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NWDA H10-06
October 2007
The Northwest Regional Development Agency PO Box 37Renaissance HouseCentre ParkWarrington WA1 1XBTel: +44 (0)1925 400 100Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400
www.nwda.co.ukwww.englandsnorthwest.comwww.visitenglandsnorthwest.com
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This document is available in large print, braille, audio tape and the following languages;Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Somali, Urdu and Hindi. Please contact the Marketing Department on 01925 400100
Who we are and what we do
October 2007
Who we are
1
The Government established nine Regional DevelopmentAgencies in 1999 to enable businesses and communities inthe regions to formulate solutions appropriate for thedifferent economic challenges they face.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA)leads the economic development of England’s Northwestand creates an environment in which businesses in theregion can flourish through offering business support,encouraging new start ups, matching skills provision toemployer needs and bringing business investment into theregion.
The economy of England’s Northwest experienced a periodof restructuring and underperformance in the 1980s and90s. A stronger period followed, and, since 2000, theNorthwest’s economic performance has been good, with145,000 new jobs created in the last four years and fastergrowth than the average for England. However, with a £17.8billion economic gap between the Northwest and the rest ofEngland, there is still much to be done to realise theregion’s potential.
The Agency’s vision is to forge a clear identify for the regionas vibrant, ambitious and globally competitive, building onits history of innovation, a skilled and productive workforceand an outstanding quality of life.
The RDA will invest £1.5 billion (2007/08 – 2009/10) anddirectly influence a further £1.2 billion of other publicinvestment into the region. Since its inception, the NWDAhas consistently met or exceeded all targets set bygovernment and has:
• Created or safeguarded over 180,000 jobs• Created 15,300 new businesses• Reclaimed 4,000 hectares of brownfield land• Levered £3 billion of private sector investment
The Agency is accountable to the Department for Business,Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and its performance ismeasured by the National Audit Office’s IndependentPerformance Assessment. The NWDA was among the firstof the RDAs to be assessed, being awarded a “PerformingStrongly” rating, the highest ranking available.
The Agency is governed by a private sector-led Board,chaired by Bryan Gray, which is responsible for settingstrategic direction for the Agency across all areas of activity.The Board ensures the Agency has a strong focus on thethemes, actions and priorities within the Regional EconomicStrategy (RES). Operationally, the Agency itself is dividedinto directorates and managed by an ExecutiveManagement team, led by Chief Executive StevenBroomhead.
This leaflet explains these directorates more fully, andoutlines some of the Agency’s key achievements since itsestablishment.
Who we are and what we do
STEVEN BROOMHEADChief Executive
BRYAN GRAY MBE DLChairman
The Regional Economic Strategy
2
1 Improving productivity and market growthIncreasing the number of higher added value jobs in the region and retaining existing high value jobs through investment in innovation, research and leadership.
2 Growing the size and capability of the workforceGetting more people into work, especially in the region’s most deprived areas, amongst disadvantaged communities and areas remote from growth.
3 Creating the right conditions for sustainable growth and private sector investmentThrough investing in the region’s environment, culture, infrastructure and communities.
The current Regional Economic Strategy (RES), launched in March 2006, sets out a clear visionfor the region’s economy and identifies specific priority actions to meet the economicchallenges and opportunities of the next ten years and close the economic gap with the restof England. It is the foundation for all activity undertaken by the NWDA.
Whilst led by the Agency, the RES is the region’s strategy, having been drawn up by anAdvisory Group of 25 private and public sector partners and following extensive and inclusiveconsultation with over 4,000 organisations.
It identifies three major drivers to improving the Northwest’s economic performance:
The RES sets out 122 actions for achieving the vision, across five themes: Business, Skills andEducation, People and Jobs, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. For the first time, 45 of thesehave been designated as transformational actions that the region must prioritise to reallydrive growth.
