A meeting is being held next week to see how effective the region's business start up strategy has been so far.

On September 2 the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly will hold the first of its scrutiny meetings with regeneration agency Yorkshire Forward.

The start up strategy aims to get 14,000 new VAT-registered businesses set up each year in the region by 2010.

The organisations also hope to increase the number of new firms surviving beyond three years from 59.7 per cent to 63 per cent by 2005 - and to 70 per cent by 2010.

Latest figures show the number of businesses created in Yorkshire and Humberside in 2000 was 660 - 5.5 per cent more a year than in 1996.

But, while survival rates have improved, the area is still below the UK average of start-ups.

In West Yorkshire, the number of businesses created in 2000 was 355 - 7.13 per cent more than in 1996.

The scrutiny meeting is required by government to ensure that money spent on regional economic development is well targeted.

The meeting, which is being held at the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds, will see six members of the Assembly and its sub-committees ask members of the Yorkshire Forward business sub committee about what the strategy has achieved so far.

Peter Box, chair of the Assembly, said: "We have been tasked by government to ensure that public money is spent wisely in key areas, such as business start-ups.

"This first scrutiny meeting will give us a chance to find out directly from Yorkshire Forward how it is addressing this important issue.

"By examining the progress of the strategy together, we hope to ensure that public money is targeted in the best possible way - helping to make the region a better place in which to create sustainable businesses that prosper and grow."

Graham Hall, chairman of Yorkshire Forward, said: "We welcome this first scrutiny meeting on the Business Birth Rate Strategy."

Anyone wishing to attend the meeting should call Nicola Plumstead at the Assembly on (01924) 331555.