News from The Labour Party

“Tory plans to scrap RDAs would cut support for businesses” – Blears

Hazel Blears MP, Labour’s Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, responding to the Conservatives’ paper on local government, said:

“This green paper does nothing to advance the increased flexibility Labour has given to local councils – instead it is designed to conceal plans to scrap local support for hundreds of thousands of businesses, and cut cash for councils that would mean an extra one per cent on council tax.

“By abolishing Regional Development Agencies, the Tories would remove the tailored and local support upon which hundreds of thousands of businesses depend.

“There is a huge gulf between their rhetoric of decentralisation and the reality. Much of what they propose, such as people in cities being able to choose to have a mayor, are policies already introduced by this Labour Government.”

In reality, RDAs have provided the following and more:

* They work to boost investment, economic development and regeneration and provide business support. They promote enterprise in disadvantaged areas, offer skills and training and help link up businesses and universities to foster business innovation. In addition, RDAs work to support UK exporters in overseas markets and to attract foreign direct investment to their regions

* Between 2002 and 2008, RDA initiatives attracted investment of £8.2 billion into deprived areas

* In 2007/08 alone RDAs:
- Helped create more than 125,000 jobs
- Provided support to help over 112,000 people get a job
- Assisted more than 260,000 businesses to improve their performance
- Helped nearly 370,000 people boost their skills
- Attracted over £2.5 billion in infrastructure investment

Other news from The Labour Party

• Miliband tells Cameron: Save 6,000 nurses by abandoning NHS reorganisation now - 5 February 2012
• "We need what you might call 'one nation banking'" - 3 February 2012
• Burnham: "Mental health must move from the edges to the centre of the NHS" - 31 January 2012