EMRA published ‘ Linking it Up Locally’ (3.2MB PDF) our Scrutiny Review into Local Area Urban Regeneration, Partnership Working and the Delivery of the RES in August 2006. The review was a ‘non-panel’ review and was led by RSB Member Pat Zadora. EMRA had close discussions with emda and Government Office for the East Midlands (GO-EM) throughout the course of the review.

The report made eight recommendations to support improvements, which are;

1. emda, GO-EM, EMRA, other regional agencies and local government should continue their work on establishing an effective regional strategic forum that will:

· Provide high-level leadership and co-operation with regeneration and economic development agents in the interests of the region.

• Reinforce the regional dialogue with national government to challenge and advise on matters where national policy is inconsistent.
• Reinforce requests for freedoms and flexibilities under the Local Area Agreement (LAA) regime – and in other future, as yet undefined, areas.
• Establish joint mechanisms for improved communication and working between the regional agenda and all other spatial levels (from national to neighbourhood) on the basis of subsidiarity.

2. To encourage more co-ordinated policy and strategy at the regional and local level through improved access to information, emda, GO-EM, EMRA, Regeneration East Midlands (REM) and other regional partners, should explore the potential benefits of establishing and maintaining a database of all neighbourhood, local, sub-regional and regional strategies relevant to the regeneration of the East Midlands.

3. It is recommended that:

• emda produces a policy statement that communicates the revised position of the UAP vis-à-vis the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) Implementation Plan and Sub-Regional Investment Plans.
• As part of the RES Implementation Plan and Sub-Regional Investment Plans, emda, with the support of regional partners and participants from local and neighbourhood levels, should identify its role in delivering urban regeneration and the opportunities and obstacles to further development apparent in urban areas. This is to distinguish between cities e.g. Leicester and urbanised areas e.g. Mansfield. We note that this general direction is already emda’s intention.
• emda produces a detailed timetable for the development of the RES Implementation Plan.

4. In partnership with other regional agencies and local government as appropriate, emda, GO-EM and EMRA should develop, communicate and implement a joint policy statement for regional co-operation on RES, LAA and neighbourhood linkages in time to influence the 2007 LAAs within the context of the RES Implementation and Sub-Regional Investment Plans.

5. emda should review its previous efforts in supporting more flexible arrangements, including that previously undertaken in Derby City with the Sub-Regional Strategic Partnership/Local Strategic Partnerships/Local Area Agreement (SSP/LSP/LAA), and describe/publicise the associated opportunities and barriers to regional, SSP and local level partners.

6. emda, in conjunction with the relevant SSPs, local authorities and delivery agents (e.g. Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders), should produce and implement an approach to better co-ordinated and more effective working with the neighbourhood level. GO-EM should be closely involved in the development of this approach. While this may be a part of the RES Implementation Plan, it is expected that it should be developed with the relevant partners e.g. Braunstone Community Association.

7. Regeneration East Midlands, in conjunction with its partners, should further develop and implement a capacity building programme for staff development between partners active at the neighbourhood, local, sub-regional and regional levels including civil servants, local government officers, private sector employees and the voluntary and community sectors. This may include staff secondments, short term exchanges, joint briefing sessions, guidance notes, good practice seminars etc.

8. emda and GO-EM should consider the establishment of a procedure for ‘trading’ between SSPs, Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs) and others in order to reduce under-spends and promote longer term sub-regional planning. It is suggested that this may be in the context of LAAs or the work being taken forward on Regional Funding Allocations, which could be seen as a step towards a single pot for the region.

In October 2006, emda and GO-EM shared a joint response to the report with the Regional Scrutiny Board. A Progress Report (80KB PDF) was taken to the RSB in April 2007 and  the  Final Assessment Report (50KB PDF) in October 2007.