Tag Archives: Local Government Resource Review

The case for a ‘local growth pact’…

By , Friday, 11 May 2012, Be the first to comment

One of the most striking political contrasts of early May was between Presidential elections in France and Local Government elections in England. In France we had M.Hollande elected on a turnout over 80% whilst in England we struggled to achieve 32%. One of the most striking economic policy contrasts is between M.Hollande’s priority to agree a European Growth Pact, and a Queen’s Speech in the UK widely reported as NOT providing the ‘answer to growth’.

Perhaps it is facile to link these contrasts. However, given the publics’ undoubted economic concerns, surely IF local political leaderships were putting forward radical, decisive and credible economic growth propositions, these would be of significant public (electoral?) interest. So, is there now a case for ‘local growth pacts’ (to match M. Hollande’s continental ambitions)? And, if so, what might these look like and how might they be delivered?

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Making Local Economic Sense of the Budget…

By , Monday, 26 March 2012, Be the first to comment

My last blog questioned ‘What are LEPs for’, and made suggestions about how to organise to deliver different LEP roles and functions. Last week’s budget was somewhat disappointing in helping to clarify these important issues. Government is still (in Vince Cable’s own words) ‘lacking a compelling vision of where the country is heading’, and nowhere is this more evident than in government’s approach to local economic growth.

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Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice – What is your LEP made of?

By , Tuesday, 13 March 2012, Be the first to comment

The popular nursery rhyme ‘What are little boys made of’ was the inspiration for The Searchers’ 1963 hit single ‘Sugar and Spice’ (as a response to the question ‘what are little girls made of?’). As Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) finalise their 2012/13 Budgets and Business Plans, I have been asking myself (and those LEP Boards with whom I am working) whether they are now clear ‘what their LEP is for?’ and, therefore, ‘what they need to be made of’ in the coming financial year and beyond.

It is important that LEPs do ask themselves those questions – ideally in that order – because my observation is that we are seeing LEPs take on widely varying roles and functions. These require quite different resourcing, organisation arrangements, and responses/support from local authorities, business and other partners if LEPs are to be effective.

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Financing Local Economic Growth and Growing Local Economic Finance…

By , Monday, 27 February 2012, Be the first to comment
Don't 'follow the money' to deliver local economic growth...

Need to do more than 'follow the money' to deliver local economic growth…

As we approach a pivotal Budget next month, now is an important moment to consider whether  government’s local government finance reforms will really provide the powers and resources to stimulate local economic growth. This analysis can shape the steps local authorities (LAs) and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) need to take to realise returns from any of these changes.

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’Unlocking growth in cities’…’Unlocking incoherence in government’

By , Tuesday, 17 January 2012, Be the first to comment

Clegg and Clark’s announcement of ‘new city deals’ in December 2011 was broadly welcomed as a positive outcome of the Core Cities Group engagement with the Localism Bill (now Act), and was presented as a radical opportunity for putting Government’s ambitions for local growth and decentralisation into practice. It provided some localism and decentralist seasonal cheer from our Minister for Cities AND Decentralisation (not forgetting ‘Big Society’ and ‘Planning Policy’) at the end of a long arduous 2011.

In the cold light of 2012, however, Government’s ‘offer’ (in ‘Unlocking Growth in Cities’) appears incoherent and incomplete. How can cities, LEPs and other local partners turn it into something that will actually do ‘what it says on the tin’?

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Avoiding a tiff about TIFs

By , Monday, 25 July 2011, Be the first to comment

Views on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) have ranged from clamours for early action, to caution based on US experience, together with an English admiration (or is that jealousy) of the progress being made in Scotland. Now that the Local Government Resource Review (LGRR) Business Rates Retention Consultation, has been published, how does the development landscape for TIFs look?

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