The Manufacturing Advisory Service Liverpool Science Park
Our achievements
3
Since its establishment, the NWDA has delivered a number of major, transformational projects that have had asignificant and sustained impact on the regional economy. Below are 10 initiatives led by the Agency which havegenerated real and tangible economic benefits.
Growing the region’s biomedical sector
As part of its biotechnology cluster developmentprogramme, Bionow, the Agency led the development of the£34 million National Biomanufacturing Centre at Speke,Merseyside. The centre, which is the first of its kind in theUK, provides expertise and facilities to support new andexisting biotechnology companies and provides uniqueservices for the development of biotechnology medicines.
In medical research, the NWDA provided investment of £9million to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine for thecreation of a new Centre for Tropical and InfectiousDiseases. This was crucial in levering in a grant of £29million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fundan international research programme that placed the Schoolas one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to thetreatment of infectious and tropical diseases.
Building a world class science andinnovation base
Following the loss of the major £600 million ‘DiamondSynchrotron’ project from Daresbury to Oxford in 1999, theNorthwest faced a serious threat to public and private sectorinvestment in its science and innovation capability.
The Agency provided a proactive response to this through anumber of initiatives, including the creation of the firstScience Council in the country. Publication of a RegionalScience Strategy in 2002 was followed by a succession ofprojects including the launch of the Northwest ScienceFund. Agency development of large scale projects such asDaresbury International Science and Innovation Campus ledto the Daresbury site being identified as one of two major“bipolar” research centres in the UK by the government.
Creating an international creative anddigital industries hub
The NWDA is leading the development of the region’s worldclass creative and digital sector. The Agency played a keyrole in the BBC’s decision to relocate several keydepartments to the Northwest and committed an investmentof £30 million for the development of mediacity:uk at Salford
Quays, which will create a hub of creative and digital talentand will also house five BBC departments.
mediacity:uk will see the Northwest rivalling Seoul andDubai for creative output across the world and will havesignificant knock on effects on the Northern and nationaleconomy. It will deliver £1 billion to the regional economyonce complete, providing employment opportunities for over15,000 people.
Development of manufacturing
The Northwest’s manufacturing sector is the biggest of anyEnglish region and remains a major driver for improvingGVA, contributing £18.6 billion to the regional economy.Through the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and aManufacturing Action Plan the Agency is improving thesector’s economic performance. Between 2002-05, theMAS helped client companies achieve a 9% averageincrease in turnover.
Attracting inward investment
Since 2002, the Agency has been directly involved inattracting over 200 foreign and direct inward investmentsinto the region, which have created or safeguarded over37,000 jobs. The Northwest was the top performing UKregion in attracting jobs through inward investment between2002 and 2007.
The NWDA provides vital business start up funding throughseed and venture capital funds which have improvedgrowth in the Small to Medium Sized Enterprise sector.Since they were established in 2002 and 2003, these fundshave invested £28.5 million in 96 companies and levered in£149 million of private sector investment.
Strengthening higher and further education
The NWDA has supported a number of significant projectsto encourage universities and colleges to play a larger rolein the regional economy. The Agency supported the mergerof the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST in 2004through a £30 million investment, which helped to create aninstitution that can compete with the international elite ofuniversities and aims to be among the top 25 universities inthe world by 2015.
Who we are and what we do
4
In Cumbria the Agency has played an integral role in theestablishment of the new University of Cumbria, which willwiden higher education opportunities in the sub-region andbuild a portfolio of courses to both retain young people andattract students from other parts of the UK and overseas.
Driving urban regeneration
The NWDA has led the establishment of five UrbanRegeneration Companies (URC) in the Northwest: New EastManchester (NEM), Central Salford, Re:Blackpool, LiverpoolVision and West Lakes Renaissance, to achieve focused,integrated regeneration strategies for these areas. With theAgency providing strategic direction and investing in highimpact projects, the region’s URCs have continued to deliversignificant results on a scale that would otherwise not havebeen possible.
