Evaluative learnings from the North East Strategic Economic Plan
Read the independent evaluation of the delivery of the strategic economic plan between 2014 to 2024.
Introduction
In 2023, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) commissioned RSM to complete a piece of evaluative research to examine how the North East Strategic Economic Plan was delivered between 2014 to 2024. As the North East LEP will be one of five regional organisations that will come together to form a new North East Combined Authority in May 2024, it is important to reflect on, capture and consider the North East LEP’s journey and how key lessons can be taken forward in the new operating context. The conclusions and recommendations of this study will be used to inform the transition to the new Combined Authority, as regional governance changes in the region and the wider evidence base will be used to inform the value of regional policy making and delivery more broadly.
The North East LEP
The North East LEP was the primary body for local economic development policy across seven local authority areas in the North East of England (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, and Sunderland).
In line with other LEPs across England, the role and remit of the North East LEP grew substantially, taking on the broad policy portfolio of the preceding regional development agency, comprising: i) economic development and regeneration, ii) support for business competitiveness and investment, iii) supporting and promoting employment, iv) supporting skills development and employability, and v) supporting sustainable development.
The work of the North East LEP has been underpinned by a set of core values and working practices (below) that informed approaches and modes of operation. These were intended to foster consistency across the North East LEP’s broad remit and have been examined as a ‘cross-cutting’ theme throughout the consultation.
Overview of the study
The overarching ambition of this research was to identify good practice and lessons learnt from the process of policy and programme design and delivery in the North East LEP over the last 10 years, and the strategic added value that the North East LEP brought to regional economy. During the scoping of this work, the study team developed three high-level overarching research questions to guide the process:
1. What is the value added of the North East LEP to the regional economy?
2. Which areas of North East LEP delivery have been most effective/impactful?
3. What lessons have been learnt through delivery?
The research collected evidence through primary consultation with regional stakeholders, and a meta-evaluation of published independent evaluative evidence commissioned by the North East LEP. To best shape the research, this process was undertaken in two parts, the first to develop a broad set of themes through scoping consultation and document review. These themes were subsequently short listed into four areas of exploration.
In order to reach an overall view of what has worked well and how observable practice has supported success, the research focused on both the process and impact aspects of the North East LEP’s work. To best identify, calibrate, and judge the good practice identified through consultation and meta-evaluation, the study team developed a conceptual framework based on academic and grey literature. This provided a sound grounding to compare the empirical practice of what the North East LEP has done ‘in the real world’ to the ‘ideal case’ (i.e., the optimum version as described in literature). This was an efficient and effective way to robustly judge examples of practice across broad areas.
"The North East LEP’s capacity to balance a visionary long-term perspective with flexibility in implementation highlights a leadership success that contributed significantly to the region’s economic advancement"
Headline findings
This research has distilled a number of headlines against each area of exploration, which are summarised below. Key to note is that all areas are supported by the cross-cutting values of the North East LEP. Consultation data and independent evaluations support the view that success has been underpinned by the ways in which the North East LEP has worked, which in turn is guided by the organisation’s values.
Key learnings
Independent evaluations of policies and programmes undertaken by the North East LEP have consistently highlighted effectiveness across a range of delivery areas, suggesting that the North East LEP has been able to oversee appropriate and impactful interventions for the region. Success has often been attributed to the scoping and targeting of the policies and programmes, knowledge of target audiences and beneficiary groups, and the approaches, working methods, and skills of the responsible teams. Where potential improvements are articulated, these have often related to increasing resourcing levels to allow for more expansive engagement, or simply allowing teams to ‘do more’, particularly under intensive delivery areas or models.
The key learning of the research is presented against each core research question below.
Forward-looking considerations
This research aimed to investigate the ways in which the North East LEP has operated, in particular investigating a number of key areas of practice that are deemed important in international literature focused on place-based economic development policy. The conceptual framework used in this research sets out the core principles to the successful design and delivery of local economic development policy and programmes and should be considered when planning and executing the merger into the combined authority.
The evidence collected via consultation and document review reflects well on the ways in which the North East LEP acted on a number of these core concepts. This research has shown that the leadership of the North East LEP is well-regarded across stakeholders and partners and operates with sufficient capacity to design and deliver effective policy. The role(s) played by the North East LEP’s leadership, and the commitment to evidence-based policymaking, have also been important foundations for developing legitimacy and trust in the region, which has underpinned the LEP’s ability to deliver.
The North East LEP’s leadership also set a culture of openness, transparency and ‘expertise without ego’, which has subsequently led to strong adherence to good governance principles. The North East LEP has developed strong and effective partnerships via a commitment to seeking out appropriate expertise and input where this does not exist in house, bolstered via clarity over roles and responsibilities and two-way accountability and communication. The below table summarises the key insights against each variable of the conceptual framework.
Recommendations for new Combined Authority
Set out below are several key recommendations for the Combined Authority transition that have emerged from the research findings above. These are practical and concrete suggestions based on the study, and are designed to facilitate discussion of potential directions for future initiatives in the region.
Wider reflections
Key for local and regional economic development is ensuring that policy is appropriately differentiated, scoped, and targeted. This requires sound evidence and appropriate capacity to implement and manage policy design and delivery, as well as ensuring that partnerships are clearly defined. These are all explored within this research in the context of the North East LEP and should be preserved in the design of the new combined authority as per the recommendations above.
Broader literature also stressed the importance of a ‘good fit’ between institutional design (e.g., roles, values, drivers) and policy objectives, and a mechanism to maintain relevance (e.g., reviewing and adapting alignment over time). This is often a challenge in the transition of governance arrangements, though the design of the new combined authority provides a good opportunity to enact this practice.
Further evidence
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