East Midlands Development Agency
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development. Working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations the aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) ‘A Flourishing Region’, which sets out regional priorities until 2020. The RES, coordinated by emda, highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and builds on the previous two strategies; ‘Prosperity Through People’ and ‘Destination 2010’.
Bryan Jackson chairs the Agency, supported by a Board drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Jeff Moore, the Agency’s Chief Executive, manages a team of four Executive Directors and a staff complement of 278.
emda covers the counties of Derbyshire; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire (except the districts of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire); Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire; and the unitary authorities of Derby; Leicester; Nottingham and Rutland.
emda’s remit covers:
- Increasing business competitiveness
- Developing the skills base
- Attracting inward investment
- Job creation
- Regenerating land
- Building cohesive communities
In early 2007 the National Audit Office announced emda had received the highest possible grade of 'performing strongly' in an independent assessment - scoring 22 out of 24.
