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.
SEEDA's support for business
On March 17 Mark Prisk, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, announced a streamlined and refocused Solutions for Business portfolio. The range of Solutions for Business products will be rationalised and simplified during this financial year. To keep up to date on what is changing please visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/governmentsupport ‘
SEEDA provided the strategic lead for the regional response to the downturn. Working with partners, it identified and coordinated funds and programmes of most benefit to South East businesses.
On a national level, the Solutions for Business offer was introduced to make publicly funded business support easier for business to access and also to ensure services deliver maximum impact and value for money. This involved a reduction of over 3,000 programmes to just 30 products.
Business support is available across the following areas:
- Starting and growing a business
- Financing a business
- Employing people
- Exploiting ideas
- Environment and efficiency
- International trade.
To ensure consistency with the Solutions for Business offer regionally, SEEDA established the South East Business Support Advisory Board (SEBSAB) to oversee the implementation of the new Solutions for Business products in the South East and the development of a regional business support strategy.
In addition SEEDA drove the following initiatives in the South East:
