How can we deliver internationally-competitive regional growth in the East of England, while also facing the challenges of the sub-national review (SNR)?
I believe that a 'regional leadership team' made up of regional development agencies (RDAs) and local authorities (LAs), with private and third sector partners can make SNR a win/win situation by working together to challenge the government to deliver on its promises.
There is a huge challenge, but massive opportunities in delivering an internationally-competitive economy in the region, which will bring jobs, wealth and sustainable growth to business operating and individuals living in our towns and cities.
However, we must move beyond the 'zero-sum game' of SNR and challenge these attitudes and perceptions that are holding us back: the belief that local authorities' increased role can only be at the expense of RDAs, and vice-versa. We cannot afford to stand still - to do so in economic terms, would be to go backwards, as the East of England moves down the international-competitiveness rankings.
Moving beyond the north/south divide debate
We have got to get away from the north/south divide debate and 'do sub-national development better', a view I have held for a while, and which Stephen Timms MP (Minister of State for Competitiveness) talked about last week. This 'sterile' approach is unproductive and fails to consider the important issue of international competitiveness of the regions.
We should all now be recognising that globalisation and technological change are the key components of economic growth and more than ever before, regions and city-regions can be equal to national government in determining the attractiveness of locations for growth and development.
What we should agree
This is the agenda that we must agree on to meet the challenges of a global economy; to raise economic participation; and to raise bottom-line of businesses:
- - regional priorities for growth, development and public investment through the single regional strategy (SRS) and regional funding allocation (RFA) processes
- - local area agreements (LAAs) and multi-area agreements (MAAs) that really make the most of the international-quality competencies of our towns, cities and their hinterland
- - mobilising partners behind these priorities, from both of our (slightly different) stakeholder constituencies - public, private and third sector
- - simplifying regional, sub-regional and local delivery management and partnership working through the new SRS, LAA and MAAs
- - jointly building economic management capacity to plan and manage these agendas at the highest levels of quality.
Comments (1)
I subscribe to much of what David Marlow has to say here and so, too, would many in the business community but I have two concerns that have the potential to undermine the SNR process and the noble aspiration of global competitiveness.
First, on the day that the SNR consultation is launched, 31.03.08, we have to remind ourselves that this whole policy shift began last Summer when Alistair Darling first made announcements. Those early statements caused many people within regional agencies and local government to contemplate their futures and the future role if any of their organisation. I don't blame anyone for looking inwards but it has diverted thinking power, energy and effort away from the substance of creating a world class economy towards thinking too much and too long about process. We need to break out of sectoral silos and to get on with it.
Second, a lot of the SNR rhetoric refers to 'business' and/or 'employer engagement'. This is not a new theme; though, so far, achieving efficient and effective business engagement at the regional and local level (anywhere, not specifically in this region) remains an ambition rather than a fact of life. No doubt this is the fault of all parties; business people certainly know they can and should contribute more but it is also true that, either by default or design, they are not always drawn into economic development in a way that facilitates their active contribution.
In this region there is a great opportunity to really involve the business community if other stakeholders are willing to make the space for the private sector voice. The organisation I represent, the East of England Business Group and its component members are willing to help design the architecture of the regional economy. How successful such a contribution could be is a question of how much other players are prepared to draw business people into the policy-formulation and decision-making process, offering a genuine, robust role rather than token representation.
I am an optimist. This is a great region and clearly has people at its helm capable of bold and strong leadership. If we are to match the challenge of the burgeoning economies of Asia we need to maximise the contribution of all sectors and, of course, people.
Posted on March 31, 2008 5:26 PM