The Government published the consultation paper Prosperous Places: Taking Forward the Review of Sub National Economic Development and Regeneration in March 2008. A combined response by the Association of North East Councils, One North East and the North East Assembly setting out their views on how the SNR will be implemented in the region was submitted.
The Government will respond to the consultation responses in due course.
The main aspects of the review are:
- single integrated regional strategy to replace singles strategies such as Regional Economic Strategy, Regional Spatial Strategy
- Regional Development Agencies to have executive responsibility for strategy
- Regional Development Agencies to take on regional planning role from Regional Assemblies, which will not continue in their current form and function
- local authorities to agree strategy and perform scrutiny of Regional Development Agencies
- consultation on statutory local authorities economic assessment duty
- delegation of funding from Regional Development Agencies to local authorities
- expanded Regional Funding Allocation exercise
- funding for 14-19 year olds skills moved to local authorities.
We will work with regional partners, especially One North East, the region’s local authorities, and the North East Assembly to help implement the SNR as well as other stakeholders, such as business and the third sector. We will help partners to develop a Regional Strategy for the North East that sets out their vision and strategic priorities, with implementation plans that deliver traction. We will support local authorities as they carry out their new economic development duty so that these changes deliver the intended outcomes with an effective and smooth transfer of responsibilities.
We will also be working closely with partners and stakeholders on the second round of the Regional Funding Allocations Exercise (RFA2). The guidance was published on the 30 July 2008.
