Developing the framework for a borderlands strategy: a report produced by the Universities of Northumbria and Cumbria

The 2013 report, Borderlands: can the North East and Cumbria benefit from greater Scottish Autonomy?, recommended a new approach to boosting economic development across the Borderland area covered by Northumberland, Cumbria, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders councils. The report highlighted that the Borderlands have much in common: a shared history; the daily cross-border flows of people for work, shopping or family visits; and also shared experiences of economic and social change which has produced a number of common challenges and opportunities which lend themselves to a collaborative response. In April 2015, The Institute of Local Governance (on behalf of Northumberland County Council and the wider Borderlands Steering Group) commissioned the Universities of Cumbria and Northumbria to produce a detailed Framework Document that would underpin the development of a collaborative approach to economic development in the Borderlands. This study would provide comparative economic and social data which would serve as an in-depth and independent evidence base on which a collaborative approach for the Borderlands could be developed and promoted by the combined efforts of the 5 councils and their partners. The study would review the wide range of existing economic strategies operating across the Borderlands, identifying: priorities; key sectors; assets; challenges, and opportunities for collaboration particularly in relation to Energy, Forestry, Tourism, and Connectivity.