Governance Decision-Making Tool

Organisational structure

What are the advantages/disadvantages of being closely linked to local government/municipality?

Being linked to a municipality or regional council can be beneficial in that the strategic plan/s for the area can easily be tied in with the wider governance of the region as a whole. Other advantages include access to other government resources, opportunities for working across other council/governmental departments (for example, linking environmental issues with rural development or transport), and simply being in the same offices as the council, which would ensure the ongoing visibility of the area to civil servants. If funding is available, these advantages may combine to create greater stability of funding for the area – that is, a regular source of core funding, rather than an ongoing search for shorter-term funding sources.

One of the partners in the SHAPE project was Norway’s first Biosphere Reserve, and provides an example of a designated area that is closed linked to local government. The Biosphere is “owned” by the nine municipalities within the area’s regional council, as well as a further two neighbouring municipalities. Representatives from this area cited the benefits of close affiliation to these municipalities in terms of linking their plans and strategy to the wider governance of the regional as a whole.