Recommendation 24

We were interested to hear how the Department was going to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the £10.47 billion total that is being spent. It told us that there was always a balance, when doing place-based interventions, as to the timing of when you do them versus waiting for the outcomes you expect.65 The Department explained its evaluation would cover more than just the measures used to prioritise places and would include measures such as the number of jobs created, or the gross value added to the economic productivity of an area. It also told us that, for the Towns Fund (consisting of Town Deals and the Future High Streets Fund), it would look to compare similar towns that received funding to those that did not.66 The Department said it would also make sure there is a clear link with the funding that it had provided, and the improvements seen.67