For example, Liverpool Vision has led the delivery of majorinfrastructure projects, such as the Arena and ConventionCentre at Kings Dock, the cruise liner facility and theMuseum of Liverpool, which are driving the regeneration ofthe city centre. In East Manchester, NEM is deliveringsignificant results, including the development of 800,000square feet of new business and retail floorspacecompleted and occupied, generating in excess of 3,000new or safeguarded jobs.
Rural renaissance
The Foot and Mouth epidemic in 2001 had severe effectson the region’s rural economy. Cumbria alone experiencedover half of the total notified cases in the UK, with forecastsestimating a drop in GDP of £270 million and 12,300 jobs atrisk as a direct result of the crisis. The NWDA providedstrategic leadership by developing ‘Rural Renaissance’, a£100 million coordinated strategy for the region, focusing onrural diversification. In total it helped to create or safeguard4,400 jobs, establish 750 businesses, assist a further 7,000businesses and lever over £10 million of private sectorinvestment.
Leading the climate change agenda
As part of its commitment to ensuring that England’sNorthwest is at the forefront of the climate change agenda,the NWDA, working with partners, has led the developmentof the region’s first Climate Change Action Plan, which setsout the Northwest’s mission to become the leading regionon climate change by 2020.
The Agency has also led major sustainability projects toimprove the region’s natural environment and improvequality of life. Working with the Forestry Commission theAgency is investing £59 million into Newlands, a landregeneration programme which has become one of thelargest in the country. Newlands is working to regeneratemore than 900 hectares of brownfield land across theregion into community woodland.
Major Events Strategy
Following the success of the 2002 Commonwealth Gamesin Manchester, and in conjunction with regional partners, theNWDA led the delivery of a Strategy for Major Events inEngland’s Northwest – the first English region to do so - tocapitalise on the benefits that can be achieved throughhosting events of this nature. Major events secured by theregion include the Paralympic World Cup and the FINAWorld Swimming Championships 2008. The Agency alsosupported Liverpool’s successful bid to become theEuropean Capital of Culture 2008.
Over the last two years, events supported by the Agencyhave resulted in 1.2 million visitors, 180,000 bed nights anda £40 million contribution to the regional economy, as wellas 32 hours of national television coverage.
Our people
5
The Agency has a clear organisational structure in place to ensure the effective delivery of the RES. Details of thedirectorates within the Agency are outlined below, together with a summary of the main responsibilities for each team. Moredetailed information on the Agency’s objectives, activities and resources can be found in the NWDA Business Plan atwww.nwda.co.uk.
• Supporting major scientific research projects and developing university and business collaborations to build an internationally competitive knowledge base and encourage innovation;
• Working with major Northwest companies to ensure theircontinued growth and securing inward investments into the region.
Development
Working with partners, the Development directorate providesa high quality approach in developing land, building andenvironmental projects that have the most significanteconomic impact for the region.
The directorate is responsible for:
• Working closely with partners, including Local Authorities and Urban Regeneration Companies, to develop and assess projects;
• Advising partners on the development of project proposals and ensuring that projects are designed to deliver the RES;
• Working with partners to broaden the rural economic base and the development of specific rural policy for the Agency;
• Leading on planning, transport and housing issues, including statutory consultation on planning applications.
Who we are and what we do
Enterprise and Skills
The Enterprise & Skills directorate works to exploit the growthpotential of key sectors, improve the competitiveness andproductivity of businesses, develop the region’s knowledgebase and ensure that training, education and skillsdevelopment is meeting the needs of employers andindividuals.
