Spelman drops Conservative pledges to abolish RDAs

So, what is the Conservative Party policy on Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)?

Well, here is Iain Dale on the matter in February:

Cameron Reinforces Pledge to Abolish RDA’s & Assemblies
David Cameron has given an interview to BBC South East, to be shown at lunchtime tomorrow in which he pledges to abolish Regional Development Agencies. Good. There had been some speculation that the Tories were wavering on that commitment.

Or here is what Public Servant magazine reported last year of both Cameron and Eric Pickles:

Tory leader David Cameron has confirmed what Public Servant magazine reported in its April issue, that the Conservatives would abolish regional development agencies (RDAs)…

In our story ‘No future for RDAs under Tories’, Dean Carroll quoted Pickles as saying: “RDAs are unaccountable and unelected and they will be abolished.

And then there’s John Redwood on his blog:

Abolish the RDAs

So that’s all clear then? But wait, what’s this in Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman’s speech last month?

Regional Development Agencies will therefore evolve into Local Enterprise Partnerships.

That’d not be axing them but renaming them. Sir Humphrey would be proud. And rather chuffed to also know that, as Paul Staines has pointed out, there are 18 new quangos promised by the Conservatives.