SEEDA FUNDING IS TOO OPAQUE, CONCLUDES ASSEMBLY

SEEDA'S APPROACH TO FUNDING PROJECTS NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT. This was one of the key findings of the South East England Regional Assembly's Select Committee on the work of SEEDA, the South East Regional Development Agency.

The Select Committee was set up by the South East England Regional Assembly to examine to what extent SEEDA's policies and activities have harnessed, and can in future harness, arts and sports projects for regeneration. Although culture is not part of SEEDA's core business, regeneration and economic development certainly are; the select committee found that culture has an important role in delivering both of these in the South East.

The Chair of the select committee, Cllr Don Turner, from Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "SEEDA's approach to funding projects of all kinds is a key concern. People out there clearly have real difficulty finding out whether and how they can draw on SEEDA's expertise and funds."

In all, the Committee agreed a set of twelve recommendations to SEEDA to improve the integration of the cultural dimension into its work. Actions for SEEDA include:

• Ensuring that cultural projects are not marginalised because their outputs, such as improved mental and physical health and quality of life, are difficult to demonstrate. There is the perception that SEEDA is only interested in 'hard' outputs such as buildings and direct employment. In order to ensure that both 'soft' and 'hard' benefits are captured, SEEDA should develop assessment, evaluation and monitoring processes for their projects that capture both.
  
  
• Supporting micro-businesses and not-for-profit bodies in the cultural sector and promote cultural entrepreneurship.
  
  
• Working with others to demonstrate how culture can be harnessed to engage young people in learning and volunteering in community regeneration and social inclusion.

Cllr Don Turner concluded: "There has already been a wide variety of cultural projects, both large and small, across the region which have benefited from SEEDA's support and funding. Now the regional agencies for the arts, sports, museums and libraries have been reorganised, it is time to mainstream the cultural agenda. Key initiatives such as the Turner Centre in Margate and the Oxford Inspires bid for the Capital of Culture demonstrate this. SEEDA has a vital role to play in ensuring that cultural development plays an important part in both economic and community regeneration."

This Select Committee was the third established during 2002-03 to examine the impact of SEEDA's interventions and is part of the Assembly's accountability role.

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