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Tories pledge to scrap One NorthEast
A NETWORK of overseas offices
to encourage foreign
firms to create jobs in the region
will be scrapped if the
Conservatives win power.
The Tories have revealed
surprise plans to force regional
development agencies to
axe their "baffling" bases
abroad, which cost the taxpayer
£20m a year.
The move will be a big blow
to One NorthEast, which has
set up offices in Australia,
China, Germany, Japan, Korea
and the US.
In a major speech on the future
for RDAs, Conservative
business spokesman Alan
Duncan said it made no sense
for the regions to compete by
setting up rival bases.
And he warned the offices
also undermined the work of
a national body, called UK
Trade and Investment, which
also tries to promote British
industry overseas.
Mr Duncan said: "Nowhere
is this adverse competitiveness
better visible than in one
of the great absurdities of
Labour's quangocracy - the
overseas bureaux.
"The South-East England
Development Agency has an
office in Korea. Advantage
West Midlands employs staff
in Belgium. One NorthEast
spreads itself all over North
America, from Atlanta to
Chicago and from Boston to
Los Angeles.
"Instead of attracting inward
investment, this process
of rival bidding only exports
regional competition. It must
be baffling to the Chinese or
the Koreans. It must be equally
baffling to the taxpayer,
who has had to fork out over
£20m on these vanity offices
since 2002."
Mr Duncan promised a "rethink"
of whether regional
bodies were needed at all - although
he also suggested the
North-East or North-West
might make the case for
stronger powers.
1:50pm Friday 4th July 2008
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