๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐
I was lucky to participate in a ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ last week. Here are the key lessons from the UK and Australia on City Deals. It was a chance to reflect on the great report I wrote with Professor Pete Tyler and Mike Spicer on the Future of Growth Funding for the LGA (https://www.mylocaleconomy.org/funding).
Not all municipalities are equally capable of developing and implementing city deals. Some regions will enthusiastically embrace the opportunity, while others may struggle.
Successful city deals require:
- Local commitment to growth
- Strong regional partnerships
- Ability to develop robust project pipelines
- Capacity to design and deliver complex infrastructure projects
Critical challenges include:
- Lack of staff skills and capacity
- Complex approval processes
- Limited financial flexibility
- Need for integrated policy frameworks
Successful deals provide:
- Opportunities for inter-governmental collaboration
- Mechanisms for regional economic development
- Platforms for municipalities to take control of local resources
Key success factors:
- Significant financial incentives
- Clear vision and goals
- Mutual respect between different levels of government
- Willingness to compromise and collaborate
Bottom-up policy development requires
- National consultation
- Agreed vision across different government levels
- Embedding principles across legislation
The most important lesson is that city deals are part of the process of building political and policy capabilities for regions to drive their own economic development.
To learn more:โฃ
+ Follow Glenn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennathey/
๐ Share with your networkโฃ
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ป
Last week marked 14 years since I launched my consultancy, a journey built on 31 years of experience in economic development. My career has spanned 15 years in consulting, 12 in the public sector, and 4 in postgraduate research, including six senior executive roles at organizations like the Centre for Cities and the London Development Agency.
I’ve managed budgets up to ยฃ25 million, led 25 economic strategies, and supported 18 successful funding bids, helping to secure over ยฃ300 million since 1998. My clients value my deep expertise in economic growth, innovation, and skills, as well as my experience working directly with government and public sector bodies.
I’m incredibly proud of projects like crafting the Green Jobs Strategy for the North of Tyne Combined Authority and leading the public inquiry that led to the rebranding of the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor as the UK Innovation Corridor. Itโs been a privilege to contribute to such impactful work.
