2010.
Retrieved 24 November 2010.
26. "1 Horse Guards Road" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101124215735/http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/press_13_10.pdf)
(PDF). Archived from the original (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/press_13_10.pdf) (PDF) on 24 November 2010.
Retrieved 24 November 2010.
27. ONS: Regions (Former GORs) (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/administrative/
england/government-office-regions/index.html). Accessed 8 August 2012
28. "Regions (Former GORs)" (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/administrative/engl
and/government-office-regions/index.html). ONS. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
29. "Mid Year Population Estimates 2019" (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigrat
ion/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/latest). Office for National Statistics. 24 June
2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
30. Smith, Roger (29 October 2019). "Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings time series of selected estimates" (https://w
ww.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/ashe1997to2015sele
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31. Key Statistics: Population; Quick Statistics: Economic indicators (http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/). (2011
census and 2001 census) Retrieved 2015-02-27.

External links
Local Government Boundary Commission for England (http://www.lgbce.org.uk/)
Dept of Communities and Local Government (http://www.communities.gov.uk/)

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