Powers for Kent Councils to Drive Economic Upturn

Date: Thursday 10/09/09

IESE funding enables MAA agreement to regenerate Kent communities

Councils in North Kent are today being given new freedoms and powers to work together to improve employment, skills, housing and transport in their region, announced Communities Secretary John Denham.

The issues that affect people’s lives like jobs and housing do not stop neatly at council boundaries. Councils increasingly need to join forces across their borders to mastermind regional solutions for getting more people back in to work, raising skill levels, or developing new transport links.  The Government is helping local authorities to work together to do this through new Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs). 

Today councils in North Kent are signing up to the next wave of MAAs, giving them new powers to devise their own plans and spend money as they see fit to tackle the most pressing issues in the region and drive economic recovery.

The North Kent Multi-Area Agreement (MAA), made possible by Improvement and Efficiency South East funding and support worth over £100,000,  focuses on how to achieve ambitious targets for Thames Gateway by tackling the underlying challenges of regenerating the area for the benefit of local residents and businesses.

The MAA has been developed by the local authority partners of Thames Gateway Kent Partnership (TGKP), which champions the economic, social and environmental regeneration of North Kent on behalf of Kent County Council, Medway Council and the local authorities of Dartford, Gravesham and Swale.

The partnership is driving action on a number of fronts, facilitated by commitments made as part of the MAA and beyond. Their objectives include, among others to:

• Support the delivery of 58,000 jobs and 52,000 new homes for North Kent by 2026.
• Increase by 14% the number of people (equivalent to 44,000 people) with 5 GCSEs A* to C or higher (NVQ level 2) by 2014. 
• Narrow the gap between North Kent and the South East of the number of people qualified to degree level and above (NVQ 4+).
• Cut carbon emissions by more than 16.7% compared to 2005, by implementing a major programme to retrofit thermal, energy and water efficiency measures to both public and private sector homes as well as public transport improvements.

John Denham said: "Today’s agreement will mean North Kent’s five councils and partners will have more power locally to deliver jobs, training, welfare support and economic resilience for the region – helping to deliver 58,000 jobs and 52,000 new homes by 2026 as part of the wider growth of the Thames Gateway.

“By joining forces through MAAs, councils will also avoid unnecessary duplication helping to ensure that taxpayers’ money is being worked as hard as possible in the current climate."

As part of the MAA, Government and North Kent partners will work together to plan future housing and regeneration investment in the area.  North Kent will be one of only three areas in the South East piloting new investment plans with the Homes and Communities Agency under the ‘Single Conversation’. 

Jim Brathwaite, Chairman of SEEDA, commented: “The MAA represents a significant milestone in co-ordinating the activities of regional and local partners and central government in an area that is critical to our economic prosperity. SEEDA very much welcomes the direct and measurable impact this initiative will have on infrastructure, skills and jobs. We look forward to working with our partners to implement the MAA programme.”

The signing of the MAA took place at The Nucleus business and innovation centre, part of The Bridge, the £500 million integrated commercial and resid