𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙

𝟭. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

CAs were completely new, untested in their local areas, given new funds, powers & responsibilities.

𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆. Many CAs struggled to establish this on the rapid timescales involved. A challenge, I know, but the reputational risks of having insufficient knowledge, capacity & capability are laid bare otherwise.

2. 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹.

For combined authorities, governance & good working relations are important especially in co-operation, co-creation and co-delivery with constituent local authorities. Where this has gone wrong, its set some CAs back years as this feeds into local authority leaders voting with their feet in the CA governance structures.

3. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲/ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗣𝗠𝗢) 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲.

𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘔𝘖 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲…

** 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀. Now that CAs are established it should be easier to do this.

** 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺: explore, innovate and be curious about the solutions and delivery that will achieve these. 𝘪.𝘦. 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 – 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

** Have the capability to pivot when policy and economic events change = 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺

** 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 – & a high functioning strategy and project gateway function with critical friends, & high standards of scrutiny – 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 = 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