An independent report by the National Audit Office into the performance of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), has found that East Midlands Development Agency (emda), was one of the best performing RDAs in England, demonstrating a strong performance in all of the areas against which it was assessed.
The National Audit Office’s (NAO’s) Independent Supplementary Review was commissioned by the previous Government to examine the RDAs’ response to some specific challenges. The Independent Supplementary Review (ISR) looked at how emda was performing against three criteria:

1. The delivery of programmes and projects that offer high value added benefits for the region in the economic downturn and in preparation for the upturn.

2. How effectively the Agency was in implementing improvement plans.

3. How effectively the RDA implemented improvements in performance management processes and procedures to reflect the lessons of evaluation.

The report found that emda had strong performance in the delivery of projects that added high value benefits for the region during the economic downturn and in preparation for the upturn. emda was commended for the high quality of its evidence base, which informed its approach to business support during the downturn and was also recognised for the strong business input into delivery of the Agency’s work.

emda’s rapid response to the economic downturn was recognised, including financial support for businesses through the £3 million Enterprise Loans East Midlands fund, the £1 million Business Transformation Grant programme and the £6 million Transition Loan Fund, which provided loans to 56 businesses which were unable to obtain finance from traditional sources.

In addition, the Agency’s provision of practical advice and information through the ‘Survive and Thrive’ and ‘Survival of the Fittest’ events was acknowledged.

emda also performed strongly in relation to effectively implementing improvement plans. The Agency was praised for its emphasis on continuous improvement and its engagement with both staff and external customers.

Against the third criteria of how effectively the Agency implemented improvements in performance management processes and procedures to reflect the lessons of evaluation, emda was also assessed as performing strongly.

The NAO were impressed by emda’s robust, bold and innovative approach to evaluation. emda was the only RDA to have appointed an external consultant to undertake impact evaluation across it activities from 1999 to 2007. The independent evaluation found that for every £1 emda spends, between £9 and £15 goes back into the regional economy.

The ISR also praised the way that emda has used this evaluation evidence to prioritise its projects and its alignment of priorities with partners and joint investment planning through sub-regional investment plans.

The ISR builds on the results of a previous Independent Performance Assessment (IPA) of the Agency’s work by the NAO published in 2007, where emda received the highest possible grade of 'performing strongly' – scoring 22 out of 24.

emda’s Chief Executive, Jeff Moore, said: “We are delighted that emda has received the highest possible score of ‘strong’ for all three criteria assessed in the ISR, demonstrating the important role we have played in supporting the East Midlands’ economy, particularly through the recent economic downturn.

“This is a testament to the dedication of emda’s staff and their continued professionalism during these demanding and uncertain times.

“This result and the 2007 IPA show we are the top performing RDA in England and builds on the results of the independent evaluation of our work published last year, reinforcing our strong reputation for delivering value for money support for economic development in the East Midlands. “Whatever mechanisms are put in place to promote economic growth in the future it is essential that the wealth of expertise emda, along with the other RDAs, have developed in this area is not lost. We hope that these findings will inform the structures for economic development that finally emerge."

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