Agenda item

The Chair welcomed Rebecca Cox, Principal Policy Adviser, to the Board.

Rebecca updated the Board on the proposals for the Urban Leadership Campaign. The paper sets out a draft campaign structure, outlines a set of statistical indicators to be used in constructing a campaign evidence base and provides the broad parameters of a commissioned piece of research to advance the case for fiscal devolution.

After a steer from members at the last Board meeting in November, officers concentrated on:

1.    the pressures on local authorities and what opportunities can be opened up with other partners to identify new ways of working and where greater fiscal autonomy might lie;

2.    how we can take this message forward and;

3.    how the wider urban leadership campaign can set out the spending review.

It was explained that paragraph 11-18 set out how to land the campaign with consideration to three audiences: the public, local authorities and the Government.

The Chair updated the Board on what was discussed at the LGA Executive regarding the Fair Funding Review. The Board was informed that there was a strong unanimous view that deprivation should be part of the foundation formula and also that there should be an evidence base to drive this. The Chair referred to paragraph 16 which explains developing a campaign evidence base, and outlined that there is a list of authorities that provides a ‘pen picture’ of urban authorities, informs future policy direction and the work already developed.

The following points were raised in a discussion with members:

Members welcomed the work being undertaken with other organisations, but emphasised the need for greater representation of urban local authorities as it is fundamental to the formula that it be built around population because areas with the greatest deprivation are not being accurately represented. 

Concerns of relevant representative organisations were noted on issues relevant to urban authorities highlighted by the Government’s Fair Funding Review, with specific reference to the additional costs arising as a result of greater population density in urban areas who are also affected by travel speeds, which shows that density is an indicator that also affects costs, and this needs to feed into the work of the LGA. 

Regarding the indicators outlined in paragraph 16 towards developing a campaign evidence base, those that do not fit the criteria means that not all urban areas will be correctly identified.

Decisions and Actions

·         Officers to incorporate members’ comments on the draft campaign structure and evidence base set out at paragraphs 11-18

·         Officers to incorporate members’ comments on the principles outlined in paragraphs 19.