A report by a committee of MPs said that early problems in relationships between government departments and regional development agencies provided a 'poor precedent' for the potentially more complex relationships if any elected regional assembly were established; and that existing RDA targets concentrated too much on short-term contributions to central government objectives, and too little on longer-term regional impact.
Source: Success in the Regions, Fifty-first Report (Session 2003-04), HC 592, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A think-tank paper said the south-east region would not be able to continue to offer its citizens a high quality of life without policies that promoted resource efficiency and less waste and pollution.
Source: Julie Foley, The Problems of Success: Reconciling economic growth and quality of life in the south east, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Paper (pdf) | IPPR press release
Date: 2004-Nov
Researchers examined whether factor prices varied across regions within the United Kingdom - focusing in particular on the relative wages of skilled and unskilled workers. It was found that firms appeared to adjust production across and within regions in response to relative wage differences. The authors said that these findings had important implications for regional responses to globalization.
Source: Helen Simpson and Stephen Redding, Regional Wage Inequality in the UK: Evidence and explanations, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2004-Aug
A report set out how the 2004 Spending Review responded to the issues and priorities jointly identified by the Government Office, Regional Development Agency and Regional Chamber in each English region. It reaffirmed the government s commitment to improving regional economic performance, and summarised the next steps being taken to ensure that the evidence base supported the government s regional policy agenda. Increased funding was announced for regional development agencies.
Source: 2004 Spending Review: Meeting Regional Priorities, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A report reviewed the strategic issues facing London, its role as the United Kingdom's capital and as a world city, and the delivery of long-term central government priorities in the region.
Source: London Project Report, Strategy Unit/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1881)
Links: Report (pdf) | SU press release | Cabinet Office press release | Mayor of London press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A report said that nearly every regional development agency was focusing on economic issues to the detriment of social regeneration. As a result voluntary and community sector organisations seeking to become involved in regional regeneration faced a 'bleak future', because the agencies were unwilling to fund them.
Source: Bev Lucas, Will the Single Pot Tackle Social Regeneration?, National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (0114 278 6636)
Links: Report (pdf) | Regeneration news report
Date: 2004-Jul
A paper said that doubling the population of working age proximate to an area was associated with a 3.5 per cent increase in the area's productivity.
Source: Patricia Rice and Anthony Venables, Spatial Determinants of Productivity: Analysis for the regions of Great Britain, DP0642, Centre for Economic Performance/London School of Economics (020 7955 7673)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Abstract
Date: 2004-Jul
Four reports presented findings on themes within the England European Social Fund Objective 3 programme up to its mid-term (end of 2003). The first reviewed the effectiveness of the implementation of equality mainstreaming; the second looked at the impact of the programme on the information society; the third assessed the impact of the programme at local level and whether it was meeting local needs, including those of rural areas; and the fourth presented a survey of companies which had benefited from training funded by the programme.
Source: Carolyn Hay, Ginnie Betts and Stephen Murray, Evaluation of Equality Mainstreaming in ESF Objective 3, In-House Report 141, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040) | Anna Haddrell, Rob Hardcastle, Margaret Hersee, Maureen Moroney and Yvonne Smith, The Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in ESF Supported Projects, In-House Report 138, Department for Work and Pensions | Anna Haddrell, Rob Hardcastle, Margaret Hersee, Maureen Moroney and Yvonne Smith, The Local Impact of ESF Objective 3 Funding, In-House Report 140, Department for Work and Pensions | Amy Anderson, Mark Cox and Rod Spires, Survey of Companies in England Supported by European Social Fund Objective 3, In-House Report 143, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report 141 (pdf) | Report 138 (pdf) | Report 140 (pdf) | Report 143 (pdf) | DWP press release (1) | DWP press release (2)
Date: 2004-Jun
Consultation began on European Commission proposals to amend the guidelines governing regional aid (which defined assisted areas and aid intensities allowed within them) after 2006. The proposals would result in reductions in eligibility for such aid in the United Kingdom, though additional levels of aid would be permitted for small/medium-sized enterprises outside the assisted areas.
Source: Regional Aid 2007-2013: Consultation on European Commission proposals on regional state aid, Department of Trade and Industry (0870 150 2500) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 14 June 2004, columns 18-20WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Hansard
Date: 2004-Jun
A government report presented statistical information illustrating the factors that contribute to regional competitiveness.
Source: Mukund Lad, Regional Competitiveness and State of the Regions, Department of Trade and Industry (0870 150 2500)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-May
The government announced (in the Budget) proposals to promote greater regional 'flexibility' in economic policy. Regional Development Agencies were asked to work together to identify the top ten institutional barriers that they believed were hindering effective co-ordination of policy decisions and service delivery in the regions. The government also published a report which reviewed progress in building effective regional and local economic institutions.
Source: Prudence for a Purpose: A Britain of stability and strength - Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, HC 301, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 17 March 2004, columns 321-336, TSO | Devolving Decision Making: 2 Meeting the regional economic challenge - Increasing regional and local flexibility, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558), Department of Trade and Industry, and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Links: Budget report (pdf links) | HMT Budget press releases | Budget speech | DDM2 report (pdf links)
Date: 2004-Mar
A paper said that the location of economic activity was correlated with the variation in relative wages. Regions with low skill premia produced different sets of manufacturing industries to regions with high skill premia. Relative wages were also linked to subsequent economic development: over time, increases in the employment share of skill-intensive industries were greater in regions with lower initial skill premia. Both results suggested that firms adjusted production across and within regions in response to relative wage differences.
Source: Andrew Bernard, Stephen Redding, Peter Schott and Helen Simpson, Relative Wage Variation and Industry Location, DP614, Centre for Economic Performance/London School of Economics (020 7955 7673)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Abstract
Date: 2004-Feb
The government responded to a report on the quality of data on regional spending. It said that examples of good practice had been circulated as part of the guidance for departments for the next regional data collection exercise.
Source: The Government s Response to the Recommendations in Professor McLean s Report on Identifying the Flow of Domestic and European Expenditure into the English Regions', Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Response (pdf) | Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs concluded that thirty years of regional grants to the assisted areas had failed to close gaps between the relative economic performances of the English regions.
Source: Department of Trade and Industry: Regional grants in England, Sixth Report (Session 2003-04), HC 207, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Jan