Coalition manifesto reveals plans to replace RDAs

20/05/10 9:47 am By Richard Heap

The coalition has set out its detailed plans for the next five years including replacing regional development agencies with a new system of local enterprise partnerships.

The government has this morning published its 34-page document “The coalition: our programme for government” setting out the results of last week’s policy negotiations. It set out more details of its overhaul of regional development agencies, as well as confirming changes to the planning system and its plans to reduce the £163bn budget deficit.

Among its plans it said it would create Local Enterprise Partnerships – joint ventures between local authorities and businesses – to replace regional development agencies. However, it did not say it would scrap all RDAs as these Local Enterprise Partnerships “may take the form of the existing RDAs in areas where they are popular”.

It also said it would look to retain Post Office Ltd in public ownership, and inject private capital into the Royal Mail.

At a launch for the manifesto in London, prime minister David Cameron said: “This coalition government has produced, in a short amount of time, a full and comprehensive reform agenda.”

Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the document represented a comprehensive plan for the next five years: “Even if you’ve read 100 party manifestos, you’ve never read a document like this,” he said.

Clegg added: “We want this coalition to be defined by three words: freedom, fairness and responsibility. This document sets out page by page, line by line, changes that will make your life better. From now on, we get down to work.”

The department Communities and Local Government is due to focus on promoting “localism” through measures including:

  • rapidly abolishing regional spatial strategies
  • abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission
  • help small retailers compete with large retailers by letting councils take into effect competition issues when drawing up local plans for retail development
  • to abolish the Government Office for London and consider abolishing the remaining Government Offices
  • exploring a range of measures to bring empty homes back into use
  • create directly elected mayors in the 12 largest English cities
  • introduce measures to roll out superfast broadband services across the UK
  • end the ban on social tenants starting businesses in their own homes

Other government policies that affect property include:

  • finding ways to make small business rate relief automatic
  • reform the corporate tax system to tackle tax avoidance
  • making £6bn cuts to back office services, to be announced next Monday
  • holding a full spending review to report this autumn
  • reducing the number and the cost of quangos
  • give the National Audit Office full access to BBC accounts

More plans for spending cuts are set to be announced on 22 June in chancellor George Osborne’s emergency budget.

To read the document in full, click here: Coalition Programme

Fill out our Vacant Properties survey for a chance to win £100

Don't miss the Public Property Summit - 1-2 November 2010

2 Comments »

  • The Coalition: our programme for government | Public Property UK said:

    [...] document sets out far-reaching reforms that will affect all areas of public property, including scrapping most RDAs, abolishing regional planning, axing the Infrastructure Planning Commission and considering the [...]

    • Nigel Goodall said:

      Good to see the localism agenda taking shape. Better to see continued commitment to piloting the direct application of local taxation growth to fund new infrastructure and strategic economic goals in the form of Tax Incremental Financing in general, and Accelerated Development Zones in particular.

    Leave your response!