Read the latest update from the Yorkshire and Humber Strategy Team.

Joint Regional Board

The Joint Regional Board met in the midst of the first of the blizzards of December to consider their ambition for the Strategy. They agreed that we need to be ambitious in grasping the opportunities presented by a low carbon economy, but were reluctant to agree any other regional ambitions at that stage. They preferred to wait and see what local and sub-regional evidence tells us before aggregating this up to regional level, to ensure that they capture the differences within the region and don’t downplay them in pursuit of bland regional harmony.

Sustainable Development Board

Arrangements for the Region’s new Sustainable Development Board are now on the verge of being finalised. After an open submission process, a complete list of board members has been agreed (see the website for details), and after delays due to bad weather, candidates are now set to be interviewed for the Chair’s position at the beginning of February. 

Integrated Appraisal

Whilst the Sustainable Development Board are yet to meet, work is underway to ensure the sustainability of the Strategy. Land Use Consultants were appointed in November 2009 to carry out the Integrated Appraisal, they are now busy clarifying the scope, refining the methodologies and producing the Appraisal Framework. The Integrated Appraisal is a statutory element of the strategy and will provide an important check of its impact.

Strategy Website

The Yorkshire and Humber Strategy website at (www.yhstrategy.com), provides further information on the Strategy. It has just been updated with documents from the Task and Finish Groups managing the process, so if you’re really interested in how this all works, these are well worth seeking out. Whilst you’re there, make sure you sign up to the website so that we can keep you up to date with the latest developments.

Looking for evidence

We would like to remind you that we are currently looking for evidence to inform the Key Lines of Enquiry contained in the Project Plan. So please check out the Key Lines of Enquiry on the Strategy website, and send in any relevant evidence. Remember the deadline is the 31st March 2010. The debate surrounding the future of regional working continues, but whatever the policy/delivery landscape post election, the evidence gathered now will be useful to give us a clear idea of future challenges and opportunities

Evidence Hearings

In late February/early March we will be holding Evidence Hearings, which provide an opportunity for partners to submit evidence, and broach potentially contentious aspects of the evidence base. They will not cover the entire breadth of evidence but rather focus on a small number of very specific areas of interest, to informing the subsequent development of Policy Options. Participation will be through invitation from the Workstreams. The hearing will be recorded and the findings publicized, so as ever visit the Strategy website for updates.

Academic Review Panel

We are currently recruiting an Academic Review Panel to critically review and provide expert opinion on the evidence submitted and the subsequent policy options. We are currently looking for 6 panel members one with extensive knowledge and expertise in each of the Workstream areas, there’s more information on the Yorkshire Futures website. It is anticipated that the make-up of the panel will be decided at the end of February.

Policy Options

The next stage following on from gathering evidence is to begin to develop policy options, it is intended that these will be drafted by August, at which point they will go out to public consultation.