In 2004, we carried out an evaluation of the achievements and limitations of the Keep London Working (KLW) Partnership. The evaluation was undertaken with the financial support of the KLW Partnership and the London Development Agency (LDA) as part of the formal requirements of the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funding agreement. Drawing on the LDA’s SRB Final Evaluation Report Guidance, the evaluation was structured by reference to:

• The baseline position at the start of the programme
• Achievements against that baseline
• Innovation and good practice identified
• Questions answered and unanswered
• Take-up and influence of the project’s findings
• Value for money
• Effectiveness of partnership working at Board level
• Effectiveness of the reporting, monitoring and administration systems
• Effectiveness of publicity initiatives

We formed a view on these evaluation areas through a review of a wide range of documentary evidence and through a series of interviews with key stakeholders. Given the action learning frame of the Programme, this was a challenging evaluation. The Partnership responded to its own learning by making significant changes in what it sought to achieve, and much of what it sought to achieve did not lend itself readily to quantitative analysis, notably its contribution to and influence on wider policy making. Our report was received and accepted by the KLW Board in May 2004.