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26-716: In the United Kingdom, regional development agencies (RDAs) were nine non-departmental public bodies established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of England 's Government Office regions between 1998 and 2010. There was one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England . Similar activities were carried out in Wales by the Welsh Government Department of Economy and Transport, in Northern Ireland by

52-674: A non-ministerial government department being at a remove from both ministers and any elected assembly or parliament. Typically an NDPB would be established under statute and be accountable to Parliament rather than to His Majesty's Government . This arrangement allows more financial independence since the government is obliged to provide funding to meet statutory obligations. NDPBs are sometimes referred to as quangos . However, this term originally referred to quasi-NGOs bodies that are, at least ostensibly, non-government organisations , but nonetheless perform governmental functions. The backronym "quasi-autonomous national government organization"

78-400: A fifth category: NHS bodies . These bodies consist of boards which advise ministers on particular policy areas. They are often supported by a small secretariat from the parent department, and any expenditure is paid for by that department. These bodies usually deliver a particular public service and are overseen by a board rather than ministers. Appointments are made by ministers following

104-482: A funded body. Secondly, they sought to influence other stakeholders in the region to take action themselves. Thirdly, they sought to influence the policies of central government where they might impact on the region. The RDAs worked together in a number of areas, with different RDAs taking the 'lead' role in varying policy areas. Additionally, the RDAs jointly funded a central secretariat to co-ordinate this activity. Finally,

130-505: Is used in this usage which is normally pejorative. In March 2009 there were nearly 800 public bodies that were sponsored by the UK Government. This total included 198 executive NDPBs, 410 advisory bodies, 33 tribunals, 21 public corporations, the Bank of England , 2 public broadcasting authorities and 23 NHS bodies. However, the classification is conservative and does not include bodies that are

156-660: The 1997 election , eight RDAs were created on 25 November 1998 following the passing of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 . In subsequent years their scope and powers were enhanced, and a ninth agency, for London, was established in July 2000. The statutory objectives of the RDAs were: They took over responsibility from Government Offices for administering European Union regional development funds. The RDAs were funded from HM Treasury via six central government departments: The funding from these departments

182-624: The Conservatives' complacency in power in the 1990s, presented much material interpreted as evidence of questionable government practices. This concern led to the formation of a Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee) which first reported in 1995 and recommended the creation of a "public appointments commissioner" to make sure that appropriate standards were met in the appointment of members of NDPBs. The Government accepted

208-552: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise . In June 2010 the UK government announced the abolition of the RDAs which took place on 31 March 2012, with a view to reducing the government deficit ; similar economic development would be undertaken by local councils and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). There

234-549: The Technology Strategy Board ). This was done via a strategic advisory group on which the chairs of each science and industry council sat. Following the June 2010 "emergency" budget , the coalition government announced its intention to replace the RDAs by smaller-scale partnerships between local authorities and businesses, known as local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). The RDAs were abolished on 31 March 2012. The RDA for

260-622: The Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments . They employ their own staff and allocate their own budgets. These bodies have jurisdiction over an area of the law . They are coordinated by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service , an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice , and supervised by the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council , itself an NDPB sponsored by

286-551: The Ministry of Justice. These bodies were formerly known as "boards of visitors" and are responsible for the state of prisons, their administration, and the treatment of prisoners. The Home Office is responsible for their costs and has to note all expenses. NDPB differ from executive agencies as they are not created to carry out ministerial orders or policy, instead they are more or less self-determining and enjoy greater independence. They are also not directly part of government like

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312-636: The North internationally. The body was tasked to address the £30 billion output gap between the North and the average for England as a whole. Although originally intended to have a twenty-year lifespan, the initiative's activity came to an end in March 2011, when its parent regional development agencies were wound up by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. To lead the delivery of its objective, an independently chaired steering group

338-530: The RDAs were set out in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) of each region. The RES was a document created and maintained by the RDA for the whole region, i.e. it was not simply a document to guide the RDA, it was intended to guide the work of other organisations also. Each RDA updated their RES on a regular basis (approximately every three years) by consulting widely with their partners, and stakeholders in

