Leadership, governance and delivery

Delivering the regional economic strategy in the region

The East of England Development Agency prepares the regional economic strategy (RES) with and on behalf of the region. Implementation, however, is the region's shared responsibility. The test of the strategy will be its success in changing behaviour and investment, to bring about sustainable prosperity and an economy that can adapt to global issues and competition.

To this end the RES will be used to:

  • direct the activities and investment of key regional and national agencies, particularly in areas such as transport and skills that are key drivers of regional productivity growth
  • inform the economic outcomes agreed with local authorities through Local Area Agreements, and enable local government to contribute effectively to the region's sustainable economic growth
  • provide the basis for our discussions with the government and the EU in areas that will influence the achievement of sustainable economic growth in the East of England.

The key components of RES delivery and performance management will be:

  • clear and effective governance arrangements, owning and managing delivery of improved economic outcomes at regional and sub-regional level
  • an East of England Implementation Plan
  • Local Area Agreements
  • Multi Area Agreements
  • Integrated Development Programmes or equivalents
  • robust sustainable community strategies and local development frameworks.

Delivery arrangements for the RES will need to be adaptable to take account of:

  • the implications of an early review of the regional spatial strategy (RSS) 
  • institutional changes affecting major delivery partners, such as local government reform and the creation of the Homes and Communities Agency
  • progress in implementing the Sub-national Review of Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR), including the move towards a single regional strategy.

Throughout these changes it is important that economic development strategy and delivery arrangements are based upon:

  • a concerted focus on improved economic performance
  • the political leadership and democratic mandate of local authority members
  • a strong partnership ethos, harnessing the different ideas, skills and resources of a wide range of public, private and third-sector players
  • the opportunities and challenges of globalisation and supporting the region’s comparative advantages in international markets
  • greater opportunities for the business community to shape local and regional economic policy and action
  • a recognition of real economic geographies and the need to address the significant differences in economic, social and environmental circumstances across the region
  • robust evidence, with a clear understanding of market opportunities, failures and the potential impacts of different investment choices
  • effectiveness and efficiency in using public sector expenditure and leveraging private sector finance
  • the premise that predictability and certainty are vital for business competitiveness - to this end implementation of the RES must be based on a clear framework that avoids proliferation of initiatives - for instance, through an agreed Business Support Simplification Programme framework in the East of England and avoiding significant variations in local business rates or tariffs
  • greater local and regional freedoms and flexibilities, to address the specific economic drivers and issues in the East of England - with delegation of resources to the most appropriate level for delivery.

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Sal Brinton, director of the Association of Universities in the East of England, at the University of Cranfield, Bedfordshire.

Our universities' interaction with business is one of the best-kept secrets of the region. They're very diverse, so they have very distinct and different relationships with business. They play a key role in business growth, whether it's through knowledge transfer, higher-level skills or pure and applied research.