Northwest Regional Development Agency
Encyclopedia
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is the regional development agency
for the North West England
region and is a non-departmental public body
..
The Agency is responsible for the economic development and regeneration of the Northwest of England. As a business-led organisation, the NWDA provides a link between the needs of businesses and Government policies. As such, a major responsibility for the Agency is to help create an environment in which businesses in the region can flourish through offering business support, encouraging new start-ups, matching skills provision to employer needs and bringing business investment into the region.
The Agency funds or manages a series of financial support products for businesses in the region. Information is available at the NWDA's Finance for Business Website
Geographically, the Agency covers Greater Manchester
including Manchester
and Salford
, Merseyside
including Liverpool
, Cheshire
and Warrington
, Cumbria
, including the Lake District
and Lancashire
including Preston
.
The Agency is one of the principal players in the creation of MediaCityUK in Salford Quays
, shortly to be home for a number of relocated BBC
Departments as well as a major creative and digital village in its own right. It is also playing a strong role in the development of The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness
.
The NWDA is funded by central Government and is responsible to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Since their establishment in 1999 Regional Development Agencies they have cost £15 billion.
Regional Development Agency
In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
for the North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
region and is a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
..
The Agency is responsible for the economic development and regeneration of the Northwest of England. As a business-led organisation, the NWDA provides a link between the needs of businesses and Government policies. As such, a major responsibility for the Agency is to help create an environment in which businesses in the region can flourish through offering business support, encouraging new start-ups, matching skills provision to employer needs and bringing business investment into the region.
The Agency funds or manages a series of financial support products for businesses in the region. Information is available at the NWDA's Finance for Business Website
Geographically, the Agency covers Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
including Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
including Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, including the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
including Preston
City of Preston, Lancashire
The City of Preston is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
.
The Agency is one of the principal players in the creation of MediaCityUK in Salford Quays
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
, shortly to be home for a number of relocated BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Departments as well as a major creative and digital village in its own right. It is also playing a strong role in the development of The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness
The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness
The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness is a £200 million development currently under construction in and around the Port of Barrow, North West England. The site covers an area of some and is due for completion in 2020...
.
The NWDA is funded by central Government and is responsible to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Since their establishment in 1999 Regional Development Agencies they have cost £15 billion.