1 Introduction
Background to the North West Committee
1. The North West Committee is one of eight regional
select committees established in November 2008 following a recommendation
by the House of Commons Modernisation Committee.[1]
The Modernisation Committee argued that there was "clear
evidence of an accountability gap at regional level", and
that although Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and other bodies
were accountable to Ministers, many of their activities in the
regions were "not subject to regular, robust scrutiny".[2]
2. Our remit is to "examine regional strategies
and the work of regional bodies".[3]
Our role as the North West Committee is therefore to scrutinise
the work of such bodies in the North West. These include the Northwest
Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Business Link Northwest, the
Government Office for the North West (GONW) and the regional offices
of national agencies.
3. Our membership was appointed on 3 March 2009.
Unfortunately only Labour members were appointed to the Committee,
as other political parties have declined to take up their places
on regional committees. We are disappointed that Members from
other parties have chosen not to participate. However, we have
adopted the practice of other select committees in carrying out
our work in as non-partisan manner as possible. Our principal
concern has been to find ways of improving circumstances for people
and business in the North West.
Our inquiry
4. In this, our first inquiry, we decided it
was important to look into the issue that is at the forefront
of everyone's minds at the moment—the economic downturn.
We wanted to consider the regional context—the impact on
the North West and whether the response of the Government and
its agencies in the region had been appropriate.
5. In April 2009 we announced an inquiry into
"the impact of the current economic situation on the North
West and the Government's response". Our terms of reference
were as follows:
- the effect of the economic
situation on the region, including the effect on different sectors
and on different sub-regions;
- the effectiveness of the Northwest Regional Development
Agency in assisting businesses in the current economic downturn;
- the response of the Joint Economic Commission,
established by the Regional Minister in November 2008, to the
economic downturn;
- the capacity of the Government Office for the
North West, Government agencies such as Business Link, Learning
and Skills Council, and Jobcentre Plus, and other partnerships
between Government agencies, local government and the private
sector, to respond effectively to the economic downturn;
- the usefulness of Government initiatives such
as Real Help Now, in providing support and enabling access to
finance, for businesses in the north west; and
- whether the approach of regional Government and
its agencies during the current economic situation strike the
right balance between short term need and planning for the future.
6. We received 22 written submissions, which
we publish with this Report. We found this evidence very helpful
in drawing our conclusions and we would like to thank all those
who took the time to contribute to our inquiry in this way.
7. We also held two public evidence sessions.
On 15 June 2009 we heard evidence in Manchester Town Hall from
Mr Damien Waters, Regional Director, CBI North West, Holly Bonfield,
Chairman, North West Policy Unit, Federation of Small Businesses,
Chris Fletcher, Member of the Regional Policy Committee, Chambers
of Commerce North West, Alan Manning, Regional Secretary, North
West TUC, John Korzeniewski, Regional Director North West, Learning
and Skills Council, Mike Baker, Customer Services Director, and
Peter Jamieson, External Relations Manager, Jobcentre Plus. On
8 July we heard evidence in Westminster from Steve Broomhead,
Chief Executive, and Mark Hughes, Executive Director Economic
Development, North West Development Agency, Vanda Murray, Deputy
Chair, North West Development Agency and Chair of Business Link
Northwest, Mr Phil Woolas MP, Regional Minister for the North
West, and Liz Meek, Regional Director, and David Higham, Deputy
Regional Director for the Economy, Government Office for the North
West. We are very grateful to all our witnesses.
8. We would also like to thank the Gujarat Hindu
Society, Preston, for hosting an informal meeting we held shortly
before we announced our inquiry.
9. In our Report we consider first the impact
of the economic situation on jobs and skills in the region, as
it is the individuals affected by the downturn that cause us most
concern. In Chapter 3 we then examine the impact of the economic
downturn on business and assess the Government's response. In
Chapter 4 we consider the role of the NWDA, including its revised
priorities, performance and budget. In Chapter 5 we look at the
role of the Regional Minister, including the effectiveness of
the Government Office for the North West and the Joint Economic
Commission. Finally, in Chapter 6 we consider the plans being
made for the region's future.
1 A ninth Committee for London was established on 25
June 2009, although Members of this Committee have yet to be appointed. Back
2
Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons, Regional
Accountability, Third Report, Session 2007-08, HC 282, 2 July
2008, Summary. Back
3
Standing Order No. 152F. Back
|
