Multi-area agreement should not be confused with Local area agreement.
A multi-area agreement (MAA) was an English political framework that aimed to encourage cross boundary partnership working at the regional and sub-regional levels.[1] They were defined by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) as voluntary agreements between two or more top tier (county councils or metropolitan district councils) or unitary local authorities, their partners and the government to work collectively to improve local economic prosperity.[2]
There were 15 signed off multi-area agreements in England:[3] [4] However, these were folded into the new Local Enterprise Partnerships created by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government and were finally repealed under the Deregulation Act 2015.[5]
| MAA name | Local authorities | Established | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole | Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset: Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset, Weymouth, Portland | ||
| Greater Manchester | Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan | ||
| Leeds City Region | Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield, York, North Yorkshire: Selby, Craven, Harrogate | ||
| Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) | Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire: East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest, Test Valley, Winchester | ||
| South Yorkshire | Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley | ||
| Tees Valley | Darlington, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees | ||
| Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham, Northumberland | |||
| Leicester and Leicestershire | Leicester, Leicestershire: Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston | ||
| Liverpool City Region | Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral | ||
| Pennine Lancashire | Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire: Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale | ||
| Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country City Region | Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton | ||
| North Kent | Medway, Kent: Gravesham, Swale, Dartford | ||
| West of England Partnership | Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire | ||
| Fylde Coast | Blackpool, Lancashire: Fylde, Wyre | ||
| Olympic Boroughs | Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest |
Additionally there were five areas who were in negotiations with DCLG regarding the development of an MAA:[3]