The Strategy and Residents: An Introduction

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This section explains the aims and structure of the Greater Manchester Strategy, the process so far and what happens next.

Greater Manchester Strategy - Aims and Structure

This Strategy aims to clearly explain and promote the particular and unique issues facing Greater Manchester over the next 10 to 15 years, embracing both the city-regions enormous potential and its social and economic problems.

It sets out to do this in a way which:

• recognises Greater Manchester's diversity as a strength which should cut across all key issues and actions;
• acknowledges that in proposing actions to develop Greater Manchester, the principles of sustainable development are fundamental; and
• accepts that any actions must counteract the negative trends of polarisation within communities that would otherwise threaten the conurbations development.

The document is intended to:

• be an influencing document, highlighting the key priorities of Greater Manchester in orderto affect the policy and budgets of Governments and other agencies at a Regional, National and European level;
• identify and promote action where agencies within Greater Manchester, acting together, can add value beyond the work of individual authorities, agencies or sectors;
• position Greater Manchester in a global context, as well as being an important part of England s North West; and
• complement existing strategies and agendas at a national level (such as the Government s Urban Renaissance agenda of People, Place and Prosperity), at regional level (the Regional Economic Strategy and Regional Planning Guidance) and at conurbation level (e.g. the Greater Manchester Policing Plan, Local Transport Plan, Learning & Skills Council Strategy).

The document itself is structured simply. There is an initial chapter setting out a vision forthe future of the conurbation, which then introduces the key themes within the strategy. Each theme then has a chapter which sets out:

• key issues which need to be addressed under each theme;
• actions for partners working together across the conurbation; and
• provisional broad outcome measures in order to assess overall progress.

As well as this document, two supporting publications will be produced:

• A short Executive Summary, in leaflet form which summarises the key points of the strategy; and
• A Technical Appendix, which will provide statistics and information to support the Strategy document.

Because a strategy of this kind should be seen to be dynamic the intention will be to publish additions and developments, as they arise, via The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) web site: www.agma.gov.uk.

 

Developing the Greater Manchester Strategy - the process so far

The development of the Greater Manchester Strategy was undertaken against the background of a number of changes within the conurbation:

• New Greater Manchester wide delivery agencies;
• A political will amongst local authorities within Greater Manchester to develop conurbation wide responses to initiatives;
• The availability of resources which will be deployed by the Northwest Development Agency in response to sub-regional strategies and
• Developments in other parts of the North West of sub regional strategies which meant that Greater Manchester also needed a strategic policy framework.

As a result of these developments the local authorities within Greater Manchester, operating as AGMA, produced a consultation draft of a Greater Manchester Strategy in June 2002. This was presented very much as the local authorities starterforten, but took great pains to state that a final version must be a shared one; not a local authority imposed vision.

Following the publication of the consultation draft, AGMA engaged in a dialogue with agencies, organisations, companies and Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) to establish whether the need for a Greater Manchester Strategy was accepted by others and to what extent the themes and actions in the draft were the most appropriate. The document contained a series of questions which consultees were invited to respond to, as well as making any other general points on the contents of the consultation draft.

The extent to which AGMA consulted on the document is illustrated by the following:

• 24 meetings held with key partners;
• 73 other bodies approached directly;
• all Greater Manchester MPs and North West MEPs approached;
• 40 major private sector companies within Greater Manchester contacted;
• Greater Manchester s ten LSPs all contacted; and
• Opportunities to comment via AGMA s web site.

The approach to LSPs was seen as important. Given the lack of any previous process of this kind, a map of organisations to approach across the conurbation was incomplete. The hope was that consulting via LSPs would give other organisations, not reached by other routes, the opportunity to comment.

As the consultation process is not statutory, there has been no formal closing date. However by the time of producing this document, the following have been the key results from the consultation process;

• Real support forthe content of the Strategy and very positive feedback on the initiative taken by AGMA and
• A desire (by many) to review the configuration of delivery agencies within the conurbation.

However there was also a considerable weight of view that the document needed strengthening by:

• Incorporating the emerging vision of Manchester: Knowledge Capital within a conurbation - wide strategy
• A more specific emphasis on education and skills within the conurbation,
• Better recognition of other strategies being developed across the conurbation; and
• Reflecting new national initiatives on housing and e-business/government.

Continuing the process - A Greater Manchester Forum

Background
The main challenge, now a Strategy has been produced, is to develop an appropriate mechanism through which partners can work together on the key actions identified within this document.

The consultation draft introduced the concept of a Greater Manchester Forum, which could be developed in order to do this, recognising that there are similar partnerships operating in other sub - regions, both within the North West and in other parts of the country. The principle behind this proposal also received widespread support from those consulted.

Functions
The primary function of the Forum would be to improve the integration and impact of the strategies, investment plans and services of agencies at the sub-regional level. Within that context it will need to:

• Provide the strategic interface between key sub-regional and regional agencies working on delivery of the strategy;
• add value to the role and activities of existing local partnerships by providing a mechanism to progress strategic issues that go beyond local boundaries;
• develop enhanced sub-regional thematic partnership structures, where their absence is limiting the delivery of key priorities and outcomes within the strategy;
• oversee and scrutinise the strategic development and delivery of the strategy and to hold public bodies within Greater Manchester to account; and
• enable Greater Manchester to develop a shared agenda with others to bring forward new approaches to improving the performance of the nation s city-regions and, more importantly, strengthen the competitiveness of the UK.

Structure
A structure for the Greater Manchester Forum is shown overleaf, showing linkages with regional bodies and local LSPs. Within the forum, existing, or new cross agency working groups will be responsible forspecific themes within the strategy; and in particular will:

• Respond to and develop the actions identified in the Strategy, amending and adding to them as appropriate; and
• identify other, or more appropriate, outcomes and outputs by which to judge the success of actions taken.

Membership of existing groups may need to be enhanced to ensure that there is appropriate cross-sectoral representation. In this respect, the developing role of the voluntary/third sector should be reflected.

As far as the forum itself is concerned, it is intended that appropriate representation should be drawn from:

• AGMA Authorities;
• Northwest Development Agency (NWDA);G
• Government Office for the North West (GONW);
• North West Regional Assembly (NWRA);
• Passenger Transport Authority/Executive (GMPTA/E);
• Greater Manchester Police/Authority;
• Greater Manchester Learning & Skills Council (LSC);
• Chamber (s) of Commerce;
• The Universities;
• Manchester Investment Development Agency Service (MIDAS);
• Greater Manchester Connexions;
• Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority;
• Greater Manchester Waste Authority;
• Greater Manchester Fire Service;
• Manchester Airport;
• Marketing Manchester;
• North West Arts Council;
• Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO); and
• Black Minority Ethnic North West Regional Network.

The Forum should also include private sector representation, which may come from some of the organisations listed above. However, in addition, incremental development of the Forum would enable new strategic partners to become members as and when appropriate.