It’s best that decisions are made on home ground (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

It’s best that decisions are made on home ground

9:27am Tuesday 12th July 2011 in Linda Pollard By Linda Pollard

Huge changes in the public sector funding and business support structure have been made recently as Yorkshire Forward works towards its closure in March 2012.

They include the future ownership of our assets and liabilities. While certain Yorkshire Forward assets will be sold, the Government has agreed to transfer any remaining non operational land and property assets to the Homes and Communities Agency in September.

The HCA will own the assets and liabilities, with local communities continuing to be involved in decisions about future development plans so that the economic and regeneration benefits have the best possible long-term impact in their areas.

The team managing the European Regional Development Fund, worth more than £500 million to the region between 2007 and 2013 has been transferred to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

I’m pleased to see that the Yorkshire and Humber Programme will continue to be managed by a local delivery team based in Leeds and Sheffield and will be overseen, as now, by a Local Management Committee drawn from partners in the region.

The Rural Development Programme for England, managed by Yorkshire Forward since 2007 and worth over £65m to the region’s rural community by the end of 2013, has transferred to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and is also – thankfully – expected to retain a local delivery presence.

It gives me hope that efforts are being made to keep a local presence; after all it is incredibly important that decisions affecting the region continue to be made by the region.