Give the EEDA some Teeth

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Apr 1999

Liberal Democrats welcome the establishment of the new regional Development Agency for the East of England, and want it to prioritise the development of the region's infrastructure.

The call to tackle the 'infrastructure deficit' comes from Andrew Duff, who is the Region's top Lib Dem prospective candidate for the European Parliament.

Speaking to Luton Breakfast Club on Wednesday 7 April, Andrew Duff will set out his party's aspirations for the economic development of the region.

He will say:

"The East of England could compete with the best region in Europe if it solves its problems of traffic congestion and low-tech telecoms. High speed rail and light rail links, the restoration of efficient public transport and the building of integrated digital networks must be seen as building blocks for prosperity and not as luxurious add-ons. Jobs in Luton are threatened, as elsewhere in the region, by old-fashioned transport and communications.

"The new RDA has a chance to prove its worth by devising and implementing a strategy to network the region effectively. This would foster a new enterprise culture.

"Full participation in the European dimension can and will help - but a strong partnership of government and industry has to develop at all levels if we are to be truly competitive. This means that the RDA needs a number of quick successes to its credit by cutting through bureaucratic red tape and by generating a new democratic spirit.

"The government seems uncertain about where the RDAs are headed. Liberal Democrats are ambitious to make them work in the interests of the whole community and region, and to become forces of social, economic and political change."