Local Economic Assessments
Meaningful answers to local questions
The 2009 Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill places a statutory duty on local authorities to undertake Local Economic Assessments (LEAs). They are designed to ensure that policy interventions are rooted in a clear understanding of an area’s economic profile, its strengths and weaknesses.
As local authorities gain more responsibility for economic development under the Localism Bill, LEAs can be valuable tools to identify the most effective interventions and prioritise funding allocation accordingly.
However, in order to be of value to policy makers, LEAs must be more than a description of standard performance indicators; they must formulate answers to specific local and sub-regional questions. They must identify the levers of / constraints on economic development which affect the study area. In some cases, these may originate from factors beyond the scope of traditional economic profiles such as transport, infrastructure or land supply. For this reason the scope of LEAs is potentially vast and needs to be framed by clear questions in order to provide meaningful answers.
With its mix of planners and economists Roger Tym & Partners is ideally placed to produce high quality LEAs. We combine quantitative analysis with an understanding of the policy and planning context, the key drivers of competitiveness and economic linkages, employment forecasts and local intelligence. This provides the client with a clear story of place, leading to practical and relevant policy recommendations to help deliver their strategic objectives.
This approach is supported by our 35-year experience of producing evidence bases to inform the planning process at local and regional level.
Further information
