An Examinaton of how British Local Authorities are Employing Strategic Planning and Management in Their Economic Development Function

Abstract

The principal objectives of the research were to discover what British Local Authorities are actually doing these days, in the economic development field, including variations between them, and to examine the extent to which they are using strategic planning to plan and manage these activities. The research approach involved examination of economic development strategies for 19 Local Authorities, relating to the financial year 1994/5. The authorities are located in the Welsh Counties of Gwent and Powys and the West Midlands, whilst a further 4 are located elsewhere. Strategies were examined to discover evidence of key elements of strategic planning, arrived at after consideration of the Strategic Planning literature. This was followed up with a questionnaire survey to key officers in a sample of 4 local authorities displaying varying degrees of adoption of strategic planning, to try and ascertain the advantages/disadvantages and the impediments to the adoption of strategic planning, to this field of local authority activity. The results of the research indicate a considerable overlap in what the Local Authorities studied are doing in local economic development, but some interesting innovation, few of the local authorities taking a full strategic planning approach to local economic development, but a wider adoption of some of the key elements of strategic planning. The factors determining the degree of adoption of strategic planning are explored (and their relative importance); political, economic, managerial.