Few people know about the South-East England Regional Assembly, one of three organisations looking after the interests of eight million people.

The body has met regularly since January 1999 and has 111 members, including representatives from councils in Sussex.

But along with the Government Office for the South-East and the South-East England Development Agency (Seeda), it has no real democratic accountability and not a lot of power.

This is surprising in a region stretching from Oxford to Dover, whose economy, at £130 billion a year, is bigger than that of several small countries.

The Government is set to alter that with its White Paper on regional government, which proposes a rolling programme of creating elected regional bodies - if the people want them.

It is likely to start the process in regions where support is strongest, such as the North-East, by holding a referendum.

The South-East could well be among the last and it may not happen at all.

Barbara Roche, a Minister in the office of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, told the annual meeting in Brighton the assembly had already achieved a great deal of success.

But she added: "An elected regional assembly would have a real voice on issues such as jobs and transport. It would tailor regional solutions to regional problems."

She said the Government is in no hurry and a referendum will only be held when it judges there is enough public interest.

An elected assembly would have between 25 and 35 members. It would aim to reduce bureaucracy rather than add to it.

The assembly would not take powers from existing councils but if one were created, all councils would be unitary authorities like Brighton and Hove.

The two-tier system of county and district councils would go - and it is already plain a lot of rural councillors would resent that.

The cost to council tax Band D payers would probably be about five pence a week. The annual budget would be £25 million and there would be 200 staff.

Roles are likely to include economic development and elements of housing, planning, transport, health and rural development.

Paul Bevan, assembly chief executive, who used to work for Brighton Council, said: "It is vital the South-East does not lose out as the Government presses on with regional devolution.

"The risk is that regions with elected assemblies will gain at our expense. The South-East has to ensure it has a strong voice.

"The experience of other European countries, France is a case in point, is that it is possible to have strong and vibrant government at a number of levels."

Mr Bevan said the range of powers envisaged for regional elected assemblies did not amount to much.

He thinks the new bodies should have stronger powers on the environment, public health and transport investment.

Mr Bevan said the South-East was unlikely to go down the route of elected assemblies.

Ken Bodfish, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, is a regional government enthusiast.

He pointed out that devolved government in Scotland had already agreed to give free care for elderly people and to abolish university tuition fees.

Coun Bodfish said much of that was being financed by the generally more prosperous South-East.

He thought there was a stronger feeling than many people believe for regional government and added: "The South-East could surprise people."

Trades unionist Faith Matyszak, a Brighton-based member of the assembly, said: "If we are going to go down this route, we need to do it properly."

Coun Keith Taylor, Green Party convenor on the city council, was at the meeting as an observer.

He said: "The assembly doesn't have any real power. I wonder how much ordinary people understand about it."

Simon Fanshawe, who chairs the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said he understood concern about extra layers of bureaucracy from an elected regional government.

But he said a strong regional voice was needed to deal with issues which stretched beyond individual council boundaries, such as transport.

Mr Fanshawe said he was glad to see the assembly taking up issues first voiced by Brighton and Hove, such as the need for low-cost homes.

The assembly has already achieved a lot. Last month, it launched a transport strategy at a meeting in Hove. It is already the regional planning body for the South-East.

Jeremy Leggatt, from the Sussex Rural Community Council, said: "The assembly is the right place to press the concerns of people in the South-East."

Hastings councillor Jeremy Birch said: "I hope that, with increased powers and representation, all regional organisations could be directly accountable to the assembly, as the voice of the South-East."

However, outside The Grand hotel were protesters from the Campaign for an Independent Britain, wearing eye-catching national costumes and waving flags.

They see regional government as an economic plot orchestrated from Brussels and leaflets they distributed said: "This can result only in another expensive layer of government that will take powers away from Westminster and county councils."