An independent report by the National Audit Office into the
performance of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), has found that
East Midlands Development Agency (emda), was one of the best
performing RDAs in England, demonstrating a strong performance in
all of the areas against which it was assessed.
The National Audit Office's (NAO's) Independent Supplementary
Review was commissioned by the previous Government to examine the
RDAs' response to some specific challenges. The Independent
Supplementary Review (ISR) looked at how emda was performing
against three criteria:
1. The delivery of programmes and projects that offer high value
added benefits for the region in the economic downturn and in
preparation for the upturn.
2. How effectively the Agency was in implementing improvement
plans.
3. How effectively the RDA implemented improvements in
performance management processes and procedures to reflect the
lessons of evaluation.
The report found that emda had strong performance in the
delivery of projects that added high value benefits for the region
during the economic downturn and in preparation for the upturn.
emda was commended for the high quality of its evidence base, which
informed its approach to business support during the downturn and
was also recognised for the strong business input into delivery of
the Agency's work.
emda's rapid response to the economic downturn was recognised,
including financial support for businesses through the £3
million Enterprise Loans East Midlands fund, the
£1 million Business Transformation Grant programme and the
£6 million Transition Loan Fund, which provided loans to 56
businesses which were unable to obtain finance from traditional
sources.
In addition, the Agency's provision of practical advice and
information through the 'Survive and Thrive' and 'Survival of the
Fittest' events was acknowledged.
emda also performed strongly in relation to effectively
implementing improvement plans. The Agency was praised for its
emphasis on continuous improvement and its engagement with both
staff and external customers.
Against the third criteria of how effectively the Agency
implemented improvements in performance management processes and
procedures to reflect the lessons of evaluation, emda was also
assessed as performing strongly.
The NAO were impressed by emda's robust, bold and innovative
approach to evaluation. emda was the only RDA to have appointed an
external consultant to undertake impact evaluation across it
activities from 1999 to 2007. The independent evaluation found that
for every £1 emda spends, between £9 and £15 goes
back into the regional economy.
The ISR also praised the way that emda has used this evaluation
evidence to prioritise its projects and its alignment of priorities
with partners and joint investment planning through sub-regional
investment plans.
emda's Chief Executive, Jeff Moore, said: "We are delighted that
emda has received the highest possible score of 'strong' for all
three criteria assessed in the ISR, demonstrating the important
role we have played in supporting the East Midlands' economy,
particularly through the recent economic downturn.
"This is a testament to the dedication of emda's staff and their
continued professionalism during these demanding and uncertain
times.
"This result and the 2007 IPA show we are the top performing RDA
in England and builds on the results of the independent evaluation
of our work published last year, reinforcing our strong reputation
for delivering value for money support for economic development in
the East Midlands.
"Whatever mechanisms are put in place to promote economic growth
in the future it is essential that the wealth of expertise emda,
along with the other RDAs, have developed in this area is not lost.
We hope that these findings will inform the structures for economic
development that finally emerge."
The ISR builds on the results of a previous independent
assessment of the Agency's work by the NAO published in 2007, where
emda received the highest possible grade of 'performing strongly' -
scoring 22 out of 24.