This document discusses the strategic context of planning, local economic partnerships (LEPs), and local economies. It addresses where good local economic growth comes from, the role and challenges of LEPs in providing leadership for local growth through 2020, and implications for local planning authorities. Key points discussed include the ingredients of successful planning-led growth, challenges like demographic changes and austerity, the content and processes of local growth strategies, and issues around the roles and accountability of LEPs versus local authorities in the local growth agenda. Open discussion of these topics and remaining difficult issues that are not yet resolved is encouraged.

1. Planning, LEPs and local
economies – the strategic
context
Presentation to: Economic Growth – the
value of planning
Name David Marlow
Third Life Economics
Date 24 February 2015

2. Introductions and agenda for
session...
 A bit about me...
 Three subjects to discuss
and develop
 Where does ‘good local
economic growth’ come
from?
 How far will LEPs provide
leadership of local
economic growth 2015-20
 What issues does ‘LEP-
land’ raise for LPAs
 Not a lecture – nor a PhD
– lets work through the
topics together

3. Icebreaker...
 A ‘good’ example of
planning-led local
economic growth in
the last decade:-
 What it is?
 What were the key
ingredients of
success?

4. Where does ‘good’ local economic
growth come from?
 Context...
 Content...
 Process...
 A local growth road
map..
 Strategic planning
and local planning...

5. Challenges of ‘big picture’
change....
 Demographics and
social innovation
 Science and
technological
innovation
 Globalism and looking
outwards
 Public sector austerity
and reforms
 Localism and
complexity...

6. The content of local economic
growth
 Physical investment-
led
 Enterprise,
innovation, and
creativity-led
 Community
regeneration-led
 Positioning and
branding
approaches
 Integration with LCD
and sustainable

7. The processes of local economic
growth...
 Leadership and
building the
leadership team...
 Partnership and
collaboration...
 Capacity and
capability for effective
delivery
management...
 Working across
boundaries
 Professional
 Sectoral and
institutional
 Geographical

8. The England ‘instruments’ of local
growth...
 New partnerships – LEPs,
LTBs, LNPs etc., and local
authorities
 New policies – NPPF and
planning reforms (CIL, NHB
etc), EZs, etc.,
 New funding instruments –
RGF, GPF, LGRR, TIF, LGF,
ESIF etc.,...
 New sub-regional instruments
– CAs; city deals - wave one,
two; local growth deals;
 New local instruments –
community and
neighbourhood planning and
budgets
 Renationalised E&I functions
 BUT “let’s party like it’s
2009...”

9. The local growth road map?

10. What does this mean for local
planning and the professional LA
planner?

11. The LEP Story I - an ‘unusual’
birth...
 An ‘invitation’ to
business and civic
leaders – but NOT a
requirement/voluntar
y
 No specific roles
and functions
beyond ‘strategic
leadership’
 Ideally but not
necessarily FEAs
 No resources

12. LEP story II –
From Year Zero to Year One....
 From voluntary to
universal coverage
 Hugely diverse
pattern of economic
geographies
 Given some start-up
funding
 Given something to
do – RGF, EZs, GPF
etc.

13. LEP Story III - The Heseltine
approach and government
response...
 No stone unturned:-
 Government ‘system’ too
 Piecemeal
 Centralised
 Decentralise through LEPs
and create SLGF
 LA reform and metro-
mayors
 Government response
 LEP SEPs and SIFs and
LA delivery bodies
 The 15% LGF(s) but still
£2bnpa
 ‘Initial’ guidance and ESIF
partial, top down opt-ins

14. LEP Story IV - the LEP/LA agenda to
2020...
 Meeting very significant
and complex government
expectations, EU
compliance and over
£12bn of public funding
 The opportunity to
genuinely build a strategic
economic leadership team,
shared vision, and
intervention strategies
 ‘No LEP is an island’...
 ...and neither is economic
development
 ...and a word about HEIs
and the ‘missed’ Witty
opportunity

15. LEP story V – the LA response...
 Founder members
 Accountable bodies (and
scrutiny)
 Major funders (maybe) –
including twin-hatted officer
teams
 A potential strategic economic
leadership team
 Governance reforms
 CAs, EPBs, Joint Statutory
Committees, Leaders Boards etc
 BUT...major questions
 District councils/’county regions’
 LEP/LA relations and intra-LEP
decentralisation
 ‘In a box’ or ‘out of the box’
 2015-20 devolution ambitions?
A sign of strength or of weakness?

16. What has your LEP ever done for
you?

17. Planning in LEP-land I: A LEP
perspective
 The logic of strategic
economic leadership of
place
 Planning necessary
 The underpinnings of
sustainable local growth...
 Linking housing to
employment growth and
vice-versa
 The principles of coherent
local growth
 Operates across functional
economic market areas
 The practice of SEPs
 Major infrastructure and
employment investments
(including some housing)

18. Planning in LEP-land...II: A LA
perspective
 The principles of local
leadership of place and
planning decision-making
 Statutory process
 Democratic accountability and
legitimacy
 The practice of local planning
 Long-run, evidence-based
 Based on LA administrative
geographies with ‘duty to
cooperate with neighbours
 The concerns about LEP-land
 To whom are they
accountable?
 Are they really
FEMAs/places?
 Do they have capacity and
capability to deliver?

19. Planning in LEP-land III – playing the
‘whole council’ role well...
Doing ‘business as usual’ agendas really well
• Getting planning, delivery management, housing, infrastructure and other
services right
• Excellence in business relationship management, signposting & brokerage
• Really knowing your ‘places’ – cities, town, villages/neighbourhoods – at a
granular level
Focusing on a small number of transformers
• Identifying a manageable number of ‘big ticket’ changes you want to achieve –
major capital investment projects or perhaps addressing a key business, skills
or social issue
• Promotion, lobbying and advocacy of your place(s) consistently and
distinctivelyRefreshing partnership working
• Partnerships with LA neighbours; LEP-level; business and third
sectors relationships
• Building the ‘right’ place-based leadership team(s)
Institutional architecture and resourcing
• Ensuring ‘whole council’ cultureis ‘fit for purpose
• Allocating distinct capital and revenue resources for growth and
development, including new financing mechanisms

20. Planning in LEP-land...IV: ‘Difficult
issues’ not yet resolved
 What is/should be the national spatial
strategy?
 Implicit/explicit
 Rebalancing/market-led
 What is the legitimate and appropriate role
of an intermediate tier of governance?
 In general
 In planning
 How to make the ‘duty to cooperate’
effective
 Dealing with commuting
 Future of LEPs
 Form and functions
 Inevitable variabilities
 National and devolution agendas 2015-20
 Government...intermediate...LA
 Neighbourhood
 Competitive or strategic/collaborative
 Unknown/unknowns e.g.
 UKIP, EU referendum
 Genuinely unexpected shocks

21. Questions, comments and
discussion...
 How do we deal with
and resolve these
agendas?
 What have I
omitted?
 Other comments...

22. Review and reflections...
 What has been
helpful and less
helpful about the
session?
 Is there anything that
hasn’t been covered,
that you wish we had
addressed?
 What changes or
considerations will
you think about
exploring further
when you return to
your LA next week?

23. DavidMarlow@thirdlifeeconomics.c
o.uk
Thank you