Local Area Agreements and Sustainable Community Strategies
During the 1990s Local Agenda 21 (LA21) formed the basis for actions by communities towards achieving local sustainability. Local Agenda 21 originated from the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992 and was the process of
drawing up and implementing local sustainable development plans, with each local authority working in partnership with all sectors in the local community to achieve this.
In 2000, the UK Government introduced legislation giving local authorities the power to promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of their local community. In addition,
they have a statutory duty to prepare, with their partners, a long-term community strategy to improve the quality of life in their local area.
The strategy should cover social, economic and environmental issues in an integrated way.
Since 2008 (following the first pilots announced in October 2004) Local Area Agreements (LAAs) strike the deal between central Government, local authorities and major local delivery partners in an area. LAAs provide local authorities and partners
with the flexibility and capacity to deliver the best solutions for their areas through a reformed relationship between central and local government.
LAAs give greater local autonomy over how money is spent to meet local needs. In the South West the Government Office for the South West
is responsible for overseeing and negotiating LAAs, as well as monitoring them and providing advice and support.
The LAA, together with the sustainable community strategy and spatial development strategy, sets out the vision and delivery priorities for each place.
For further information visit:
Local Area Agreements - CLG - Communities and Local Government LAA website.
Sustainable Communities - GOSW - key South West regional documents.
Sustainable Communities - CLG - key national documents.
Defra - advice & support - for local government.
Return to TOP
