Government Offices
Government Offices (GOs) offer experience and expertise to Whitehall Departments in the development of policy and in the way that policies are best implemented, and are the primary means by which a wide range of Government policies and programmes are delivered in the English regions.
GOs represent eleven Whitehall departments, and are involved in regenerating communities, fighting crime, tackling housing needs, improving public health, raising standards in education and skills, tackling countryside issues, and reducing unemployment. The eleven Whitehall departments are:
Bringing together the activities and interests of so many Whitehall Departments within a single organisation makes the Government Offices well placed to join up the delivery of Government policies across the English regions. It also means they are able to support projects that cut across the agendas of their sponsor Departments.
Government Offices manage significant spending programmes on behalf of their sponsor Departments, including a number of European funds. In 2004-05, they were responsible for over £9bn of Government expenditure.
The Government Offices represent central Government in the regions. Staff in the regional offices have local knowledge and expertise. They work with local and regional stakeholders. They know what works and what doesn’t. And they know when Government policies need to be revised to take account of local circumstances.
Regional Co-ordination Unit
The Regional Co-ordination Unit provides the Network with a vital interface with Whitehall, working closely with sponsor Departments to ensure programmes reinforce each other and are implemented effectively. They feed the regional perspective received from the Government Offices back to sponsor Departments, ensuring the Network influences the development and evaluation of Government policy.
