Adding value to the regions

A new report published today highlights the crucial role the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly plays in supporting economic and sustainable growth in the region.

The report, Adding Value to the Regions, is the result of independent research commissioned by the English Regions Network examining the role and impact of the eight Regional Assemblies. It also identifies six areas where key policy recommendations have been proposed (see notes to news editors).

Specific case studies from each region are detailed and key programmes that the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly have led on are highlighted.

These include:

• Setting up a pilot Regional Transport Board to provide leadership and advice on the region’s transport investment priorities and needs, along with preparing the Regional Transport Strategy. This has now led to responsibility for Transport Boards being passed formally to Assemblies across the country.
• The appointment of a Regional Climate Change Co-ordinator and a commitment to action to address climate change.
• Working with key partners to secure an agreement with DEFRA to increase emergency funding for flood defences.

To inform the research, consultations were carried out with Chief Executives and senior policy officers from each Assembly along with representatives from other regional and sub regional organisations.

Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Assembly said “The case studies in this report demonstrate just a few examples of how the Assembly has a vital role to play within the region. The work we have undertaken on establishing the Regional Transport Board and looking at ways to deal with flooding and climate change are priority areas and this report recognises the positive effect this work has had.”

“We hope that the recommendations made in this report underline the benefits brought to the region and Government by Yorkshire and Humber speaking with one voice on such critical issues.”

The report also goes on to identify the major strengths of the Regional Assemblies. These include:

• Assemblies play a key role in making those hard choices which are needed at the regional level to underpin economic growth and sustainable development.
• Assemblies are the only regional body capable of providing critical democratic legitimacy for these choices and for other strategies developed in the regions
• Ensuring that Regional Development Agencies are accountable to a wide range of interests – important given the RDA’s very strong focus on the economic pillar of sustainable development.
• Connecting strategies and encouraging innovative holistic approaches which are enabling sustainable development principles to be embedded in regional governance.

Following the release of the local government white paper last month, further guidance on how Government intends to strengthen regional arrangements is expected to be made available through the sub-national review of economic development and regeneration early next year.

* For more details contact Iain Lovell, Head of Scrutiny and Communications, Yorkshire and Humber Assembly, 01924 331583, e-mail iain.lovell@yhassembly.gov.uk

Notes to news editors

Policy recommendations

The report makes six key policy recommendations:

Develop Regional Public Service Agreements

• The development of a Public Service Agreement for each region could provide the framework for the extension of the Regional Funding Allocation process.
• Regional Public Service Agreements would also support further devolution of decision making responsibilities in England.
• Regional Public Service Agreements would strengthen the working relationship between regions and government through commitment to a set of objectives and targets designed by the regions and explicitly tailored to their individual characteristics and development needs.
• Extend the Regional Funding Allocation process
• Regional Assemblies played a central role in developing submissions to government; working with extensive regional partnerships to identify funding priorities incorporating housing, economic development and transport allocations.
• The Regional Funding Allocation exercise underlined the regions capacity to make difficult strategic decisions about priorities.
• The success of the Regional Funding Allocation process should be developed to encompass a wider range of policy areas and deepened to include more of the funding at regional level.

Further integrate regional policy responsibilities

• By working towards single regional strategies that embrace the complete gamut of economic, social and environmental issues it would ensure consistent alignment between strategies.
• An important step to aid integration could be to give Regional Assemblies greater responsibilities for formal approval of the Regional Economic Strategies.

Broaden the Assemblies Accountability function

• Regional Assemblies help ensure that the Regional Development Agencies are answerable to the region and to localities within them for the decisions they make, the way they deploy their resources and the results they achieve.
• Regional Development Agencies recognise the value of being able to account to regional strategic partnerships and the impact it has made on making their activities more effective.
• Regional Assemblies are well positioned to expand their accountability function to include Non-Departmental Public Bodies.

Lead the implementation of Regional Spatial Strategies

• The Regional Assemblies have developed innovative ways of drawing together partners to secure commitments to put in place the mechanisms to realise the place-changing objectives of the Regional Spatial Strategy.
• Empowering Regional Assemblies to lead on implementation would maximise the potential of the Regional Spatial Strategy to deliver the long term behavioural change that is critical to economic growth and sustainable development in England.

Encourage the creation of Regional Transport Boards

• Regional Assemblies have clearly demonstrated their ability as strategic regional leaders not least through the successes of the Regional Funding Allocation process.
• An evaluation of pilot Regional Transport Boards for the Department of Transport found a clear rationale for creating them. They would be better placed to make decisions about transport priorities which would be better integrated with spatial planning and economic development.