Speakers:

Andrew Jones, Policy Analyst, LGIU
Adam Marshall, Head of Policy, Centre for Cities
Chris Webber, Researcher, Centre for Cities
Tony Medawar, Director of Strategy & Policy , LDA
Andrew Graves, Director, Trends Business Research 

Tuesday 19 February 2008
10.30-15.30 (Lunch provided)

Mary Ward House, Conference Centre,  5 – 7 Tavistock Place, London WC1 (5 minutes from Euston Station)

This is a Local Government Information Unit event. The Sub-National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR), published in July last year, signalled an enlarged role for local authorities in economic development in their capacity as ‘place-shapers’.

Part of the new local authority requirement currently proposed is the production of an economic assessment of the local area. The new role for local authorities in economic development signalled by the SNR means that local authorities must build on existing expertise in local economic analysis – which will become part of ‘telling the story of their place. This seminar explores the rationale behind the requirement and offers ideas and suggestions from experts in the field about how to do an economic assessment.

Andrew Jones, Policy Officer, LGIU  will introduce and chair the seminar.

Adam Marshall and Chris Webber of the Centre for Cities will outline the policy context surrounding local economic assessments and will explain the rationale for their introduction – and in particular, why the Government wants local authorities to produce an assessment.

Andrew Jones, LGIU will describe methods of environmental valuation and how economic and environmental analyses can be integrated to produce better strategies and project appraisal.

Tony Medawar of the LDA  will speak on how the LDA went about developing the evidence base on London's economy and used it to draw up the Mayor's Economic Development Strategy for London.

Andrew Graves of Trends Business Research will provide a practitioners’ guide to producing an assessment.

Download the presentation given by Adam Marshall and Chris Webber here.