So, what is the Conservative Party policy on Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)?
Well, here is Iain Dale on the matter in February:
Cameron Reinforces Pledge to Abolish RDA’s & Assemblies
David Cameron has given an interview to BBC South East, to be shown at lunchtime tomorrow in which he pledges to abolish Regional Development Agencies. Good. There had been some speculation that the Tories were wavering on that commitment.
Or here is what Public Servant magazine reported last year of both Cameron and Eric Pickles:
Tory leader David Cameron has confirmed what Public Servant magazine reported in its April issue, that the Conservatives would abolish regional development agencies (RDAs)…
In our story ‘No future for RDAs under Tories’, Dean Carroll quoted Pickles as saying: “RDAs are unaccountable and unelected and they will be abolished.
And then there’s John Redwood:
Abolish the RDAs
So that’s all clear then? But wait, what’s this in Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman’s speech last month?
Regional Development Agencies will therefore evolve into Local Enterprise Partnerships.
That’d not be axing them but renaming them. Sir Humphrey would be proud. And rather chuffed to also know that, as Paul Staines has pointed out, there are 18 new quangos promised by the Conservatives.
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So much for ‘bonfire of the Quangos’ then.
This is quite significant for local government. In some places the RDAs are quite useful and their abolition would be regretted by local govt. In others they are a waste of space and the very worst examples of unelected unaccountable quangocracy and people cant wait to be rid of them.
Most of the powers of RDAs will be pushed down to Councils and if they choose to aglomerate them in Local Enterprise Partnerships, or even to leave the RDAs, they will be allowed to do so. Regional Assemblies all go, Regional Spatial Strategies go.
This is logical as Regeneration is now much less regional and much more local. Only Lbaour could respond to that with bigger regional and national quangoes like RDAs and the HCA.
Maybe because the tories occasionally consult on policies and listen to criticism unlike some Lib Dems who seem to think they can do what they want without consulting anyone?? Mansion Tax? Savage Cuts?
Here’s part of the reason the tories are (understandably) backtracking – they’re policies cooked up in some corner of Westminster have hit up against the real world, a problem the Lib Dems are in no danger of having to face:
http://www.localgov.co.uk/index.cfm?method=news.detail&id=84189
The 18 new quangos is a labour press release fiction. Some are just consolidating a number of organisations or replacing some and some are just suggestions by hangers on.
And in fact the RDA’s ARE being abolished, in much the same way perhaps (?) that the EU Constitution was abolished and replaced by the Lisbon treaty – thus enabling the LibDems to break their promise for a referendum.
Do not make me sick you pompous sanctimonious pontificating lying hypocritical lib dems.
Wow, this subject clearly hits a Tory nerve!
They must have known that they can’t abolish them – because they’rre EU institutions. This throws into question their other manifesto pledges. It only takes one lie/obfuscation to kill trust; two lies bury it.
FaustiesBlog: do you mean you think it would be against (European) law to abolish the RDAs? In which case, what’s the source of your claim? (I’ve heard people make similar claims in the past, but never had any evidence to back it up, hence me asking.)
The RDAs create nothing of sustainable value and only keep the status quo and no more. Better that the money is directed to local business and new ventures. Nothing will ever come out of the RDAs as they are a moribund organization run by out-of-date thinkers. Should have been abolished years ago and saved us a packet. RDAs are like all the government Quangos, a great deal of rhetoric but where they produce very little change of value if anything for the people. i.e. local government ombudsman (deadwood if you have a complaint against a council, sheer waste of time), Oftel (no use if the telecoms company is robbing you, sheer waste of time again), etc, etc, etc, etc.
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