Local government secretary, Hazel Blears, has signed the first tranche of multi-area agreements (MAAs) with the seven sub-regions. The sub-regional bodies signed up to show their commitment to boosting the economy in their areas in a contract with the Government, in exchange for more freedom from Whitehall. Ms Blears claimed the voluntary agreements – which were first developed by local government minister, John Healey, in his role for the Treasury – aimed to address some of the issues which ‘don't respect local authority boundaries. ‘Everyone knows that together, we can achieve more than the sum of our parts. ‘Today's agreements – which are the first of their kind – stand testament to that.' Work and pensions secretary, James Purnell said: ‘We want to empower those working at the local level to take the lead in providing employment and skills services which are tailored to local needs. ‘This will ensure many disadvantaged people in some of our most deprived areas are able to take advantage of the opportunities available to find and progress in work.' The seven agreements, including the MAAs' priorities were: Tees Valley – on regeneration, transport and housing renewal Tyne and Wear – on employment, skills and transport Greater Manchester – on employment, skills and raising GVA South Yorkshire – on housing Leeds City Region – on transport, skills and housing Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) – on housing, transport and skills Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset – on housing, employment, transport, environment and skills
