Regional Agency Commitment is Welcomed by Local Partners

10.55.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th Sep 2007

Milton Keynes Economy and Learning Partnership (MKELP) has welcomed a decision by the South-East England Regional Development Agency (SEEDA) to place greater emphasis on working in partnership with them to address key local and regional priorities.

The decision follows a review undertaken by SEEDA earlier this year that considered how best to work with local partners across the region to support the implementation of the Regional Economic Strategy. The review also responds to the Government's commitment to devolve more activities and resources to the local level. SEEDA carried out wide consultation during the review and MKELP had sought recognition from SEEDA that, given the growth status of Milton Keynes, it was essential to develop a strong relationship between the two organisations.

Chair of MKELP, Liberal Democrat councillor Euan Henderson, commented: "We are delighted that the review has agreed with us that Milton Keynes should be treated as a sub-region in its own right. There is a very significant economic and learning agenda being pursued in the City, not just in terms of growth but also because there is a need to revitalise some of the older parts of the city.

"MKELP is the key forum in the city that brings together the public, private, education and community sectors. As such it is ideally placed to continue to provide the link with SEEDA to ensure we address the City's key priorities."

In a further development, SEEDA has announced that it will be holding its annual public meeting this year at Jury's Inn in Central Milton Keynes on the morning of Thursday 25 October. The meeting provides the opportunity to hear about SEEDA's achievements in 2006/07 and to quiz the SEEDA Board.