THE TEES VALLEY PARTNERSHIP

The Partnership continues to review its position, governance, and structure considering whether to become an independent entity. A number of options exist in connection with which the Partnership has recently commissioned an Options Study. The findings of the study are due to be reported to the Partnership Board in early 2004.

The principal aims and objectives of the Tees Valley Partnership will however remain:

• To act as the strategic body for the economic development and regeneration of the Tees Valley and co-ordinating the activities of the main agencies involved to ensure a “joined up” approach to development.

• To monitor and implement the Tees Valley Partnership Sub Regional Programme.

• To act as a lobby and work with One NorthEast, the Government Office North East and the North East Regional Assembly to ensure that the Tees Valley’s needs are properly recognised in their activities.

• To act as the principal delivery agent for One NorthEast in respect of both the Regional Economic Strategy and in the allocation and monitoring of their delegated resource

We welcome the opportunity provided by One NorthEast to review our 2004/2005 Delivery Plan which sets out how we will continue to use Single Programme funding over the next year to further develop and build on the successes of the 2002/2003, 2003/2004 Delivery Plans. We re-affirm our support for the far sighted view taken by One NorthEast to devolve a significant proportion of its programme budget to its Sub Regional Partners, to enable local solutions to be developed to meet local needs. We believe that the first two years of funding through the Sub Regional Partnerships has been an overwhelming success for the Tees Valley.

In addressing local needs we have been led by the Regional Economic Strategy, to which through delivery of the Tees Valley Vision we are totally committed. This package of activities, the result of a review of our 2003/2004 performance and re-assessment of our 2004/2005 Delivery Plan, will make a significant contribution to the area and will:

• Create or safeguard around 1200 jobs
• Create or attract around 400 new businesses
• Create around 3700 new learning opportunities, many for our young people who are our future
• Provide a wide range of new leisure, cultural and other facilities for our communities
• Lever into the area around £22 million which is additional to the investment already committed by One NorthEast for major developments such as Middlehaven, South Tees, and NorthBank

We believe that the process of developing our Single Programme proposals continues to benefit the Tees Valley Partnership which has been widely involved, collectively and strategically, in prioritising the actions to be taken. This reviewed Delivery Plan has the unequivocal support of the Tees Valley Partnership. We seek One NorthEast endorsement of the Delivery Plan and the £24.4 million Single Programme funds needed to implement our planned programme. As experienced practitioners we also think it is prudent to build an element of over programming into our Plan (currently 31% over the life of our Plan). The Partnership will exercise prudent management and prioritisation over the Plan period to ensure maximisation of programme and seek One NorthEast’s endorsement of this. We believe this is the right way forward.

The Partnership comprises:

• The Leaders of the five local authorities
• The Chair of the Learning and Skills Council
• The Chair of Business Link Tees Valley
• The Chair of Tees Valley Tomorrow
• The Chair of the Tees Valley Committee of the NE Chamber of Commerce
• The Chair of Tees Health authority
• The Chair of Connexions Tees Valley
• The Chair of Tees Valley Regeneration
• The Chief Constables of Cleveland & Durham Police
• Representatives from the five Local Strategic Partnerships
• Representatives from the private sector, trade unions, universities, colleges of further education and the voluntary sector

A full list of Partnership partnership board is at Annex 1 (providing detail of the personnel changes that have occurred in 2003/2004).

A copy of the written constitution of the Partnership is at Annex 2

Endorsement of this Delivery Plan

The reviewed Delivery Plan was endorsed at the Tees Valley Partnership Executive on 29 January 2004 and ratified by the Partnership Board at its meeting on 9February 2004.