A new report published by The Future Governance Forum (FGF) and written in partnership with Metro Dynamics, has recommended that national government strengthens the changes they are making for strategic authorities to ensure they have the powers and the capacity to deliver for the 28 million people they serve.
The ‘Impactful Devolution 04, Stewards of the Regional System: Strengthening the foundations of strategic authorities’ report was funded by London Councils, and its recommendations include:
- Strategic authorities should act as stewards for their regions with a stronger partnership across national, regional and local government to connect industrial strategy, infrastructure investment and housing investment.
- Strategic authorities need greater capacity and specialist capability to deliver for their regions on finance, investment and infrastructure, for example on land assembly and compulsory purchase.
- Government should move beyond integrated settlements towards ‘Total Place settlements’ giving greater fiscal flexibility than current integrated settlements, and use a funding model which pools resources across public services (rather than separate budgets, i.e. local government, health, policing etc)
- Strategic authorities need greater fiscal devolution to deliver economic growth and need new powers to raise revenue to drive growth and infrastructure investment on a regional basis.
- Strategic authorities should be more publicly accountable with a regional public accounts committee, with more direct public and community involvement.
Hamida Ali, FGF’s Head of Learning and Practice, said, “We are urging government to strengthen their proposals for new strategic authorities so they have the powers and the resources to meet their potential and deliver better standards of living for the 28 million people who live in their areas. Our recommendations also offer leaders in regional government, and those preparing for new mayors, fresh ideas about how they can operate as ‘stewards of the regional system’ and provide leadership on issues including economic growth and housing.”
Michael Wood, Head of Economic Partnerships at the NHS Confederation said: “The report rightly highlights prevention-based public service reform and population health as being vital priorities for this next phase of devolution. The relationship between strategic authorities and the wider health system will need to be at the heart of this shift. This will involve building on the new statutory health duty, aligning strategic commissioning and neighbourhood health plans and delivering in new ways for our shared communities.”
Ben Lucas, Founding Director of Metro Dynamics said: “Successful regional economic policy isn’t just about Strategic Authorities. Our report shows that there is a critical role for government working in partnership with Mayors to drive growth and reform, aligning national industrial, innovation and investment funding with local growth plans.”
