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.
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Criticism of RDA has missed the point
22 June 2010
The South West RDA rejects completely the ignorant and
mischievous allegations levelled by the TaxPayers' Alliance over
the weekend concerning targets for RDA investment.
Public money invested through RDAs provides the foundations on
which businesses can create their success. All our work is designed
to help create jobs, support businesses and increase prosperity. To
dismiss this as 'public sector causes' wilfully misses the
point.
Our investments are made to a range of organisations (private,
public and community) who can deliver the complex developments in
the most effective way. Public sector bodies often manage complex
developments and sub-contract work to the private sector to get the
work done. The vast majority of RDA investment ends up providing
work and contracts for private companies. They are often channelled
through other bodies for good reasons - for example, in providing
managed workspace for businesses, the process will often be managed
by a public body as they can bring together the land, planning
permissions and matching investments before contracting a private
company to construct the development.
By investing through other public bodies, RDAs have been able to
regenerate run-down city centres, such as Gloucester via the
Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company; build up transport
infrastructure; construct workspace and develop new skills. It is
right that local authorities should lead on the regeneration of
their areas; or that further education colleges should lead on the
provision of training; or that county councils should be involved
in providing services to rural communities.
RDAs have successfully managed to invest and distribute
government funds effectively to the projects and programmes that
achieve the best results for the economy. All the independent
research confirms this. Our investment processes are rigorous and
examine long-term benefit to the economy; return on investment and
the viability of the delivery organisation.
For the most part, government does not invest directly in
companies - indeed it is the nature of business that they should
invest 'private' capital in order to make their returns. Government
does not have a great history of 'picking winners' through grants
to companies. However, there are circumstances where individual
businesses have a significant role to play in developing new
technologies; by expanding their operations; through using more
local suppliers that warrant direct investment.
Economic development is, by its nature, a partnership activity -
a range of private, public and community organisations are involved
to varying degrees. The outcome of this work has been independently
verified - better jobs, conditions for more businesses to grow, a
more highly skilled workforce and more prosperous communities in
which people live and work.
By Paul Harris, Director of Communications and Information