AGENDA ITEM NO. 8
Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership Investing in Communities
Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Contents
Vision and Strategic Priorities 2
Level of Need within the Sub Region 4
Strategic Coherence with other Regional and Local Strategies 20
Investment Readiness – Proposed Interventions 32
Delivery Capacity 40
Annex 1 – Communication Plan
Annex 2 – Partnership Development
Annex 3 - Implementation Plan
Annex 4 - Funding
Annex 5 - Outputs
Annex 6 – Proposed Developments
Annex 7 – SRB and Urban II Programme Evaluations
Annex 8 – Community Survey
Annex 9 – Options for Ownership and Management
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control2 0.4 Vision and Strategic Priorities
The Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership (PREP) is one of the Sub-Regional Economic Partnerships (SREP) in the Eastern Region. This business plan sets out our vision to address deprivation and social exclusion through sustainable social and economic development, while establishing our framework for implementing the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) Investing in Communities (IiC) programme that will shape our planning over the next ten years.
The IiC programme brings an opportunity to tackle the real issues that affect people at a neighbourhood level through innovative collaboration and delivery, supported by long term investment. It provides the prospect of improving opportunities for our communities but also challenges how this can be achieved.
By ensuring that our communities remain at the centre of our proposals we will be able to make the step change that the adopted regional vision requires:
The Investing in Communities vision is
‘ to ensure that the most deprived communities can achieve their full potential and therefore contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable economic growth in the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership area’
This business plan focuses on short-term objectives that we shall deliver by 2008. The objectives we have set will remain realistic and achievable, specifically targeted and measurable so future activity to be delivered through the programme will be based upon a strong foundation.
2008 – 2011 will see the lessons learnt and the good practice developed through the pilot activity covered by this business plan translated into an expansion of the programme. Activity will continue to enhance and add value to work of key stakeholders, while the sustainability of existing activity will be reviewed and opportunities for mainstreaming will developed.
The vision for the programme in the long term sees demonstrable progress towards our aim of socially inclusive and economically prosperous communities being achieved. Strong levels of social capital, a significant asset base and an intrinsic association with our communities and stakeholders will support the business plan for the period-2011 – 2015.
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control3 0.4 The specific vision for the current period sees the delivery of strategic interventions, targeting activity either geographically or thematically wherever the need is most acute. Activity will incorporate ‘action learning’ to inform future delivery in the medium and long term, while further research and development work to direct our sustainable agenda will be undertaken.
The following key priorities have been identified within the PREP area for attention through the investment of IiC funds. These are:
o Delivering shared services with partner agencies that tackle inequalities and social disadvantage within our communities to ensure that none of our neighbourhoods are in the top 20% of the indices of multiple deprivation.
o Through working with our business community to enhance the economic regeneration of our communities. Focus will be on investing in skills, advice and guidance; supporting people seeking employment through provision of flexible services that encourage engagement in the economy.
o Increase entrepreneurialism through enterprise development and encouraging volunteering opportunities and through collaboration with neighbouring SREPs develop a social enterprise culture across our sub-region.
o Increase cohesion across our communities through increasing shared awareness of cultures, improving and encouraging access and movement between communities and building the capacity of our communities to engage in decision that affect their lives and neighbourhoods
o Creating and supporting community led public service delivery in areas of most need through joint CVS/public sector partnerships
o Invest in high quality community facilities to provide a base for community contact, support and well-being. Whilst working towards transferring these assets into community ownership with robust business planning to ensure long-term sustainability.
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control4 0.4 Level of Need within the Sub Region
The Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership has established current level of need within our communities through independent commissioned research undertaken by WM Enterprises. This research has been carried out to provide clear evidence regarding areas where IiC alongside other public funds can deliver sustainable and long-term regeneration within our communities. The PREP initially commissioned three specific pieces of work these were:
Evaluation of Peterborough Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) and Urban II Programmes
Community Survey of 20% Most Deprived Communities in Peterborough
Feasibility Study into the redevelopment of Community Facilities
The final reports for each study were received by the PREP in September 2005 and are included as annexes to this Business Plan, while their key findings form the basis of this, and the ‘Investment readiness’ sections of this business plan.
