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The New Local Government Network think tank has announced the formation of a new forum for local authority Multi Area Agreements (MAAs).
The MAA Forum will take the form of a working group where MAA administrations can meet to discuss common concerns and issues. This informal association will also ensure that the MAA administrations can call on a nationally-organised network to pool thinking, and provide a medium for those leading on developing Multi Area Agreements from the ground up to share learning, discuss future policy and strategy, and make joint representations.
So far six MAAs have joined the forum: Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country City Region, Flyde Coast, Humber Economic Partnership, Tees Valley and Gatwick Diamond. The NLGN expects that these will act as a springboard for more MAAs to join.
NLGN Director, Chris Leslie said that he was delighted to welcome new members to forum, adding:
“In this incredibly important year for the establishment of MAA working, NLGN feels it essential to have a strong but independent voice acting as an alliance of MAA interests, able to engage in national strategic dialogue with Whitehall and Westminster, share learning and best practice between MAA areas and make representations to Government if needs be.
I hope that the forum will build on our existing Innovation Network of councils and Mayoral Form and help to build more effective partnerships between authorities”.
Jonathan Spruce, Senior Assistant Director from Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit, who are one of the new forum members said:
“The Tees Valley sees the NLGN MAA Forum as an extremely useful way to share experiences with other areas pursuing MAAs, or those considering them, which allows debate, discussion and information exchange in an open and frank environment from practitioners and policy makers”.
The forum will be run in conjunction with the Institute of Political and Economic Governance at the University of Manchester, who will act as its academic partner.
Prof. Alan Harding, Director of ipeg said:
“We are delighted to be acting as NLGN’s academic partner in this important initiative and to have the opportunity to bring our experience of analysing sub-regional and city-regional governance and strategy, domestically and internationally, to bear on the practical evolution of MAAs. MAAs are crucial to forging a new approach to economic development in England and NLGN’s initiative will help MAA Forum members drive that message home”