Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Lancashire County Council
Thank you for your invitation to submit additional
views to your committee regarding the implications of the sub-national
review on regional development agencies. We look forward to continued
opportunities to engage with your committee on relevant policy
issues in the future.
1. SUB-REGIONAL
COLLABORATION
Views on the creation of Economic Improvement
Boards
Lancashire County Council views the introduction
of EIBs (and the decision to legislate to allow for MAAs with
statutory duties and for informal MAAs) as a welcome expansion
of the range of options for sub-regional co-operation. The use
of such models of governance (including statutory powers) could
serve to strengthen economic management and planning across the
Lancashire sub-region. We also note that the concept of EIBs appears
to have significant standing within central government given that
membership changes will only be possible with ministerial agreement.
Lancashire County Council also notes that engagement with EIBs
is on a voluntary basis, which appears to be in keeping with the
sub-national review's emphasis on flexibility and intervention
at the appropriate spatial level.
We look forward to incorporating EIBs into our
sub-regional policy development and welcome the government's stated
intention "to allow individual sub-regions the scope to propose
the specific functions that could be exercised by the new boards".
Similarly, we appreciate that the government wishes to ensure
that the proposed functions "do not duplicate those best
delivered by bodies operating at different spatial levels."
These decisions should be left to the sub-regions.
2. REGIONAL STRATEGY
AND REFORMED
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
STRUCTURES
Lancashire County Council welcomes the announcement
that there will be "joint responsibility" for Regional
Strategy development between Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)
and the appropriate Local Authority Leaders' Board (in the case
of the North West, 4NW). We feel that partnership engagement in
the development process of the Regional Strategy is equally as
important as joint sign-off between the two and we look forward
to significant sub-regional engagement.
Accountability and consultation
Attendant announcements regarding regional select
committees and regional grand committees means that local government—through
engagement with its partners in Parliament—can seek to engage
with the processes of scrutiny of regional governance structures.
It may be of interest to the Committee that
"An Examination in Public", which will be a requirement
in the development of the Regional Strategy, is the same mechanism
used in the development of the North West Regional Spatial Strategy
(although it has not been used in the development of the Regional
Economic Strategy). Local authorities are well versed in this
process and we look forward to working with the North West Development
Agency.
3. DELEGATION
OF DECISION-MAKING
BY RDAS
We note with interest that no legislation will
be introduced to make "delegation" of decision-making
authority and resources a statutory duty of RDAs. We welcome the
government's stated intention to "work with RDAs, local authorities,
and other partners to develop an investment planning approach
to delivering the priorities in the regional strategy". We
understand that new processes and structures emerging from the
SNR will require a degree of flexibility between partners to ensure
clear roles and lines of responsibility. As such, Lancashire wishes
to work with our regional partners to ensure the appropriate alignment
of priorities across the sub-region. The SNR seeks a balance between
institutional efficiency and elasticity and no statute or guidance
currently exists which would preclude RDAs from delegating decision-making
authority to their public sector partners. We would welcome the
committee confirming this fact with Mr McFadden on 15 December.
We welcome the government's stated intention
to produce guidelines that will streamline RDA appraisal processes
and encourage greater freedom for local authorities in developing
our proposals for delivery (a point we made at our appearance
before the committee in October).
15 December 2008
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