News Release : 17 December 2001

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY DOUBTS LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS CAPACITY

"The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) will need to find an effective means of engaging with Local Strategic Partnerships in the South East in order to ensure synergy between the local and regional agenda." This was the message from the Regional Assembly's Executive Committee when it met recently (Friday, 14 December 2001).

Committee members were discussing Local Strategic Partnerships in the context of SEEDA's draft Corporate Plan. In this plan, SEEDA proposes that Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), where they exist, will be the local forums through which SEEDA would agree its priorities for local investment.

Executive Committee members raised the concern that many of the LSPs in the South East are currently in early stages of development and, therefore, their capacity to shape SEEDA's interventions in their local areas will be patchy over the next year or so.

Paul Bevan, Chief Executive, South East England Regional Assembly, said: "LSPs throughout the region are attractive partners for SEEDA, because they will encompass all interests and agencies in each sub-regional locality. But until LSPs are properly established, SEEDA needs to keep talking with the South East's local authorities, who have a duty to promote the well-being of their areas, and who will lead in setting up the LSPs. "

SEEDA will be submitting its Corporate Plan to the Department of Trade and Industry on 21 December.

Contact

Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive - 01483 555223

Alex Butlin, PR Executive - 01483 555221

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Assembly is the “voluntary regional chamber” for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
   
   
2. The Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region’s local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).
   
   
3. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
1. It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
2. The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
3. The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007

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