01Executive Summary

Cities are the concentrations of people and assets that drive the UK economy. Local government leaders are the chief custodians of place and holders of significant public assets within cities – from office buildings and land, to former coal mines and disused fibre optic ducting networks.

Local authorities are the leading partners in collaborations across the public and private sectors. These partnerships shape local economic development and provide the homes, workplaces, skills and transport that cities need to thrive. This report sets out the five lessons for successful partnerships to help cities make the most from their assets.

Partnerships across local government boundaries allow policies to be pursued and problems to be solved at the scale of the economy at which people live their lives – the city. Working with public and private partners within and without a council’s footprint empowers cities to lever in the full range of assets from land, buildings and transport infrastructure according to their vision for the local economy. It is at this level that a city’s assets can have the biggest impact on the opportunities, incomes and public services of residents.

The imperative and opportunity to use a city’s public and private assets in new ways to both reduce costs and demands on services, and raise revenues, has been increased by a period of sustained budget cuts, as well as greater freedoms for cities granted in the 2011 Localism Act.

But there are clear challenges when identifying opportunities and making the most out of assets through partnerships:

  • Significant gaps in knowledge of local public and private assets
  • Producing an economic development vision to make the most out of these assets
  • Different organisational cultures and aims in asset-backed partnerships
  • Providing the capacity and clear project management for these partnerships
  • Creating a framework for the use of assets within a partnership that balances stability with flexibility

Cities up and down the country are already working across boundaries and sectors to improve quality of place and to shape the economic development of their wider city region. These findings will be well understood by many innovative and entrepreneurial cities who are already using their assets in new ways. This report aims to share the wide variety of ways cities are using their assets, as well as distil the common elements required to ensure asset-backed partnerships deliver on their potential.

Based on in-depth interviews and reviews of the literature, this report sets out the five recommendations for local authorities looking to respond to the challenges above and make the most out of their assets through collaboration:

Based on in-depth interviews and reviews of the literature, this report sets out the five recommendations for local authorities looking to respond to the challenges above and make the most out of their assets through collaboration:

  1. Know your assets and share that knowledge – If cities or potential partners are not aware of the assets in a city and the opportunities they present, then they cannot be taken.
  2. Have a clear sense of how assets can help deliver your economic vision – Providing clarity on where land for both housing and employment and transport infrastructure will be needed to ensure local growth over the next 20 years allows partners from public and private sectors to see how their assets can support this.
  3. Have a commercial mindset when thinking about the value and potential of public assets – Cities must have a clear focus on the gap in the market that they are looking to use their assets to fill, who their competitors will be and the potential for and scale of risk.
  4. Provide adequate resources and tools to ensure success of asset-backed collaborations – Without staff and funding dedicated to a new project or partnership, those within partner organisations will often – naturally – concentrate on their own work and progress will falter.
  5. Ensure strong institutional partnerships for asset-backed partnerships – Separate organisations with different goals, cultures, incentives, and timelines require clear structures on how assets will be used from the outset. Shared civic goals and good personal relationships strengthen these partnerships but also allow flexibility in the use of assets in response to changing circumstances.