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Regional Development

BERR's approach to regional policy is designed to build the capability of regions, putting greater emphasis on growth within all regions and strengthening the building blocks for economic success and boosting regional capacity for enterprise The Department also has a strong interest in skills specifically in the context of our departmental objectives of maximising potential in the workplace; strengthening regional economies; encouraging enterprise, business growth and investment.

Regional Economic Performance Public Service Agreement

BERR's challenge is to strengthen regional economies through sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and narrow the gap in growth rates between the six regions of the North, Midlands and South West and the three best performing regions (London, South East and East). Successful delivery of the REP PSA depends on the actions of a wide range of Government departments, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and other delivery agents that have the potential to contribute to improvements in the performance of each region.

Government Offices

BERR is represented in each of the nine English regions by the Government Offices, which are inter-departmental bodies headed by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) For further information, please visit the Government Office page.

Housing, Economic Development and Productivity:  Literature Review (DTZ Consulting & Research)

A literature review of the available evidence on the links between housing, economic development and productivity following recommendations from the Barker Review on Housing about the lack of evidence in this area (Recommendation 3).  BERR commissioned this independent research to provide a contribution to the ongoing debate on how to take forward the Barker Recommendations.

Industrial Development Advisory Board and Regional Assistance

The Industrial Development Advisory Board advises BERR Ministers on applications from companies who are proposing to undertake capital investment projects in the Assisted Areas in England and have applied for financial assistance under Selective Finance For Investment in England (‘SFI’).

Regional Funding Allocations

In July 2005 Government invited the English regions to give advice on policy development and public spending decisions in relation to regional transport, housing and economic development. The Government asked for advice on regions’ priorities in these areas to enhance regional input into Government policy development, showing how such priorities relate to each other to form a coherent, credible and strategic vision for improving economic performance of regions, and how these priorities were aligned to resources.Guidance on the preparation and submission of the advice is available on the HM Treasury website.

Selective Finance for Investment in England

Selective Finance for Investment in England is designed for businesses that are looking at the possibility of investing in an Assisted Area, but need financial help to go ahead. This support helps fund new investment projects that lead to long-term improvements in productivity, skills and employment. The majority of cases are appraised by the RDAs but a few, because of their size, are appraised by BERR in London. Further information is available on the Regional Investment pages on this site.

Working in Partnership

BERR is committed to working in partnership with its key regional stakeholders, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and the Government Offices (GOs) to enable policy and delivery to be led at the appropriate level and be informed by national, regional, sub-regional and local needs.  In this way BERR can develop better national policies and processes which reflect regional diversity and generate economic development across the country.