Biographies

Councillor Keith R Mitchell CBE

Keith Mitchell qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1967 and enjoyed a successful career in publishing and professional education until selling his business interests in 1990 to enter public service.

He has served as Oxfordshire County Councillor for the Bloxham Division since 1989. He served as Social Services Spokesman in the hung council from 1995 to 1999. He has been Conservative Group Leader since 1999 and was elected Leader of the Council in the new administration from 5 November 2001. Between 2001 and 2005, he headed a coalition of his own (Conservative) group and the Liberal Democrats. On 5 May 2005, the County Council elections returned Conservatives as the controlling group with a majority of 12 after the Council had been hung for 20 years.

Keith is the Oxfordshire County Council appointee to the South East England Regional Assembly. He served as Chairman of the Regional Planning Committee from July 2002 to July 2005 during which time he has led the development of the South East Plan and was elected Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly on 13 July 2005.
He was Chairman of the South East County Leaders Group, comprising the eight county councils in the South East Region together with Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire until 2007 and is currently Chairman of the English Regions Network.

Councillor Peter Box

Councillor Peter Box has been a Labour Councillor since 1983, representing Altofts & Whitwood Ward. He became Leader of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in August 1998.

Peter has been Chairman of the Yorkshire & Humber Regional Assembly for the last 4 years. He is a member of the Governments Northern Way Steering Group and is an IdeA Peer Member and has recently carried out CPA work on behalf of the Audit Commission.

His career has also included the following:

• Chair - Employment & Economic Development Committee 1987 - 1990
• Chair of Labour Group
• Chair of North and Yorkshire Regional Labour Party
• Member of National Policy Forum
• Trustee of Yorkshire Sculpture Park
• Trustee of National Mining Museum

In his spare time, Peter is a keen gardener and enjoys Irish literature.

Rosie Winterton, MP

Rosie Winterton began her role as Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber in January 2008. Rosie is also Minister for Transport, a position she has held since June 2007.

She has been Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Rosie was educated at Doncaster Grammar School and Hull University receiving a BA Hons in History.

Steven Broomhead

Steven Broomhead is Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and is responsible for a budget of £1.5 billion over the next three years. In the period April 2004 to October 2004, he was Chairman of all the RDA Chief Executives group and currently leads on all performance and evaluation matters for the RDAs. Prior to this until April 2003, Steven Broomhead was Chief Executive of Warrington Borough Council (Unitary). From 1994 to 1997, Steven was the Principal of Warrington Collegiate Institute.

Steven is committed to the promotion of lifelong learning for which he was recently awarded the BT National Lifelong Learning Award for his contribution to skills and education. He is a member of the National Skills Alliance (since 2003) which is driving the demand led national strategy for skills and learning.

Andrew Lee

Since February 2006 Andrew has been the Director of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) – leading and managing its sixty staff UK wide, working with its eighteen Commissioners and reporting to the Chair Jonathon Porritt. During this time the SDC has produced a series of high profile reports, built strong inside track relationships with a number of Whitehall Departments and with the Devolved Administrations and agreed a new strategy and work programme.

Andrew was a member of the influential Round Table on Sustainable Consumption, which produced “I Will if You Will”. Prior to the SDC role he was at WWF for ten years, latterly as its Director of Campaigns, and was also responsible for advocacy strategy and leading teams focused on UK issues ranging from marine biodiversity to ecological footprint, toxics chemicals and sustainable homes. He was a member of WWF’s European Programme Management Team.

A graduate ecologist, Andrew started his career with the Wildlife Trusts, firstly in West Wales and then in Sussex, where he was Director for five years during which time the organisation produced “A Vision for the Wildlife of Sussex” – a forward looking strategic agenda for the restoration of biodiversity on a landscape scale.

Sir Peter Soulsby MP

Sir Peter Soulsby has been Member of Parliament for Leicester, South since 1994, having previously been a member of Leicester City Council for more than 30 years, inlcuding 17 years as leader. He is a member of the Commons' Modernisation Committee, which is currently considering how the regional committees proposed by the government a year ago might be set up.

Cllr David Sparks

Chair of Regeneration & Transport Board and Chair of the Labour Group at the Local Government Association.

Leader of the Opposition on Dudley MBC elected 1986. Previously Deputy Leader of West Midlands Metropolitan County Council and Chair of Strategic Planning having been elected in Sparkhill in 1977.

Councillor for Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood.