Regional development agency

In the United Kingdom, regional development agencies (RDAs) were nine non-departmental public bodies established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of England's Government Office regions between 1998 and 2010. There was one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England. Similar activities were carried out in Wales by the Welsh Government Department of Economy and Transport, in Northern Ireland by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

In June 2010 the UK government announced the abolition of the RDAs which took place on 31 March 2012, with a view to reducing the government deficit; similar economic development would be undertaken by local councils and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). There was no direct replacement for the RDAs as LEPs did not at first receive funding from central government, and local councils did not receive an equivalent injection of income from central funds, having been called upon to make savings and support similar initiatives.

Regional development had been a concern of UK policymakers, particularly on the Left, since at least the 1970s. After Labour came to power in the 1997 election, eight RDAs were created on 25 November 1998 following the passing of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 (c. 45). In subsequent years their scope and powers were enhanced, and a ninth agency, for London, was established in July 2000. The statutory objectives of the RDAs were:

They took over responsibility from Government Offices for administering European Union regional development funds.

The RDAs were funded from HM Treasury via six central government departments:

The funding from these departments was pooled, and then allocated to each of the RDAs based on several factors, such as the percentage of people living in deprived areas within the RDA catchment area and the unemployment rate. The total funding, known as the 'Single Pot', was:^{[citation needed]}

In 2009 a study by accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers showed that RDAs were generating £1 for the local economy for every £1 of public spending, though this figure was estimated to rise to £4.50 when long-term investments in infrastructure matured.

Eight of the nine RDAs reported to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the exception being the London Development Agency (LDA), which reported directly to the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.