In addition work to work focused upon Peterborough additional research is underway has been commissioned in Fenland which will be completed by early 2006. These include:
Evaluation of Rural Renaissance Programme (RRF)
Community Survey of 20% Most Deprived Communities in Fenland
The decision to delay collection and collation of baseline data in Fenland was taken due to the identical information being collected from our communities in Autumn 2004 for the neighbourhood management project in Fenland. This research has helped shape the IiC programme, the additional work outlined above will supplement our existing knowledge and understanding of issues in our communities.
This section seeks to outline the issues facing our sub region. It is profiled in three elements, firstly looking headline data drawn from the Index of multiple deprivation, that give a context to the sub regions current performance and an overview of needs against the national context. Secondly, a review of how previous regeneration programmes have been delivered and their impact and, thirdly, an overview of results of local
5 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 research conducted and reference to where we believe that intervention can make a difference in our neighbourhoods. Within this section we have presented needs identified by our communities through research alongside the 7 regional strategic priorities identified by EEDA in its IiC framework. This will also provide clear link between need and proposed strategic interventions contained in the next section of this business plan. A complete report detailing the research undertaken for the IiC programme is contained at Annexes 7 and 8. i) The Index of Multiple Deprivation The PREP IiC programme is framed by a clearly defined level of need, as can be evidenced through the Index of Multiple Deprivation (2004).
Peterborough has a total of 22 Super Output Areas (SOAs) within the 20% of most deprived communities nationally, whilst Fenland district has 4.
PREP SOAs within 10% and 20% Most Deprived Nationally by Domain
80
60
40
20
0
ll t e n th n g g e ra m l io in in m e o e a t s v ri v c m e a u li c o n y h c i lo u o D p d h M m e I e
Key: 20 Most Deprived 10% Most Deprived
6 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Most Deprived Areas in the Sub Region as defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation Rank Ward IMD Rank % position of Within most SOA in England deprived 1 Dogsthorpe 857 2.6 5 2 Central 1880 5.8 10 3 East 1954 6.0 4 Central 1980 6.1 5 Central 2389 7.4 6 Waterlees 2542 7.8 7 East 2699 8.3 8 Dogsthorpe 2740 8.4 9 Ravensthorpe 3204 9.9 10 Ravensthorpe 3677 11.3 15 11 Waterlees 3894 12.0 12 Staithe 4057 12.5 13 Orton Waterville 4155 12.8 14 Orton Longueville 4435 13.7 15 Central 4443 13.7 16 Orton Longueville 4652 14.3 17 Paston 4804 14.8 18 East 4959 15.3 20 19 Paston 5053 15.6 20 Dogsthorpe 5113 15.7 21 Central 5211 16.0 22 Central 5592 17.2 23 Dogsthorpe 5953 18.3 24 Bretton North 5997 18.5 25 Stanground 6024 18.5 26 Elm Christchurch 6130 18.9
Within the East of England, the average SOA score of deprivation ranks Peterborough as the second most deprived of the nine sub-regions, At district level Fenland is ranked as the 142nd most deprived district in England out of 354 districts compared to Peterborough’s position of 100th.
20% Most Deprived Communities Within the wards, there a number of smaller SOAs aggregating within wards across the following PREP sub region. Number of SOAs per ward are as follows: Central 6 SOAs Dogsthorpe 4 SOAs East 3 SOAs Ravensthorpe 2 SOAs Waterlees 2 SOAs Orton Longueville 2 SOAs Paston 2 SOAs Orton Waterville 1 SOA Staithe 1 SOA Elm and Christchurch 1 SOA Stanground Central 1 SOA Bretton North 1 SOA Some specific indicators of deprivation are provided below for reference while the comprehensive analysis is provided within the full report annexed to this business plan.
