The document discusses the establishment and role of Combined Authorities (CAs) in England, highlighting their importance in local transport, economic development, and regeneration. It outlines the changes in governance, devolution of powers, and the involvement of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organizations across various city regions, including Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region. Recommendations are provided for enhancing VCS engagement with CAs to influence policy and demonstrate the sector's impact on economic and social issues.

1. Combined Authority and VCS
Warren Escadale, VSNW,
Merseyside, 4th November 2014

2. Background
• Combined Authorities are a legal structure
introduced by the Local Democracy, Economic
Development and Construction Act 2009.
• CAs formal purpose is to contribute to local
transport, economic development and
regeneration policy and delivery.
• Greater Manchester was the first: April 2011
• Liverpool CR, West Yorkshire, North East and
Sheffield City Region established April 2014.

4. "Looking forward, city regions are increasingly a
feature of central government policy making.
It is anticipated that in the future further
powers or functions may well be devolved to
the Authority where the Government wishes
these to be exercised on a regional basis.“
Sheffield City Region CA Constitution, Article 4.4

5. Devolution
• Devolution in England now centre stage
• More powers for Cities
• Northern Question – lobbying
• New GM City Deal – announced yesterday
• RSA/Centre for Cities Commission: Unleashing
the Power of Metros
• Clegg: Northern Futures
• Due North: Public Health England supported call
for economic devolution linked to health/health
inequality.

6. Greater Manchester Agreement
In exchange for agreeing to a Mayor (replacing GM Police and
Crime Commissioner), GMCA will get:
• £300m housing investment fund
• Planning powers
• Control of bus services (with Oyster card –type scheme)
• Devolved transport budget
• Earn back deal: £30m per year for 30 years
• Absorb Police and Crime Commissioner
• Business Support Budgets
• Control of apprenticeship grant for employers
• Working Well pilot
• Joint Work Programme Commissioner (with DWP)
• NB. Develop GM business plan with CCGs to integrate health &
social care, based on control of HSC budgets.

7. VCS work with North East CA
• Lead VCS agency = VONNE
• Engage the LEP
– pushing for VCS reps on Board and substructures;
– developing a BSC bid with LEP;
– supporting sector involvement in a NE Independent
Economic Review;
– LEP staff attend VONNE’s VCS Skills & Employability Group
• CA staffing and structures developing
• Pushing for VCS involvement in EU SIF governance
• 2 CVS involved in Social Inclusion Advisory Group

8. VCS work with West Yorkshire CA
• Focus on EU Programme
• Development of LCR Infrastructure Consortium
consisting of:
– most of the CVS from the Leeds City Region
– Involve (regional VCS agency)
– Your Consortium, a contract management
organisation with EU funding expertise
– A rep endorsed by the Infrastructure Consortium now
sits on the EU SIF Governance Committee
– Expectation that an Infrastructure Consortium rep will
be involved in CA structures

9. VCS work with Sheffield CR CA
• Partnership of local infrastructure orgs
supporting VCS discussions with the LEP (local
CVSs + South Yorks Community Partnership)
• Key Fund leading on EU Lottery bid with CVS
support
• CA structures not sufficiently developed to
engage
• Waiting to see what develops

10. VCS work with Greater Manchester CA
• GMCVO is embedded in CA sub-hierarchy of structures:
– Sits on GM Health and Wellbeing Board
– Sits on Employment and Skills Board
– Sits on public service reform substructures
– Works closely with New Economy (GM policy support and
delivery agency for economic development for CA incl LEP)
– Involved in EU SIF Governance
– Core funded by AGMA (which effectively became GMCA)
• Public service reform, welfare and growth intertwined
in GM strategies, evidence base, City Deals, LEP-endorsed
proposals (eg Growth Fund), devolution
discussions

11. Finding 1: CAs are not a side show
• CA status gives Councils a stronger, collective voice –
VCS can feed into that voice.
• Huge chunks of council core budgets now linked to
business rates and housing. Councils need LEP levers.
• Government have devolved control over significant
budgets to LEPs (Growth Fund, RGF, and EU SIF)
• LEPs need Councils’ resources, expertise, accountability
and ability to manage large budgets.
• Think CA, then think LEP.
• CAs are Council-driven structures that shape local
institutional hierarchy. CA = Power.

12. Finding 2: nature of councils changing
=> how councils work will change
• The logic of CAs, and council involvement in an
economic agenda, means that economic development
and public service reform will be spliced together.
• Social and economic inclusion will be centre stage –
but models and agents of delivery will be highly
contested
• LCR adopting a “whole-system” approach to economic
growth.
• This will affect how local VCS groups engage in public
service delivery and community capacity building.

13. Finding 3: City Region Decision Making
• City Region will increasingly become the geography for
strategic engagement:
– Consultation processes
– Broader engagement strategies
– Effective responses/challenges to decisions
• City Region will become the geography for centralised
delivery (or planning of delivery). Potential and pressure
for rationalisation will increase.
• There will be tensions around scale: the scale of delivery is
likely to shift towards neighbourhood and/or City Region.
• More complex bureaucracy, that will require effective VCS
engagement/brokerage.

14. Finding 4: broadening footprints
• Police and Crime Commissioner
• New Health Structures
– Public Health England Centre: Cheshire & Merseyside
– CSU: Cheshire & Merseyside (to be merged with GM)
– NHS England area team = Merseyside except Wirral
• Growing need for regular, formalised and
consistent VCS strategic activity on a larger
footprint.

15. Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Develop a partnership to
better engage with and influence the Combined
Authority.
Key consideration: A coherent model, with a clear message and
mandate, will increase likelihood of success of other
recommendations.

16. Recommendations 2 & 3
Recommendation 2: Engage with the
Employment and Skills Board
– Seek VCS representation on the E&S Board
– Develop evidence-base of sector’s ability to tackle
worklessness
Recommendation 3: Discuss collective
engagement offer with members of the CA
and lead officers.

17. Recommendations 4 & 5
Recommendation 4: Build evidence base to demonstrate
economic and social impact of sector across Liverpool
City Region
– Influence CA’s single evidence base
– Help develop the ‘common language’ for evidencing and
demonstrating impact
Recommendation 5: Develop strategic relationships with
other local agencies operating at a City-Region level
– Highlight CA proposal for a “Partners’ Council”
– Talk to health and social care leads about their
understanding of implications of CA for them

18. Recommendation 6
Recommendation 6: Develop a fuller plan of
collective engagement with CA structures and
policy agenda, with a clear understanding about
individual organisation’s responsibilities.
– Build on existing relationships
– Develop a transparent programme of activity that
reflects positively on joined up, intelligent, mature
VCS partnership activity across the City Region
– Develop a City Region Compact that incorporates the
CA’s principles

19. Full report: http://bit.ly/liverpoolCR
Contact: warren.escadale@vsnw.org.uk