Local area agreements
In June 2008, the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear signed off their local area agreements (LAAs). These will run until March 2011. Copies of all five LAAs can be found on the Improvement and Development Agency's website.
More general information about LAAs
We hold regular meetings with LAA coordinators, wider delivery partners and act as a strategic advisor to local strategic partnership (LSP) board meetings to ensure that targets are:
- on track
- challenging
- supporting activity to make sure that they are evidence-based and well considered.
Also to ensure the transformation of local delivery priorities. We are currently reviewing progress against targets and refreshing appropriate baselines. The aim is that all outstanding targets will be resolved ready for year two of the LAA (from 1 April 2009).
Multi area agreements
We continue to support the delivery of the Tyne and Wear City Region Multi Area Agreement (MAA), based on the analysis by the OECD and the city region investment plan.
The Tyne and Wear City Region involves:
- Gateshead
- Newcastle
- North Tyneside
- South Tyneside
- Sunderland
- Northumberland
- County Durham.
These organisations work in partnership with:
- One North East
- Learning and Skills Council
- Jobcentre Plus
- voluntary and community sectors (Pentagon)
- the private sector.
The MAA was agreed and signed off by ministers on 14 July 2008 and the overall priorities are employment, skills and transport. It will be subject to review in a similar way to the LAAs. Targets include reducing the number of people on out of work benefits and traffic congestion. We are currently working with local partners to ensure that progress is made on agreed priorities, and challenging the city region to ensure that economic development plans are based on sound analytical activity.
Economic development, employability and participation
We work to support the improvement in economic performance, as measured by Gross Valued Added (GVA) of the city region, by:
- improving employability
- improving participation in the labour market of disadvantaged individuals
- ensuring improvements in education and higher skills.
We support economic assessments by local authorities and implementation of the Sub National Review.
We have ensured that South Tyneside and the city region played a full role in the Worklessness Review and that the Working Neighbourhoods Fund proposals contribute toward delivery of the Tyne and Wear LAAs.
We will continue to support, challenge and advise the continued work of the City Region Employment Consortium, and the emerging city region Employment and Skills Board.
Transport accessibility and congestion
We will support and challenge plans to improve transport accessibility and reduce congestion within the city region. Both Newcastle and Gateshead have a specific target to reduce traffic congestion and this also features in the MAA. MAA transport accessibility and congestion proposals are underway and the Tyne and Wear local authorities are making joint plans for congestion reduction. We will try to steer better investment on public transport, and important roads linking Tyne and Wear to the rest of the country, A1 and A19,, and support the development of an economically sustainable transport strategy for the city region, which will target investment where it is of most benefit.
Local strategic partnerships
We act as a link between each of our local authorities and Whitehall. We attend and contribute to meetings to ensure policy messages are fed back to the partnerships. We make sure that any concerns from our local partnerships are given to the centre. We will encourage the spreading of good practice ideas across the partnerships.
Sustainable community strategies and local development frameworks
We try to make sure that LAA objectives contribute to the wider objectives of the sustainable community strategies (SCS) of the five authorities and that the local development frameworks and the SCS fit together. We support the development of revisions to SCS to ensure that they will lead the long-term transformation of localities and neighbourhoods.
Engagement with comprehensive area assessments
We have developed an effective relationship with the Audit Commission, and support the implementation of the new comprehensive area assessment proposals.
New Deal for Communities
We support plans to narrow the gap in key shared outcomes (reducing crime and worklessness, supporting businesses, improving health, education, housing and the environment and increasing community involvement) for people within the city region, including working with the New Deal for Communities partnerships in Newcastle and Sunderland.
For more information contact:
Newcastle and South Tyneside
Jamie McKay
0191 202 3760
jamie.mckay@gone.gsi.gov.uk
Gateshead and Sunderland
Tom Smyth
0191 202 3661
tom.smyth@gone.gsi.gov.uk
North Tyneside
Andrew Cartwright
0191 202 3570
andrew.cartwright@gone.gsi.gov.uk
