Presentation - SCUPAD

Salzburg Congress on Urban Planning & Development
9-12 May 2013
The role of economic intelligence in
spatial strategies
Ania Ankowska & Dr Lee Pugalis
Northumbria University, UK

Overview
• topic introduction – innovative concept
• Attempt to conceptualise the Local Economic Assessments (LEAs)
process & identification of the prospective policy development
opportunities
• Future of economic assessments in the era of austerity
• LEAs and LEPs (Local Enterprise Partnerships) interface
• utilization of LEAs& future of LEAs
• importance of the topic & relevance to the theme of the congress

BACKGROUND
• Local Economic Assessments (LEAs) – a statutory duty on all
English principal local authorities
• LEAs were part of a much broader ‘review’ of sub-national
development initiated in 2007
• Change in government in 2010 led to a change in ethos
• hands off approach - removal of the statutory guidance:
‘unnecessary central interference that goes against the grain
of localism’
• Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) – 39 established; publicprivate
partnerships

METHODOLOGY
• Developed prior empirical research by Pugalis
• National policy analysis
• Research Setting: Local authorities, governance entities and
partnerships in the North East of England
• Data collection took place during the summer and autumn of
2012
• 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key
participants including local authority officers

THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND
• The lowest GVA per capita in England
• Faces structural economic issues and concentrated areas of
deprivation but it does have some sectoral strengths e.g. advanced
manufacturing

WHAT IS THE SCOPE & PURPOSE OF LEAS?
• It is an umbrella term – can cover economic reviews, economic
masterplans, impact evaluations etc
• Multidimensional scope and purpose and the utility across
various disciplines tailored to the individual needs of localities
• Analytical tool which gathers together all the information and
describes local economy, helping to set the targets and the
benchmarks
• Extraordinary in form and scope
• A form of economic intelligence to help inform spatial strategies

APPROACH TO THE PRODUCTION OF LEAS
• Some standard methods but tailored to local circumstances
• A multi-tiered approach was implemented in some cases:
- partnership with various consultants within across a range of fields
- doing all work in-house
- amalgamation of both
• General approach including the guidelines and the assessment
would be helpful in assessing the current progress and setting the
future goals

LEAS & LEPS INTERFACE
• LEPs: cross-boundary public-private strategic local growth
arrangements
• Striking similarities of focus between LEPs and LEAs
• The interface between the analytical processes (in the form of LEAs)
and the governance networks (referring to LEPs) is often
disconnected
• The interaction between these analytical processes and governance
networks has not been as fruitful as it could be
• the enhanced cooperation LEAs- LEPs can yield better results for the
sake of economic growth

UTILIZATION OF LEAS & FUTURE OF LEAs
• the exercise has been useful in many ways
- helping to draw strategies
- highlighting a range of actions
- forming the evidence base for corporate plans, local development
framework
- has illuminated the important areas of understanding
• the statutory duty has gone beyond the initial gloomy presumptions
• a belief that the processes of LEAs must be continued in the future in
various forms (regular updates / plans to periodically re-visit the work/
production of a kind of life live bank) exist
• LEAs need to constantly demonstrate their value in the form of being
unremitting evidence

POLICY DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
• the statutory duty was not simply something that had to be done
per se.
• embarking on that time-consuming and expensive exercise was
‘inevitable despite high costs’.
• the high cost of LEAs production has been justified by practical
value
• LEAs are crucial as the current conditions of the country’s
economy determine the future policy and the potential prospects
for growth
• the permissive approach is regarded not to be flawless but it is
believed to be the best option in the current economic milieu