City Region Key Economic Development

In our City Region Development Plan, we illustrated three objectives we needed to deliver on in order to realise our vision:

• More effective economic regeneration and better alignment of policy and strategy at the City Region level
• Increase the opportunities for more people in the City Region to obtain sustainable and high value employment
• Strengthen the transport connections within the City Region and externally with regional, national and global markets and places.

The success in achieving our vision, that of creating a more competitive and a more economically inclusive City Region, is determined and driven by a number of important related elements:

• An acceptance of the benefits of working together as a means of helping shape economic and social development
• Achieving both sustainable and accelerated growth but not at the expense of the environment or the quality of place
• Becoming more connected
• building more effective internal and external transport links so that the City Region can embrace the global perspective, supported by a digital future that helps to create sustainable businesses and communities
• Reducing economic and social gaps
• enabling more people to undertake training or employment
• A commitment by partners to work across local boundaries and to support markets.

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It exists to help build closer and stronger relationships between different places in the City Region to enable us to compete both domestically and internationally. Stronger collaboration between the major areas of the region is vital as they each possess key assets that will drive future economic growth.

We have a vision for the Tyne & Wear City Region as a beacon of economic prosperity that our people and communities deserve.

One that competes with any other region nationally and is internationally recognised as a place for businesses to invest and entrepreneurs to thrive. One that produces well educated, aspirational young people who want to live and work in the region because of the economic prospects and the outstanding quality of life on offer. A highly skilled workforce that is the envy of others and is highly attractive to the private sector.

Quite simply, as a City Region we will use the combined efforts of the public and private sectors to eliminate the productivity gap with the rest of the UK and become a net contributor instead. In short, we will become better connected, more prosperous and help our area be proud of all its achievements and its ongoing potential.

Related Documents
Demographics of the Tyne and Wear City Region

 Tyne and Wear City Region Business Case

Tyne and Wear City Region Executive Board

 Tyne and Wear City Region Development Programme

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Our MAA will enable us to widen and deepen our partnership approach, to prioritise our actions, and to set a clear direction for the City Region.

Particular challenges have been identified where it is felt an MAA can add significant value to strengthening the City Region economy. Those challenges are skills and employment and transport.

With its clear focus on boosting critical assets, such as labour markets and transport infrastructure, the MAA will help us to address the economic challenges that are facing the City Region at present. Crucially, our MAA will provide the basis for strengthening our current partnership working and for removing some of the barriers that, at present, prevent us from unlocking the full economic potential of our City Region.

The Multi Area Agreement lays down 11 ‘asks’ of Government to change existing Central Government - Local Government relationships, which City Region partners say need amending if the City Region is to compete successfully with national and international cities and city regions and if more people are to access education and training and quality public transport.

In the MAA there are commitments by Government which include:

• Working with the City Region and Highways Agency to define a programme of improvements to the major strategic roads in the City Region (A1 and A19) within the next three years
• Recognising the City Region as a consultee on rail policy and facilitate a strategic dialogue between the City Region and rail operator based on examining how best to improve commuter rail services in the City Region.
• Examining with the City Region how transportation funding could better support young people to access employment and learning opportunities via the use of public transport
• Exploring how the City Region should strengthen its relationship with the Highways Agency
• Identifying how the Higher Education Funding Council provide further flexibility to enable colleges to deliver foundation degrees that better match the specific needs of employers and individuals
• Integrating employment and skills provision so that national Government training objectives better match the objectives of the City Region partners.

Related Documents
Commitments by Government

The ‘Asks’ of Government

 MAA Submission (version 8.1)

 MAA Press Release

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