Adult Education by Ward: Highest Qualification
7 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 No Level level level level Other or qualific- 1 2 3 4 or 5 unknown ations Bretton North 30.8 21.4 22.4 7.4 10.3 7.6 Central 41.2 14.5 16.6 8 14.7 5 Dogsthorpe 44.2 18.2 17.5 5.1 7.4 7.7 East 36.5 18.1 18.7 7 13.3 6.2 Elm / Christchurch 40.6 19.2 17.2 5.4 9.4 8.1 Orton Longueville 31.4 22.5 21.7 6.2 11 7.3 Orton Waterville 20.8 18.6 23.8 8.3 21.9 6.6 Paston 33.5 22.8 21.8 6.2 8.7 6.9 Ravensthorpe 41.4 18.9 19 5.4 9.3 6 Staithe 44.6 18.9 19.4 4 7.1 6.1 Stanground 37.3 19.8 19.8 5.7 9.2 8.2 Waterlees 47.9 20.1 15.8 3.9 5.4 6.8 Fenland 38.4 19.8 19.1 5 9.5 8.1 Peterborough 30.5 18.9 21.4 7.2 14.9 7.1 England 28.9 16.6 19.4 8.3 19.9 6.9
Economic Status of Adults by Ward
Economically Active: Total Economically Active: Total Bretton North 71.8 28.2 Central 56.5 43.5 East 61.1 38.9 Elm and Christchurch 76.1 23.9 Dogsthorpe 65.3 34.7 Orton Longueville 69.6 30.4 Orton Waterville 72.6 27.4 Paston 69.8 30.2 Ravensthorpe 65.1 34.9 Staithe 74.9 25.1 Stanground Central 67.8 32.2 Waterlees 69.6 30.4 Fenland 78.3 21.7 Peterborough 69.2 30.8 England 66.9 33.1
ii) Existing Programme Evaluation As part of the development of our IiC programme work was commissioned to undertake an independent evaluation of current regeneration programmes operating within the PREP area.
8 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 In Peterborough work commenced in May 2005, involving detailed case studies of live projects and was largely focused on the performance and succession issues of live projects under the Single Regeneration Budget and URBAN II programmes. Additional work has been undertaken to review the sub regions Rural Renaissance Fund in November 2005.
SRB Programme The SRB Programme is focused on those areas of Peterborough that experience the highest levels of deprivation. The target area includes wards such as Central and East which, at the time the SRB was submitted were the first and fourth most deprived wards in the East of England. The area also includes a number of wards that, as a whole, were not particularly deprived but contained significant pockets of deprivation, such as Orton and Bretton.
Urban II Programme Approval for the URBAN II programme was agreed in December 2001 and the programme can allocate funds on a match-funding basis until end of 2006.
Like the SRB programme Urban II is a geographically restricted programme covering most of the wards of Central, Dogsthorpe, East, North, Paston and Ravensthorpe along with certain streets in Park and Walton wards. The population of the URBAN II area was 37,253 at the time the programme started. There is considerable overlap with the SRB target area, which as noted above, suffers from multiple deprivation. As with the SRB programme an overriding aim has been to enable the community to participate fully in their local area and in the programme.
The focus of the programme is on improving access to basic services, which can be barriers to training and/or employment; reducing crime and improving the environment; and providing support for businesses in order to improve local employment prospects.
Recommendations made by WM Enterprise Towards Improving Regeneration Programmes The following conclusions were made by WM Enterprises when reviewing the impact of the Urban II and SRB programme:
o Active community involvement and participation is present in the design and delivery of the SRB and URBAN II programmes in Peterborough. The Programme has had some success with engaging a range of local residents with the regeneration process, as well
9 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 as arousing local awareness of community activities and projects. However, some weaknesses have been identified. These are:
o The evaluation findings suggest that local communities are often discouraged from becoming involved in regeneration programmes due to a perception of formal structures and bureaucratic activities. To overcome this, future regeneration programmes must seek to ensure that sufficient community capacity building is undertaken to overcome these perceptions and to equip local people with the skills they need to play a full and active part in local decision making.
o Communities need to be encouraged to devise ideas for projects, and the authorities prepare the bids, as directed by the communities. In this sense, the community needs to be involved in designing the application forms and structuring meetings, so they are more understandable to them. Thus, to ensure that communities are resources to participate in local regeneration activities, it is recommended that more bottom-up features should be introduced in future programmes.
o There are different concepts of community across Peterborough. Therefore, approaches to community engagement and involvement must to be tailored and be flexible to specific needs.
o Methods of disseminating SRB and URBAN II plans back to the community could be further enhanced, as at present there are no formal mechanisms for this other than the newsletter, and word of mouth.
o Community participation in the programmes has been hindered by general apathy and lack of enthusiasm of local people, in part due to a lack of awareness of community events and in part due to an indifferent, uninterested attitude amongst some communities towards their local area.
