Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Tees Valley Single Programme

The Single Programme came into operation in April 2002. The Tees Valley Single Programme is the amalgamation of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) funding streams (of which Single Regeneration Budget is one) to form a single budget.

The Regional Development Agencies and Government Departments agreed a framework of Tier 1 Objectives (reflecting the RDAs’ statutory purposes), Tier 2 Regional Outcomes and Tier 3 Milestones (outputs) to measure RDA performance. 

The five Tier 3 milestones represent the core outputs of the Single Programme.  They are common to all RDAs and relate to employment opportunities, business performance, brownfield land, learning opportunities and investment benefiting deprived areas. During the 2003-06 corporate planning process, the RDAs agreed with the DTI the numbers to be associated with these milestones and any supplementary outputs specific to their individual regional economic strategy.  Any other outputs would be for RDAs to determine, in support of their corporate plans.

The key criterion of the Single Programme, for new local partnership schemes, will be consistency with delivery of the RDAs strategies.

New schemes must:

• contribute to the delivery of RDA regional strategies
• directly involve, as appropriate, regional and local partners and local communities
• ensure, wherever possible, that opportunities generated by economic development reach all people, including those in the most deprived areas, in both urban and rural areas
• not substitute for main programmes or activity which should be funded by other agencies and Government programmes
• normally lever in finance from other public, private and voluntary sources.

The Tees Valley Partnership is the strategic body for the economic regeneration and development of the Tees Valley. The Partnership co-ordinates the activities of the main agencies involved to ensure a joined up approach to regeneration. The preparation of the 2005 – 2008 Investment Plan developed through extensive consultation has been based on the four principles of:

• Focus – concentrating resources on those areas where a real difference can be made
• High Impact – delivering fewer, larger higher impact initiatives
• Added Value – using Single Programme funding not only to support mainstream funding but to fill gaps in key areas
• Deliverability – assessing the capacity and capability of our partners to develop and deliver initiatives on time and to budget

The Plan brings forward 22 key investment priorities based upon the broad themes of Business, People and Place. These priorities have emerged from the preparation of the Tees Valley Vision in seeking to address the underlying issues restricting the sustainable revival of the sub regional economy.

The Stockton/Middlesbrough Initiative

This is a 10 year programme included in the programmes and initiatives identified in the Investment Plan.  This programme forms the basis for the allocation of Single Programme funding for Stockton until 2008 to provide a strategic approach to create a core city for the Tees Valley City Region. This strategy seeks to bond the two complementary town centres, building on the particular market strengths of each.

Throughout the course of the programme the Partnership will work closely with the RDA, One NorthEast in an effort to make the case to both the Agency and Government for more resource to support the programmes, particularly those that are of regional as well as sub regional significance.