Sarah Longlands Director, Policy Centre For Local Economic Strategy
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Transcript of Sarah Longlands Director, Policy Centre For Local Economic Strategy
Centre for Local Economic Strategies
Future Choices for our market towns
Delivering economic development
Sarah Longlands
Director of Policy
Our work
Members
Publications
Policy Research
Training and events
Consultancy trading arm
About CLES
Emerging challenges for market towns
Economic downturn – more pressure on market towns and their hinterlands
Housing supply and demand as well as pressure from new developments
Transport and energy - cost implications for residents, business and new enterprise.
Delivery of public services – Continued reductions in public purse
Climate change – risks and opportunities for rural areas, e.g. flooding, renewables, micro-generation etc
Demographic change, including, an ageing population and new migrants
Clunky planning system - dealing with new settlement growth and limiting enterprise.
Main aims of the SNR
Create the conditions that will allow businesses to flourishTo strengthen economic growth in all regions – ensuring that no region is excluded from rising economic prosperityGive local areas and regions greater flexibility to respond to economic change
Followed up with proposals in the Sub National Review consultation
(March 2008) “Taking forward the Review of of Sub National Economic
Development and Regeneration ”
Sub National Review (SNR) of Economic Development and
Regeneration
New powers locally:
New statutory Economic duty on local authorities to make assessment of economic conditions in their areas (upper tier and unitary local authorities).
Possibility of delegation of RDA funding programmes to Local authorities for delivery
Local Authority - lead delivery responsibility for 14-19 year old agenda with £7bn diverted from Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
What the Sub National Review means for the delivery of economic
development
Strengthening accountability of RDAs and integrating agendas:
Strengthened scrutiny arrangements for RDAs, and development of new Leader Forum (4NW in the North West)
Formation of a Single Integrated Regional Strategy (SIRS) which will replace the regional economic strategy and attempt to integrate planning and transport alongside economic strategy.
Encouragement for greater sub regional co-operation through Multi Area Agreements
What the Sub National Review means for the delivery of economic
development
Refocusing of policy:
Regeneration heavily focused on tackling worklessness
Clear focus on continued economic growth with a new regional performance growth target PSA7Make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and over the long term reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions” (Measured using the trend rate of growth in Gross Value Added (GVA) per head in each region)
What the Sub National Review means for the delivery of economic
development
What does the Sub National Review mean for market towns?
Relationship between Regional Development Agency and sub regional partnerships and the Local Authority
•Positioning of market town agenda in relation to the authority/sub region
Economic Development assessment Duty
•Underlines the role of Local Councils in economic development
•Provide an evidence base to link to regional integrated strategy
•Linking the needs of market towns to this economic assessment
Re-emphasising the importance of Local/Multi Area Agreements
•Contribution of market towns to these agendas
•Positioning of market towns in relation to these structures
BUT……
Are the recommendations within the Sub National Review fit for purpose given the current economic climate?
Can our existing strategies deliver economic development which can withstand the economic shocks that lie ahead?
Developing resilient market towns: Resilient places – places which now and in the future can
withstand environmental and economic shocks and changes, repel negative factors and come back from adversity
Anticipating how current challenges will impact upon market towns
Considerations for future delivery
Developing a response to climate change challenge
How is your market town responding to climate change?
Considering the opportunities of a low carbon economy through new technology, new skills, new business. E.g. business clusters at Ashton Hays and Kirklees
Energy supply and demand Options around micro-generation, renewables, efficiency
Considerations for future delivery
Linking new development with local economy Linking new capital investment, e.g. housing and business
infrastructure, with the local economy, for example, local employment, skills development, local supply chains
Public sector employment Supports local employment and local supply chains
Can provide an important buffer in market towns
Consider how can use public economy smartly in market towns
Considerations for future delivery
