Accountability and Performance Assessment
Accountability
The nine English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) meet with
the Chancellor and key ministers for a ministerial briefing on
current activities every six weeks. They are accountable to
and report into the Department for Trade and Industry.
Each RDA also reports into its local Regional Assembly and
consults with it on the development of its Regional Economic
Strategy (RES) – the ‘route map’ for each region’s development.
Performance Assessment
It is important that the RDAs are clear about what they
need to achieve regionally, have plans for delivery, have the
capacity to deliver their plans and can manage their
performance. However, it is also important to assess whether
each RDA is delivering and improving in line with its agreed
organisational priorities as set out in its Corporate
Plan.
In the March 2005 Budget, the Government announced that
Independent Performance Assessments (IPAs), conducted by the
National Audit Office, would be introduced for RDAs on a rolling
basis during 2005/2006. The NWDA was in the first phase
of assessments which ran from November 2005 to May 2006. The
IPA report for the NWDA was published in June 2006.
Following its first IPA, the NWDA received a score of
"Performing Strongly" - the highest ranking
possible.
The assessment measured how effectively the Agency is working to
improve the region’s economy. It found that the Agency is
performing strongly, with "a clear vision of what it wants to
achieve as an organisation."
The IPA recognised the Agency’s strong track record of
success in many areas, including:
- Strong leadership in developing knowledge-based science
projects, including Daresbury and the National Biomanufacturing
Centre and the establishment of the UK’s first Science Council
- Greatly improved collaborative working between higher education
and industry
- Attracting £2.5 billion of private sector and foreign
investment, generating over 21,000 new jobs and safeguarding a
further 16,000
- The successful implementation of Project ACCESS, a UK and RDA
first, enabling the roll-out of broadband across Cumbria
- Developing the region’s Urban Regeneration Companies
(URCs)
- Leading the reclamation of over 2,000 hectares of derelict and
neglected land and restoring it for business or community use
As well as highlighting the NWDA’s achievements, the assessment
also recognised key areas for improvement for the Agency. These
include improving engagement and communication with sub-regional
partnerships and stakeholders, as well as with partners on the
appraisal of projects. The Agency is preparing an improvement plan
for implementation over the short and medium term.
Read the Independent
Performance Assessment of the NWDA
View our IPA Improvement Plan