This synthesis report weaves together the results of OECD activities conducted as part of the Regional Governance and Public Investment in Wales, UK: Moving Forward Together project. The activities, described in further depth below, included vision-setting and action plan workshops, a multi-stakeholder workshop, and a master class with the Welsh Government.
Regional Governance and Public Investment in Wales, United Kingdom
Moving Forward Together
OECD Multi-level Governance Studies
Annex A. Project methodology
Vision setting
What can Wales look like in 2037? How can we build a Wales that we would all like to live in? What can the Welsh Government, local authorities and non-governmental actors do to bring this vision to life? These are some of the questions explored in the initiative Envisioning Wales in 2037: Shaping the Future of Regional Development, which included a survey of almost 1 500 citizens and a series of multi-actor vision-setting workshops facilitated by the OECD with the Welsh Government, Welsh local authorities, and residents of Wales between February and July 2022.
Online citizen survey: Building the Long-term Vision for Regional Development in Wales
Between February and July 2022, an online survey designed by the OECD with the Welsh Government collected the perspectives of almost 1 500 citizens. The survey collected individual opinions on the development challenges and potential development priorities for Wales and local authorities, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future.
Vision-setting workshop series
From February to July 2022, the OECD organised four vision-setting workshops bringing together diverse actors to share their thoughts on the future of Wales and collectively outline a vision for its regional development. As they took place at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pandemic guidelines were still in place, these workshops were held online. The first three workshops were organised with representatives from the Welsh Government, local authorities, and non-governmental stakeholders, respectively, followed by one workshop with participants from all three groups. In total, over 100 people participated in the workshops. Participants:
Shared and articulated their visions about what Wales should look like in 15 years.
Identified shared objectives by exploring the common features in the regional development aspirations that took shape in different groups.
Discussed elements of a vision for regional development in Wales.
Focus group interviews
During summer 2023, the OECD held focus group interviews with a wide range of actors relevant to regional development in Wales – some online and some in person. The OECD worked with the Welsh Government and representatives from each CJC region to choose participants. Focus groups with Welsh Government staff spanned policy areas, and included directors, deputy directors, and senior staff (G6/G7 level). Focus group interviews in each CJC region included elected members of local authorities, leadership from the CJCs and regional bodies, and local authority officers across several thematic areas (including economic development, skills, youth, and transport). The OECD also held focus groups with stakeholders outside of government, including the third sector, academics, and the private sector. The results of the focus groups fed into other project activities, including the action plan workshops presented below.
Action plan workshops
Following the focus groups, the OECD organised a set of five action plan workshops: one for the Welsh Government, and one for each of the four CJCs.
An action plan workshop for the Welsh Government brought together directors, deputy directors, and senior staff from across the Welsh Government to chart a course towards more integrated working for regional development. The interactive workshop guided participants through activities to explore obstacles and opportunities for more coherent and cohesive working and introduced a range of collaboration tools used across OECD member countries. Finally, the OECD challenged participants to consider how to drive cross-sector collaboration for regional development, with an emphasis on concrete actions towards this goal. Figure A.1 shows the analytical framework that guided the action plan workshop and structured the resulting plan.
Figure A.1. Four dimensions to describe how the Welsh Government plans and implements for regional development
Four action plan workshops – one in each region – focused on the CJCs. Each was a day-long, in-person workshop bringing together elected officials serving on the CJCs, officers from local authorities, representatives from the City and Growth Deals, and key external stakeholders. Participants identified enablers that support and barriers that impede the early development of the CJCs, and developed actions to bring the CJC towards its full and most effective operation. Figure A.2 shows the four dimensions that structured the workshops and action plan: (1) institutional; (2) strategic; (3) administrative; and (4) finance and investment.
Figure A.2. Four foundational themes for the CJCs
Following these workshops, the OECD distilled the perspectives of participants in focus groups and action plan workshops into five different action plans – one for the Welsh Government and one for each CJC. These action plans present a set of practical actions to harness the opportunities and surmount challenges identified by participants.
Based on these workshops, the OECD is developing a capacity building toolkit for the CJCs, focusing on actions that the CJCs can use to build their capacity in delivering their tasks within five building blocks.
Multi-stakeholder workshop
In Autumn 2023, an in-person multi-stakeholder workshop brought together a wide range of national and subnational regional development stakeholders in Wales to explore and build consensus around how to take public investment forward collaboratively within a changing public investment landscape. Participants were guided through the process of defining principles for collaborative working for regional development. They were then challenged to consider how to put the principles into practice. The OECD synthesised the ideas of participants into one set of principles.
Master class with the Welsh Government
In Autumn 2023, the OECD held a master class for officers of the Welsh Government across policy areas. In an interactive session with participants from across Welsh Government, a representative of the Piedmont region of Italy (Davide Donati, Vice Director Co-ordination of EU Funds) shared the region’s experience weaving together strategies and strategic planning requirements into a single unifying plan – the Documento Strategico Unitario.