The Government has announced that all Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), including SEEDA, will close by 31 March 2012.
Responsibility for economic development and regeneration in England is being passed onto successor bodies, including Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and central Government departments
Our objective is to ensure a professional and cost effective closure by this date. We have pledged to work closely with our partners, contractors and stakeholders to ensure that the past and future economic benefits of key programmes and assets continue to deliver the greatest economic value for the South East and value for money for the taxpayer.
Please click here for more details about our closure plan, transition arrangements and successor organisations.
Standards of Service
SEEDA’s staff are committed to operating professionally – in accordance with best practice.
We are committed to careful handling of information, efficient delivery of services and providing relevant and accessible information to the public within a reasonable timescale. To this end, all staff are aware of our Service Standards.
SEEDA’s Service Standards
Our key standards, which we will endeavor to meet with all customers, are:
- We aim to answer 95% of telephone calls within five rings
- Our reception and switchboard at Guildford and Chatham are staffed to receive calls between 8.30am and 6.00pm
- All staff will arrive promptly at meetings
- We aim to respond to all written requests for information within 10 working days of receipt, unless the sender has set a different timescale for response.
- Where written correspondence requires a more substantial or complex answer, we will acknowledge receipt within five days, giving an indication of when the full response can be expected.
Freedom of Information 2000
SEEDA is committed to complying with the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004. The person with overall responsibility for FOI and EIR access requests within SEEDA is Paul Lovejoy – Executive Director, Strategy and Communications, but in the first instance, please address any FOI or EIR requests to The Information Officer at SEEDA’s Guildford Headquarters.
It is SEEDA’s intention that items will be available free of charge, but in accordance with the FOI Act and EIR we do reserve the right to make changes for the information where appropriate and when the amount of work and cost incurred warrants it. A chart of fees is available on request. Please make any accessibility needs clear when contacting us.
Find out more about Freedom of Information and what information SEEDA makes publicly available.
Project Investment Decisions
Project investment decisions are made on the basis of the statutory framework and agreed strategies within which SEEDA operates and there is no right of appeal. We do, however, undertake to provide a clear set of reasons when projects are rejected for funding.
SEEDA aims to pay all properly authorised invoices within 5 days of receipt, in accordance with Government accounting practice.
Open Tenders
SEEDA adopts best practice for the award of contracts and purchases based on open tendering and competition wherever possible. European Commission procurement rules will be adopted where necessary and the results of open tender contracts are available on request.
View all current tender opportunities
Equal Opportunities
SEEDA wholly supports the principle of equal opportunities in employment. It opposes all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of gender, colour, marital status, race, nationality or ethnic/national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability or membership of a trade union. To this end, we seek to adhere to or exceed the requirements of the Codes of Practice issued by the Equal Opportunities Commission and Commission for Racial Equality, as well as the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, Sex Discrimination Act 1986, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, and Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
As part of our commitment to the highest levels of customer service, we always welcome feedback.
- If you have any concerns about your dealings with us, please contact the member of staff with whom you have been dealing, as it is usually possible to resolve most queries and concerns in this way.
- If you are not satisfied with our response (including Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Regulations and Data Protection requests), you may ask for your request to be reviewed. This will initially be an internal review carried out by officers of SEEDA. A request for a review should be addressed to Oona Muirhead, Group Executive Director, Strategy & Support, email:oonamuirhead@seeda.co.uk. You will be notified of the outcome within 20 working days."
Click here to download a copy of our Complaints Procedure