The Directorate is specifically responsible for:
• Developing a clear enterprise and innovation policy;
• Ensuring that skills provision is matched to employer need and that skills gaps are identified and addressed;
• Growing key regional growth sectors specifically biomedical, energy and environmental technologies, advanced engineering and materials, food and drink, digital and creative industries and financial and professional services;
• Delivering the new regional Business Link Northwest service to provide a consistent, efficient and high quality service focusing on the needs of businesses and working with partners on the Government’s Business Support and Simplification Process;
• Assisting the region’s companies and entrepreneurs to access grants and growth capital and delivering a range of financial products to both businesses and individuals;
• Driving forward sustainable development and climate change issues, including the production and implementation of the Regional Climate Change Action Plan;
Developing biotechnology excellence Jodrell Bank, Cheshire
6
Policy
Influencing national policy and leading regional policy iscritical to the Agency’s effectiveness. The Policy directorateworks closely with key regional partners and nationally withGovernment to ensure that the region has the mostsupportive policy environment in which to work.
The directorate is specifically responsible for:
• Managing the Agency’s strategic relationships with Sub-Regional Partnerships, National Government Departments and Agencies, Local Authorities and the Northern Way;
• Monitoring and reviewing the implementation and delivery of the RES;
• Co-ordinating and leading all NWDA policy development;
• Working with partners to ensure the region exploits EUfunding opportunities;
• Leading the development of the region’s Equality and Diversity Policy and the Agency’s Equality and Diversityand Corporate Social Responsibility work to ensure it meets its goals of being an exemplar business and employer;
• Providing research and economic intelligence as a resource for the Agency and the region.
Resources
In addition, the NWDA also has a Resources directorate,which is responsible for a number of functions including:
• Working closely with partners to ensure the delivery of Agency funded projects on time, within budget and with a strong emphasis on delivery of outputs and evaluations;
• Managing the Agency’s procurement of goods and services;
• Delivering property based projects and managing the Agency’s property assets;
• Managing the allocation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the region;
• Providing comprehensive legal, ICT, knowledge management and financial services for the Agency;
• Managing the Agency’s risk policy.
Daresbury Innovation Centre The Train to Gain Project, meeting the skills needs of employers
7
Our people
Marketing
The role of the Marketing directorate is to promote the role,purpose and effectiveness of the Agency and itsprogrammes and activities. Working closely with partners,the directorate also works to improve the image ofEngland’s Northwest as a place to visit, to invest in and tohost major national and international events.
The directorate is specifically responsible for:
• Promoting the role, purpose, activities and achievements of the Agency regionally and nationally;
• Reporting on the progress of the RES and related strategies;
• Promoting a positive image of the region as a location for business, potential investors and visitors;
• Attracting major national and international cultural, sporting and business events to the Northwest and maximising their benefits through the delivery of the Major Events Strategy;
• Implementing a programme of public affairs activity to communicate Agency policy and achievements and build support with MPs and MEPs.
Human Performance
The Agency also has a Human Performance directorate. This is responsible for dealing with all employment issues in theAgency, including staff development and organisational change.
Tourism
The Agency is responsible for providing strategic leadershipfor tourism in the region. The Tourism team works to positionthe Northwest as the best tourism destination in Britain, toattract more visitors to the region from both the UK andabroad, and to make the Northwest an increasinglyimportant business tourism destination.
The team is specifically responsible for:
• Setting the strategic direction for tourism in the region through the development of the Northwest Tourism Strategy;
• Providing policy leadership for tourism;
• Working with the Northwest’s five sub-regional tourist boards to grow the visitor economy;
• Working across Agency directorates and with partners to ensure that investments are targeted at projects that will raise the quality of the experiences open to visitors, particularly in the public realm;
• Leading collaborative action to improve skills and service levels in the tourism sector and to support business leadership.
Major events in England’s Northwest Cumbria - The Lake District
8
How we deliver
Projects and schemes supported and funded by the NWDAare largely delivered by public and private sector partners, ata sub-regional and local level. Once a project has beendeveloped and has secured Agency investment, a team ofspecialists will work closely with partners to deliver thescheme.
The Agency works with a wide range of local and regionaldelivery partners including local authorities, community andvoluntary groups and the private sector. However, perhapsthe most significant partners are Urban RegenerationCompanies (URCs).
