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Local economic growth and Local Enterprise Partnerships: A perspective from the UK National Audit Office
Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal,
10
(1),
42-49
(2016)
Abstract
Increasing local economic growth is critical to both deficit reduction and local government financial sustainability. The UK Government reshaped the funding and structures for local growth post 2010 and a key part of this was setting up the 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships. A well-functioning and high-achieving LEP is important to local authorities in an area, to businesses and nationally in pursuit of strong and sustainable growth, more evenly shared across the country. The question for the NAO is how far these key organisations and their operation reflect the components of value for money which taxpayers might expect. Over the last few years, the NAO has reported frequently on the progress and value for money of a variety of initiatives to encourage local economic growth and we have looked for evidence of the themes we pursue in our value-for-money work in those initiatives. Our view is that the Department for Communities and Local Government needs to think through the levers and measurement criteria it needs to understand whether value for money is being achieved by LEPs and from the newly forming landscape with devolution deals, combined authorities and locally elected mayors.
Keywords: local economic growth; value for money; financing; urban regeneration; local enterprise partnerships
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Aileen Murphie was appointed Director of DCLG & Local Government Value for Money at the UK National Audit Office in July 2013 and is responsible for the NAO’s value-for-money work on local government. The NAO scrutinises public spending for Parliament. Our public audit perspective helps Parliament hold government to account and improve public services. Aileen has reported to Parliament on financial sustainability of local authorities, the local economic growth landscape and on adult social care. She produced an influential overview of the adult social care landscape in England in 2014 outlining the rising demographic and cost pressures and, most recently, reported on personalisation in adult social care. She has a deep interest in accountability, reporting to Parliament on assurance to Parliament on local government funding post the 2010–15 changes in accountability. She has also produced the first report from the NAO to the local government sector: Impact of Funding Reductions on Local Government under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, summarising the effects on local authorities of the first five years of austerity. One of her most recent outputs, Local Enterprise Partnerships, builds on previous work in Wave 1 City Deals, looking at the Government’s first steps in devolving power and responsibility as devolution advances.
