"In 2020 Leicester and Leicestershire aspire to have ‘a prosperous, enterprising and dynamic economy, characterised by innovative businesses and creative people, attractive places and sustainable communities."
Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council have put in place new arrangements to improve the regions economic performance and to minimise the impact of the recession on the city and county.
Leicester and Leicestershire has a large city at its centre, surrounded by densely populated towns, which themselves are surrounded by large rural areas. The population of the sub-region is approximately 916,000 people; 288,000 in the City and 628,000 in the County which by and large function as an integrated economic area because of commuting, retail and transport patterns.
Hence, why Leicester and Leicestershire have developed a Multi-Area Agreement (MAA).
The MAA explained
The MAA has a clear focus on economic development. The agreement’s aim is to inspire businesses, residents and investors in our City, Market Towns and rural areas. It provides the opportunity for the City, County and District Councils and other partners, notably emda, the Learning and Skills Council, JobCentre Plus and the three local universities, to work together on this very important agenda and to build a strong relationship between local, regional and central government and its agencies.
Our priorities
The MAA's focus is on people, business and places.
- People - to improve the skill sets and employment opportunities across the county and city's working population, with a specific focus on 16-18 year olds and adults receiving benefits.
- Business- to increase the capacity of small businesses.
- Places- increasing and improving the standard of land and premises available for economic activity.
Delivering
The MAA will be the driver behind Leicestershire and Leicester fulfilling the economic ambitions set out in their Sustainable Community Strategies. There will be cross city/county bodies, including a new Economic Development Company, driving forward this ambitious programme.
The Leicester and Leicestershire Leadership Board oversees the work of this company and is ultimately the body responsible for delivering on the ambitions laid down in the cross city-county Multi Area Agreement.