364-529: The South West became Regen, a not-for-profit focused on accelerating the transition to clean energy The Regional Development Agencies were: Non-departmental public body The term includes the four types of NDPB (executive, advisory, tribunal, and independent monitoring boards) but excludes public corporations and public broadcasters ( BBC , Channel 4 , and S4C ). The UK Government classifies bodies into four main types. The Scottish Government also has

390-575: The UK's Conservative-Liberal coalition published a review of NDPBs recommending closure or merger of nearly two hundred bodies, and the transfer of others to the private sector. This process was colloquially termed the "bonfire of the quangos". NDPBs are classified under code S.13112 of the European System of Accounts (ESA.95). However, Statistics UK does not break out the detail for these bodies and they are consolidated into General Government (S.1311). The Northern Way The Northern Way

416-468: The UK. According to the Cabinet Office their total expenditure for the financial year 2005–06 was £167 billion. As of March 2020, there were 237 non-departmental public bodies. Critics argued that the system was open to abuse as most NDPBs had their members directly appointed by government ministers without an election or consultation with the people. The press , critical of what was perceived as

442-560: The mayor appointed). The RDA chairs were all business people, while the boards were made up of representatives of business, local government, trade unions and voluntary organisations. The day-to-day running of the RDA was the responsibility of the Chief Executive who was appointed by the board, subject to approval by BIS ministers (or the London Mayor in the case of the LDA). The objectives of

468-661: The recommendation, and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments was established in November 1995. While in opposition, the Labour Party promised to reduce the number and power of NDPBs. The use of NDPBs continued under the Labour government in office from 1997 to 2010, though the political controversy associated with NDPBs in the mid-1990s for the most part died away. In 2010

494-412: The region, including local government, voluntary organisations, private organisations, and other interested groups. The RES was submitted to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for formal approval. The RDAs sought to achieve their objectives in a variety of ways. The most obvious of these was by funding projects aimed at addressing them, either directly from the RDA, or indirectly through

520-533: The responsibility of devolved government , various lower tier boards (including a considerable number within the NHS), and also other boards operating in the public sector (e.g. school governors and police authorities). These appointed bodies performed a large variety of tasks, for example health trusts , or the Welsh Development Agency , and by 1992 were responsible for some 25% of all government expenditure in

546-428: The three northern RDAs (Northwest Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward and One NorthEast) collaborated on The Northern Way . Each RDA had a science and industry council (SIC) made up of business, university and public sector experts. Each SIC advised its RDA on science and innovation investments. Each region had a slightly different focus, but all SICs contributed to the national Technology Strategy (owned by

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572-543: Was a collaboration initiated in February 2004 between the three northern regional development agencies (RDAs), Northwest Development Agency , One NorthEast and Yorkshire Forward at the instigation of the then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to focus on issues important for the whole of the North of England with a dimension larger than could be tackled by one region alone — for example, transport infrastructure, or marketing

598-579: Was established whose members had a range of different public and private sector interests. The Steering Group launched Moving Forward: The Northern Way Growth Strategy in September 2004, which focused on four themes: These investment priorities are: The Growth Fund, worth £100 million, was launched in September 2004, and in June 2005 the Northern Way published its Business plan , setting out how to spend

624-644: Was estimated to rise to £4.50 when long-term investments in infrastructure matured. Eight of the nine RDAs reported to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the exception being the London Development Agency (LDA), which reported directly to the Mayor of London and the London Assembly . Each RDA was led by a chair and a board of 15 people, appointed by BIS ministers (except in London, where

650-457: Was no direct replacement for the RDAs as LEPs did not at first receive funding from central government, and local councils did not receive an equivalent injection of income from central funds, having been called upon to make savings and support similar initiatives. Regional development had been a concern of UK policymakers, particularly on the Left, since at least the 1970s. After Labour came to power in

676-410: Was pooled, and then allocated to each of the RDAs based on several factors, such as the percentage of people living in deprived areas within the RDA catchment area and the unemployment rate. The total funding, known as the 'Single Pot', was: In 2009 a study by accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers showed that RDAs were generating £1 for the local economy for every £1 of public spending, though this figure

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