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Multi Area Agreement

What is a Multi-Area Agreement (MAA)?

A Multi-Area Agreement (MAA) is a framework in which adjoining local authorities work in partnership to better reflect the real economic geography of their area and work in a more strategic and coordinated way. An MAA is formed through a voluntary agreement between local authorities who enter into a contract with central government.

Some policy areas require cooperation between authorities such as economic development, transport, land use planning, tackling unemployment, capital investment, and infrastructure provision. An MAA is therefore relevant where working together will add value to what could be achieved through the work of individual local authorities or LAAs (Local Area Agreements).

By working across boundaries, economic performance will be improved, through greater flexibility and stronger partnerships, which should deliver faster outcomes and efficiency savings. In driving economic growth, and encouraging agencies to work sub-regionally, the new structures are anticipated to be instrumental in closing the gap with top performing areas in the country, specifically concerning transport, housing, planning, worklessness, and skills.

Through the MAA the City Region has agreed new powers with Government which will lead to

  • Joint working with the Department for Work and Pensions to agree how national employment programme budgets can be targeted to get higher numbers of individuals off benefit in priority areas across the City Region.
  • Devolution of the statutory power to set the adult skills strategy which will have formal influence over Skills Funding Agency spending in the City Region, known as Section 4 powers; currently only existing in London

Using the MAA partnership approach and the new powers from Government the City Region is committed by 2013 to

  • Reducing the gap in benefit claimants between City Region and national average by 0.25% equating to 26,397 individuals less in receipt of workless benefits in the City Region, this means 11,070 additional individuals will be moved off benefit because of the MAA
  • 163,000 more individuals will be qualified to Level 2
  • 145,000 more individual will be qualified to Level 3

The private sector will play a key role in identifying the skills needs of businesses in the City Region and will have a “hands on” role in delivery of the MAA.

Through the MAA

  • Local councillors and business leaders will decide the top adult employment and skills priorities and directly influence Government spending in support of these
  • Local people who have been on long term benefits and/or who have low skills will benefit from one single system tailored to their specific individual needs to help them to get into a job and stay there
  • Local businesses will have increased numbers of job ready applicants with skills
  • Local businesses will have the opportunity to design pre-employment training
  • Over the lifetime of the MAA local councils, the Learning Skills Council  (Skills Funding Agency), Jobcentre Plus, Advantage West Midlands and national Government will all seek to progressively ensure that money is spent supporting one set of targets reducing the risks for duplication and overlap

Full MAA document:

Full MAA document

Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country City Region webpages:

www.cityregion.org

Contact us

Economic Wellbeing Team
2nd Floor, Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1TP

Telephone 01922 652573
Email econregen@walsall.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 15 March 2010