Other Ideas: ‘Back to the Future’
‘Other Ideas’ is a new series of essays published by Localis, featuring perspectives from our team, our research fellows and the wider local government family.
As Andy Burnham prepares for a (partial) move into Downing Street, his vision is clear that growth cannot be ordered from the top down…it can only be nurtured from the bottom up, with No 10 North the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK…[coordinating] all parts of government, at national and local level, to agree a long-term economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions. However, we experienced this before.
Over the last 25 years, there has been a whole alphabet soup of government-backed agencies established to deliver local growth.
This short report by Localis fellow David Godfrey looks back on these attempts and deduces what we might learn from these economic relics – if anything?
Findings:
1. Get the Basics Right
- Strengthen Business Relations: Places must engage their largest economic “beasts” to deliver growth and attract new investors. This includes collaborating with anchor institutions and local universities to foster innovation and support start-ups.
- Understand Economic Geographies: Administrative boundaries do not always align with economic realities. Growth plans must recognize functional economic areas and encourage cross-regional collaboration, particularly in non-urban or dispersed economies.
- Ensure Local Accountability: While mayors are elected, all devolved delivery must maintain clear accountability to local communities through the ballot box and rigorous scrutiny by member councils.
- Target Investment Marketing: Local areas must build clear investment pipelines and embrace “local diplomacy” to unlock global investment, coordinating closely with national trade departments.
2. Plan Strategically and Spatially
- Integrate Skills and Growth: Providing the right employment skills requires bringing skills and growth strategies under one roof. Devolved skills funding should be extended to all areas, not just those with mayors.
- Leverage Spatial Planning: Spatial Development Strategies should serve as investment frameworks that clearly define growth areas and provide planning certainty to developers.
- Adopt an “Infrastructure First” Approach: Strategic spatial planning is essential to secure early investment in utility infrastructure (water, energy, communications), preventing delays and reducing local opposition to new housing and growth.
3. Prioritise Delivery
- Maintain a Single Focus: Growth bodies need a clear, targeted planning direction to accelerate decision-making and build private sector confidence, independent of the day-to-day service pressures faced by local councils.
- Unlock Major Opportunities: Local authorities require the ability to draw in specialized planning resources and capacity to accelerate stalled sites that span multiple planning boundaries.
- Back Beauty and Quality Design: Growth must not come at the expense of quality. Implementing agreed design codes can streamline the planning process, promote energy efficiency, and ensure high-quality development for future generations.