The Regional Economic Strategy (RES) provides a framework for all economic development activity in South West England. While the South West RDA has a key role to play in developing the strategy, it is one of many partners involved in its implementation. 
 
Partners include Government Office for the South West (GOSW), South West Regional Assembly, Small Business Service, Learning and Skills Councils, Strategic Economic Partnerships (SEPs) and local authorities.

Strategic Economic Partnerships (SEPs)

In light of the growing national agenda for partnership and local decision-making, and particularly against the structural background of Local Area Agreements, the South West RDA has encouraged local areas to review the structure, role, function and purpose of Sub-Regional Partnerships (SRPs). 
 
As a result of this exercise, the RDA is now working with 11 existing or emerging Strategic Economic Partnerships (SEPs) across the region:

• Gloucestershire
• Wiltshire county
• Swindon
• West of England (i.e. the wider Bristol "city region")
• Somerset
• Dorset county
• Bournemouth and Poole
• Devon county
• Plymouth
• Torbay
• Cornwall and the Scilly Isles

These partnerships represent the economic arms of the region's county and unitary-level Local Strategic Partnerships, and as such are the RDA's most significant and consistent link to local authorities and partners. 
 
The role of SEPs is to provide clear, coherent and co-ordinated views on problems and issues in the sub-regions for the RDA and other key strategic partners such as GOSW and South West Regional Assembly. SEPs have a role in developing, producing and maintaining a sub-regional economic strategy that nests within the Regional Economic Strategy. SEPs also bring valuable local knowledge to bear on the development of regional objectives and priorities for action. The SEPs' local knowledge and intelligence means that they also advise on the use of sub-regional delivery organisations and mechanisms to deliver local action plans.  
 
The objectives of the RDA's interface with SEPs are to:

• achieve a high level of partnership performance and effectiveness;
• shape a network of partnerships/a partnership architecture that works for South West England and that reduces and minimizes partnership overlap and duplication;
• support LAA 4th block outcomes as a principal means of focusing economic development resources on delivering RES goals;
• encourage an on-going process of policy and delivery integration around county and unitary LSPs, so that regional, sub-regional and local planning, transport, housing and economic development functions grow ever-closer to each other in all areas;
• meet both the shared and contrasting needs and predominant economic characteristics of different sub-regions and localities; and
• reflect the level of engagement with local authorities.

Whilst a basic economic development function is common to all SEPs, the precise nature and combination of functions (as well as structure and modus operandi) varies depending on the predominant economic characteristics and challenges of given areas and localities. Examples of functions include:

• gathering intelligence about economic characteristics and trends;
• integrating LAA 4th Block, planning, transport, housing and economic development issues with each other, as well as with wider Local Strategic Partnership objectives at the local level;
• injecting the economic dimension into sub-regional activity such as work on land use planning, environmental and social regeneration initiatives;
• delivering value at the regional level, such as representing local views in regional or national policy development.

The RDA has adopted a collaborative partnership approach to engaging with SEPs. The RDA is continuing to convene a regional SEP Forum. At the local level, a lead Executive Director is supported by the relevant Area Director and the rest of the Area Team in day-to-day engagement and dialogue with partnerships in their respective areas.

Regional Initiatives

The South West RDA also supports partnerships through its initiatives. The Market and Coastal Towns initiative, for example, recognises and supports the role of effective community partnerships in regenerating rural towns.  
 
Sector Groups established by the South West RDA include South West Food and Drink; Marine South West; Tourism Advisory Group; and the West of England Aerospace Forum.