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Our first Delivery Plan highlighted what were considered to be
the main elements of risk. These related to the lack of systems
and procedures at the outset of the sub regional programme both
within the Agency and the Partnership. These were:
- Delays in having all guidance and systems in place to ensure
an early start of programme activities.
- Delay in having appraisal
documentation and systems in place.
- Availability of match funding.
- Under-performance on operational
and/or financial objectives.
In our second Delivery Plan we were able to report on the further
measures taken to eliminate/minimise these risks, including:
- The
establishment of a Central Secretariat and appointments to the
posts of Partnership Manager, Programme Co-ordinator, and Programme
Administrator.
- The establishment of the Tees Valley Executive
Group, meeting on a three weekly basis, to make decisions within
delegated levels as to the approval/rejection of applications,
refer non delegated projects forward to One NorthEast for secondary
appraisal, to regularly review the programme, respond and react
to change/variance through management of over-programming and
delivery of reserve projects where appropriate.
- The establishment
of an Officers working sub–group with
representation from each of the five LPMGs, the Accountable Body
and Central Secretariat, meeting on a monthly basis for the dissemination
of information, programme updates, revised guidance and sharing
of best practice across the Partnership.
- Monthly attendance at Manager level at
the One NorthEast/SRP managers’ meetings.
- A commitment
on the part of the Partnership to ensure the optimising of
match funding (particularly EU Structural funds) to secure
maximum benefit and the efficient use of Single Programme
funding.
The Partnership welcomes the recent engagement with the Agency
and the commitment to joint working in a wide ranging review of
its internal compliance, monitoring and evaluation procedure scheduled
for early to mid 2004.
The achievements made in our first two years of operation will
be further enhanced in the life of this Plan. However, the single
biggest perceived outstanding risk remains the revision of programme
allocations from One NorthEast.
Set against the Partnership’s allocation of £24.398m
in 2004/2005, existing approved commitments total £13.310m.
The Partnership is thus endeavouring to minimize the impact of
excessive over-programming through identifying its high risk projects
(considered to be all projects seeking in excess of £1.0m
Single Programme support in 2004/2005), and seeking detailed development
programme and spend profile submissions (GANTT Charts) over and
above that required for inclusion in the Delivery Plan, by 31 March
2004. These projects are:
- Coastal Arc – a joint proposal from the Redcar & Cleveland
and Hartlepool LPMGs
- Hi Tech Incubator Units – a proposal
from the Hartlepool LPMG
- Darlington Gateway – a submission
from Darlington LPMG
- KIB – proposals to extend the University
of Durham Queens Campus
in Stockton on Tees
- Tees Corridor – proposals from Stockton
and Middlesbrough LPMGs
- Middlesbrough Art Gallery – proposals
from Middlesbrough LPMG
- Pioneer Process Park – A proposed
public/private joint venture between SembUtilities Teesside Ltd.
and One NorthEast
With regard to future years (2005/2006) the Partnership’s
programme has been prepared reflecting the original indication
of funding given in April 2003 of £34.4m. The Partnership
however recognizes that as the Agency reviews its regional and
sub-regional responsibilities this figure may be subject to adjustment.
The Secretariat will therefore take the prudent measure of managing
the programme to an assumed level of resource no greater than £25.0m
(split 50/50 between revenue and capital) and will work with Partners
in the strategic prioritisation of the Tees Valley programme. Against
this background the Partnership has already approved commitments
in to 2005/2006 of £4.786m.
The Partnership, however, looks
to One NorthEast for stability of future programme allocation
and a recognition of the scale of Single Programme investment that
will be required to successfully implement the key strategic
initiatives that have been identified within the emerging long-term
investment programme of the Tees Valley Vision.
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