The Agency has been instrumental in the establishment ofURCs in key towns and cities across the Northwest – NewEast Manchester, West Lakes Renaissance (Cumbria),ReBlackpool, Central Salford and Liverpool Vision – the firstURC to be established in the UK. The Agency is also a
major partner in Liverpool Land Development Company,which is spearheading economic development in four ofLiverpool’s Strategic Investment Areas.
To ensure local solutions to local problems, the Agency hasformed five Sub-Regional Partnerships, which bring togetherbusiness, the public sector and voluntary and communitygroups. They are responsible for leading economicdevelopment within their sub-regions and identifyingeconomic priorities which will deliver the RES.
The five Sub-Regional Partnerships are:
• Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance• Cumbria Vision• Greater Manchester Forum• Lancashire Economic Partnership• The Mersey Partnership
The future
Following the ‘Performing Strongly’ rating in its 2006Independent Performance Assessment, the Agency, workingwith the National Audit Office, agreed an Improvement Planwith a clear focus on actions to address key areas ofdevelopment. Part of this is to focus on improving theevaluation of our activity, which will be vital in improving thedelivery of projects and informing future investmentdecisions. With evaluation a key issue for Government, theAgency has already taken the lead in this area for RegionalDevelopment Agencies on a national level.
Through sustained investment in the region’s people andbusinesses, and with a remit increasingly focused onproviding strategic leadership, the Agency will continue tocreate real economic benefits for the Northwest.
Along with other regional partners, the Agency will continueto focus on playing its part in delivering the RegionalEconomic Strategy, and focusing on the actions that willhave the greatest impact on our economy. By workingtogether in partnership, we will deliver real transformationalchange across the region.
For further information on our projects and activities pleasevisit www.nwda.co.uk
mediacity:uk Blackpool Seafront
Board and Executives
9 Who we are and what we do
Executive
STEVEN BROOMHEADChief Executive
IAN HAYTHORNTHWAITEExecutive Director, Resources
MARK HUGHESExecutive Director, Enterprise and Skills
PETER WHITEExecutive Director, Development
BERNICE LAWChief Operating Officer, Seconded to Liverpool Culture Company
JAMES BERRESFORDDirector of Tourism
PETER MEARNSExecutive Director, Marketing
FIONA MILLSDirector of Human Performance
PATRICK WHITEExecutive Director, Policy
The Board
BRYAN GRAY MBE DLChairman
PROFESSOR SIR MARTINHARRIS CBE DLDeputy Chairman
DAVID BROCKBANK JOSEPH DWEK CBE PETER HENSMAN
Cllr DR PAULEEN LANE CBE DAVE McCALL Cllr JOHN MERRY PROFESSOR JOHNMOVELEY OBE
VANDA MURRAY OBE
Cllr MARIE RIMMER CBE ANIL RUIA OBE JP LLB ACA BRENDA SMITH Cllr MIKE STOREY CBE PROFESSOR MAUREENWILLIAMS
Publications
Useful Web Links
10
Regional Economic Strategy2006
Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance www.cwea.org.ukThe Mersey Partnership www.merseyside.org.ukCumbria Vision www.cumbriavision.co.ukLancashire Economic Partnership www.lancashire-ep.org.ukManchester Enterprises www.manchester-enterprises.comLiverpool Vision www.liverpoolvision.co.ukCentral Salford URC www.centralsalford.comWest Lakes Renaissance www.westlakesrenaissance.co.ukNew East Manchester www.neweastmanchester.comReblackpool www.reblackpool.comGovernment Office for the North West www.go-nw.gov.ukNorth West Regional Assembly www.nwra.gov.ukLiverpool Land Development Company www.liverpooldev.co.uk
Regional Economic Strategy2006 Summary
Annual Review &Business Plan
315° magazineNWDA Quarterly Magazine
Sustainable futures
State of the NorthwestEconomy – Long TermForecast 2007
Delivering for the region
Climate Change Action Plan
