Earlier today South East Council members, business leaders and other sector leaders from across the region gathered at the launch of the latest South East 1,000 regional monitor.
This is the fifth edition of the South East 1,000 monitor which sees SEC partner with polling agency Savanta ComRes and economist Vicky Pryce to produce a unique monitor of opinion from across the South East. It is the largest and most authoritative regular survey of councillor, business and public opinion in the region.
At the launch event South East Councils Chair Councillor Nicolas Heslop was joined by Oliver Wright from Savanta ComRes who presented the polling results and Economist Vicky Pryce who provided a view on the economy and how it might affect the South East region.
Key findings from the report include;
- On devolution– the main preference of all respondents (39%) for any devolution was to their town, city or borough level.
- On financing local government– there was a widespread increase in preferences for certain taxes, levies or fees being set and managed at a regional level. All six options probed saw ‘Regional’ preference increase on the previous monitor, some significantly; for example, an overall 8% increase in support, to 30%, for the Apprenticeship Training Levy, while support in the Councillor cohort for Stamp Duty almost doubled to 21% (compared to 13% in Spring 2022).
- On planning and building decisions– the main preference amongst all respondents (58%) was for this to be taken at a Local level by my local district or borough council compared to at a county, region or national level.
- On housebuilding– a majority of all respondents support building new homes in their area (57%) and in the South East (60%).
Read the report in full here.
