All RDAs across England are closing by March 2012
(see transition and closure section).
With our resources reducing steadily, this page has not been recently updated and the information below may not be current.
If in doubt, please contact us directly.
RDAs to go
August 2010
The Budget on 22 June confirmed the Government would abolish
RDAs and restructure sub-national economic development by setting
up Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). This transition process
has already begun with a letter the Government has sent to local
authorities and business groups, asking them to put forward outline
proposals for LEPs by 6 September.
A White Paper will be published in the autumn, addressing
detailed issues such as the mechanism for creating LEPs, how their
boundaries will be decided and the roles for local authorities and
business. There is also the question of which economic development
functions currently undertaken by the RDA Network will be led at
national level in future.
The funding cuts for each RDA for this financial year have also
been confirmed, with the South West receiving a reduction of around
20 per cent in its budget. The programme budget for projects and
initiatives across the region has been cut from £142,482 million to
£114,686 million - a reduction of £27,796 million. This is in
addition to the £2.3 million cut in ‘back office’ costs which also
need to be made this year.
However the RDA still has an important programme of work to
carry out over the remaining 19 months of its existence. In fact
2010/11 will be the Agency’s biggest year ever in terms of the
total investments it will be making and managing on behalf of the
region. Throughout this transition period, we will continue to make
the best use of our resources, our expertise and our experience to
help the Government to achieve its growth targets.
Jane Henderson, chief executive at the South West RDA, said:
“Local authorities and business leaders now have the opportunity to
propose where and how LEPs should be created. We are keen to work
closely with these key partners to help them understand what we
have learned regarding economic development. RDA staff have huge
amounts of expertise, experience and technical knowledge built up
over 11 years that could be significant in this transition period
and beyond to create the right conditions for economic growth. We
will be seeking to ensure this transition is handled efficiently
and for the maximum benefit of local and regional economies."