Building a Smarter Economic Future The UK Economic Development Conference October 2009 Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth

Adding strategic value in hard times Workshop at the The UK Economic Development Conference October 2009 Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth Geoff White Director SQW Consulting

2 Context Tight public spending … in which economic development spend up for grabs … but still a priority given recessionary pressures … the responsibility for which is moving back to LAs Need for operational efficiency – a familiar litany (Treasury’s Operational Efficiency Programme report)  Roll out Total Place  Accelerate joint working in local areas  Strengthen LSPs – local flexibility and coordination  Improve design and innovation  Adopt continuous improvement tools such as Lean

3 Issues for economic development support Need to understand what has worked in the past to spend wisely in the future … to make the business case for future spending … to work jointly to share costs / services and deal with functional ‘space’ … to engage and use mainstream services to deliver economic development outcomes … to bring about innovation and flexibility and ensure quality in the delivery of front-line services

4 Increased emphasis on adding strategic value Making things better for the same / less spend … Strategic leadership and ‘place shaping’  Communicating effectively economic development needs, opportunities and solutions to partners & stakeholders in ways that affect their policy design and strategic priorities Influence and leverage  Affecting the allocation of funds and/or resources by partners & stakeholders at national, regional and local levels through research, pilot studies and other means Synergy and engagement  Improving knowledge exchange and coordination between partners, stakeholders and citizens - to reduce duplication, increase innovation and improve trust

5 … but what’s the theory of change? Change mechanisms required to facilitate … Strategic leadership and place shaping Influence and leverage Synergy and engagement Resource allocation & service innovation Communication of needs & opportunities Knowledge transfer & relationship building More efficient resource allocation and use Shared priorities & improved service delivery Effective, accountable & responsive services & government Shared assets / services, reduced costs and better outcomes Responsive services and empowered communities Increased trust and confidence within and between public bodies Longer term achievement of sustainable and equitable outcomes – social, economic and environmental

6 Workshop challenges Is this theory of change an empty box or one full of riches if we only knew how to open it? Which elements of the theory are more robustly evidence based than others? What are the constraints / risks likely to keep this as a theory of change? How might they be overcome? … and what measurable outcomes can be identified that can help make the case for dealing with the constraints / risks?

7 Contact Geoff White Director SQW Consulting t e. w.