Apparently we (‘we’ being the mightly and superior south of england, not to be confused with north of england backward types) have a regional assembly. When? why?

Actually I’m slightly interested in this idea. I believe that the English Counties are too small to have much power/responsibilities delegated to them from central govenment, and yet there are issues which are best addressed at a fairly local level (especially on issues where different parts of the country have different needs). Maybe these regional assemeblies are the answer, big enough to run complex public services but local enough to address different needs?