The Royal
Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes the Government's renewed
focus on Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as key bodies tasked
with coordinating growth over larger than local areas, contained in
the Treasury-published response to Lord Heseltine's No
Stone Unturned. The response echoes much of
what the RTPI said in July 2012 about LEPs.
Trudi Elliott, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: "We welcome
the recognition by Government that strategic planning is necessary
over areas wider than single local authorities. We stress however
that strategic economic planning needs to be consistent with the
joint strategic planning for housing including market housing to be
carried out by local authorities.
We also welcome the creation of single pots for economic
development spending. Centralised micro-management of numerous
spending programmes is not helpful for planners, the professionals
charged with drawing together infrastructure investment to make
places work and grow."
RTPI July 2012 on LEPs
In our evidence to evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group
for Local Growth, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Enterprise
Zones the RTPI said:
- Whitehall must recognise that LEPs and Local Planning
Authorities should work more closely together to support local
economies;
- LEPs should be required to cooperate with LPAs in delivering
spatial planning and economic development policies and programmes;
and,
- Local Authorities must work more closely with local communities
and local business.
Govt reponse to No Stone Unturned
The wide ranging response by Government to No Stone
Unturned includes the following elements:
"Local authorities will:
• use these new levers to enable them to prioritise growth
alongside service delivery;
• support the LEP(s) they are part of, and demonstrate their
commitment to making collective strategic decisions, including
delivering the agreed investment plans and delivering
efficiencies;
• pool strategic economic development spend and functions,
and support LEPs in securing match funding for EU SI
Funds;
• co-ordinate land use planning functions and align adopted
local plans, including the use of Local Development Orders, across
local authorities in a LEP area;
• manage and account for the localised funds through binding
and long lived decision making structures such as a joint leaders
committee as a minimum, or combined authority (preferable), or
other similar arrangement." (para 2.14 page 39)
The allocation of the Single Local Growth Fund and any
flexibilities will be through a process of negotiation.
Negotiations will include consideration of a number of criteria
including, "the strength of plans for effective pooling
of economic development spend and functions across the LEP area,
including the degree to which these funds will be revolving, what
private sector leverage has also been secured and whether there is
a co-ordinated approach to strategic spatial planning."(Box 2
E, page 46)
"At Autumn Statement 2012, the Government announced that
LEPs will be expected to develop a strategic growth plan consistent
with national priorities. In developing the plans, LEPs and local
authority members will be expected to work with all relevant local
partners, including the local chambers of commerce, other business
bodies and the wider business community." (paragraph 2.31 page
44)