SWRDA Under Attack Again Over £2 Million Costs

south west | local government | news report Tuesday March 18, 2008 22:16 by SWRDAwatch

This time the Evening Post weighs in

SWRDA or the South West Regional Development Agency, is the quango sitting over our region like a SW-wide octopus with the tentacles in (and round) lots and lots of places. It has been under attack in cyberspace for some time now here and by bloggers such as the Bristol Blogger. Well now the other bits of local media have finally caught up and weighed in to examine them - and their £2 million spending on foreign offices.

If you have not read it, the Post are saying, " The South West Regional Development Agency has spent almost £2 million opening offices as far away as Australia and China. The Evening Post has learned that the agency (RDA), which scrapped plans for an arena in Bristol claiming it would cost too much to develop, has offices or representatives in five international cities."

They got this money following freedom of information requests to SWRDA. What other interesting documents might come to light if more such requests went out? Might be worth a look....

Read the full article here - - http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=14536...44922

It is a little disappointing to see that the Post article does not look at the aspect of how the local democratic process is impacted by the unelected SWRDA. A final quote from the article, "The figures disclosed show the RDA also spent £61,000 on its annual staff conference in Wiltshire, plus £28,279 on another staff meeting last year in Torquay."

We looked today at the SWRDA website and there was nothing in thier 'news' section about this revelation. SWRDA costs us taxpayers £180 million and year and it is time to ask if it is worth the money.

Some Past Articles of Interest

RDAs - Questions for the 'Quangocracy'
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/27113

SWRDA Invites Pro-Nuclear Toff to Teach us how to Glogalise
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/687952

'Common Purpose' secret charity within SWRDA and the Police
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/26875

SWRDA's Climate Greenwash
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/26746

The Great SWRDA Swindle
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/27113