Multi Area Agreements

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MULTI AREA AGREEMENTS

Multi Area Agreements are arrangements between a group of local authorities and Government to deliver a specific programme where it makes sense on a sub-regional basis. Sometimes they can cover single issues such as delivering a housing market renewal programme in South Yorkshire or an employability and worklessness programme in the Black Country.

The Tees Valley Multi Area Agreement is an agreement between BERR (through One NorthEast), Department for Transport, Department of Communities and Local Government and the Tees Valley authorities to deliver a coordinated 3-5 year capital investment programme to deliver the city region business case. In September 2006 the Tees Valley authorities submitted a city region business case to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government showing how the economic performance of the Tees Valley could be improved by developing our economic assets and improving our urban competitiveness. The business case was accompanied by a detailed evidence base and a 10 year capital investment plan. The multi area agreement provides the resources for the first 3 to 5 years of the investment plan.

The multi area agreement covers the following three funding streams:

a) the regeneration place funding stream from One NorthEast; b) the transport funding stream through the Regional Transport Board and the Department for Transport; and c) the Housing Market Renewal funding stream from the regional housing board and the Department of Communities and Local Government.

The agreement will be overseen by a city region board known as Tees Valley Unlimited comprising the Leaders and Mayors of the five Tees Valley authorities, five Tees Valley representatives from key economic sectors in the Tees Valley and a private sector chair.

The Tees Valley authorities are asking for several freedoms and flexibilities from the Agreement. They are:

a) increased delegation limits and a streamlined appraisal system to provide quicker delivery; b) the ability to vire resources from one funding stream in the programme to another to take account of delays in implementation in one funding stream and opportunities to advance projects in another funding stream.

The advantages are that the agreement gives Government comfort that the resources are being used properly to fund a strategic programme and the local authorities security of funding to deliver the improved economic performance of the Tees Valley. It also speeds up the delivery of programmes.

Issues which will be discussed in the seminar are: a) The relationship of Multi Area Agreements to Local Area Agreements; b) The performance measurement framework for MAAs; c) The freedoms and flexibilities that could result from MAAs; d) The role of MAAs in the context of the sub national review; e) How do you arrive at the priorities of programmes for inclusion in an MAA and deal with the local political tensions that occur; and f) The governance arrangements behind an MAA