Business and Enterprise Committee - Fourth Report
Regional development agencies and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill

---

Here you can browse the report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 3 March 2009.

CONTENTS

Terms of Reference

REPORT

SUMMARY

GLOSSARY

1  BACKGROUND

Introduction

Committee inquiry

Structure of the report

2  ROLE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES

Regional development agencies

Need for a level of regional governance

RDA model of regional governance

RDA boundaries

RDA functions post Regional Development Agencies Act 1998

Performance and effectiveness

Government review of effectiveness of RDAs

Expertise

Overseas activities

Regional development agencies' budgets

3  REVIEW OF SUB-NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION

Timing of the sub-national review

4  SINGLE INTEGRATED REGIONAL STRATEGY AND ASSOCIATED REGIONAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES

Initial SNR proposals

Issues raised in evidence to initial SNR proposals

Single integrated regional strategy

Accountability for spatial planning decisions

Agreement of the integrated regional strategy

The workability of the proposed leaders' forums

Timetable for the drafting and agreement of the integrated regional strategy

Conflict of interests for local authorities?

RDAs' skills and expertise

Consultation and engagement with stakeholders

Revised SNR proposals and Part 5 of the Bill

Role of local authorities

Scrutiny of RDAs

Issues raised in evidence on the revised SNR proposals

Single integrated regional strategy

Accountability

Drafting and agreement of the integrated regional strategy

Consultation and engagement with stakeholders

The Committee's conclusions and recommendations

Single integrated regional strategy

Accountability

Agreement of the integrated regional strategy and workability of the proposed leaders' boards

Timetable for the drafting and agreement of the integrated regional strategy

RDAs' skills and expertise

Consultation and engagement

5  LOCAL AUTHORITY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT DUTY

Initial SNR proposals

Issues raised in evidence on the initial SNR proposals

Status of the proposed assessment duty

Local authorities' skills and expertise

Revised SNR proposals and Part 4 of the Bill

Issues raised in evidence on the revised SNR proposals

Status of the proposed assessment duty

Local authorities' skills and expertise

The Committee's conclusions and recommendations

6  SUB-REGIONAL COLLABORATION ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Initial SNR proposals

Revised SNR proposals and Part 6 of the Bill

Issues raised in evidence on both the initial and revised SNR proposals

The workability of the proposed Economic Prosperity Boards

An additional layer of bureaucracy?

The Committee's conclusions and recommendations

7  RDAS' DEVOLUTION OF DECISION MAKING TO SUB-REGIONS

Initial SNR proposals

Revised SNR proposals

Issues raised in evidence on both the initial and revised SNR proposals

Status of the proposed decision making responsibilities

Local authorities' skills and expertise

The Committee's conclusions and recommendations

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ANNEX A - List of RDAs and boundaries

APPENDIX 1 - Correspondence from BERR to the Chairman, dated 9 December 2008

Formal Minutes

List of witnesses

List of written evidence

List of unprinted evidence

List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament




MINUTES OF EVIDENCE - VOLUME II (89-II)

Tuesday 7 October 2008
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Monday 15 December 2008

WRITTEN EVIDENCE - VOLUME II (89-II)

---

---

Prepared 13 March 2009