Local area agreements 2008 - 2011

What is a local area agreement?

As defined by the government, a local area agreement (LAA):

“... sets out the ‘deal’ between central government and local authorities and their partners to improve the quality of life for local people. As such, the LAA is also a shorter-term delivery mechanism for the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS).”

From the local perspective, LAAs are a key feature of a more devolved form of local governance. LAAs move on from ‘one size fits all’ solutions because they recognise that not all areas have the same priorities. Through these negotiated agreements, areas can channel public resources towards the priorities of their own areas, alongside national outcomes and targets.

The LAA framework has had significant impact over the past five years. It has changed the way in which central government works with local government and its partners.

For local strategic partnerships (LSPs) working at first-tier level, new sets of relationships have been formed with Government Offices (GOs) and others. Local strategic partnership structures have been adapted and changed to fit the themes about which LAAs have been built.

The current set of 152 LAAs covers all local authority areas in England. Each agreement runs from 2008 to 2011. However, the future of this framework, following a general election, is not certain.