Rural Renaissance Programme The Rural Renaissance Programme was developed to provide a collaborative and long- term approach to the development of a sustainable business support infrastructure across the rural area of the Peterborough Sub Region. Delivery of the rural programme was underpinned by the policy objectives outlined in the East of England Regional Economic Strategy and the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England.
10 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Additionally, the rural programme linked into the Region’s Social Strategy, particularly the strategic objective ‘to tackle poverty and reduce income inequalities’ and ‘to promote access to work, tackle low pay and improve conditions of work’.
The interventions in the form of rural initiatives were all part of providing a business support infrastructure across the Fenland area, either by providing physical space or providing a range of advice and guidance accessible to all.
These were also developed in line with The Countryside Agency who recognised the need to address ‘rural premium’ issues to help serve sparsely populated and poorly served rural communities.
IiC Research The aims and objectives of the evaluation exercise undertaken for IiC focused upon:
o evaluating the performance of all current SRB, URBAN II and Rural Renaissance projects in Peterborough and Fenland, identifying best practice and particular factors that are contributing to the success or failure of individual projects;
o comprehensively assessing projects’ exit/succession strategies and more specifically, to consider each projects’ relevance to the emerging IiC agenda;
o evaluating the effectiveness of community involvement in the design and delivery of current projects and interventions in both the SRB, URBAN and Rural Renaissance Programmes;
o informing the planning process for the Investing in Communities programme;
o mapping current SRB, URBAN II and Rural Renaissance project activity to provide a detailed database summarising the range of groups supported in each project, geographical areas covered, and the types of interventions being pursued.
In summary the report highlighted that work being undertaken through the delivery of these three programmes has had a demonstrable impact on the communities targeted. However, the fact that there are communities within the PREP area that remain significantly deprived is also highlighted. Therefore the recommendations raised within the report are considered in greater detail within the ‘Investment readiness’ section of this business plan.
11 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The full evaluation report is attached to this business plan as annex 7. iii) Local Research Findings – Needs Analysis The survey conduct raised several interesting and important issues that will are integral to our proposed interventions and future planning of programme activity. The key conclusions that can be drawn are detailed below against the strategic priorities defined for IiC.
The selection of target areas for the community survey has been based on the need to develop a better understanding of areas of known deprivation. Therefore this research used information from the 2001 Census and the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to focus on the most deprived communities within the partnership area.
The community survey focused on the most deprived areas in Peterborough, all of which on a national level fall into the 20% most, deprived wards. Following community meetings in Fenland, it was initially agreed that additional community surveys would not be required as the most deprived communities were surveyed in the autumn of 2004, as part of the Fenland Links Neighbourhood Management process. However, following discussions with the SREP/EEDA it was agreed that a gap-analysis should be carried out on the Fenland Links work to ensure that the IiC Business Plan is based on the same baseline information. (Fenland Links survey information can be found in the Appendices).
Methodology for the Survey The survey contained a broad range of questions, it was conducted as a doorstep survey of residents of working age. The survey was undertaken over a five week period during June and July 2005. In order to achieve greater depth and understanding of key issues, a total of 8 focus groups were set up with residents. Each was arranged with the help of various community and statutory agencies who deliver services to this client group.
The sample size for the study was predicted to be 880, however, 904 residents completed the survey. This sample size accommodates a 95% confidence level for the overall sample. The sample size is consistent with industry standards for socio- economic research and gives highly credibility to the overall results.
Key Findings Following presentation of the findings, a clear recognition of interventions needed has been made. These have been focused around the 7 key strategic priorities identified by EEDA. These are analysed in turn:
12 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Communities and Multiple Deprivation
This priority looks at the underlying issues associated with deprivation and disadvantaged. Within out needs analysis we have reviewed issues relating to Health, Crime and the general environment in which our communities live.
Within our communities the rate of chronic back problems, depression, heart problems and asthma were all found to be considerably higher than the UK national averages amongst the community surveyed. Half of respondents see their families’ everyday. These links are strongest in the Pakistani community where 78% see their families everyday, compared to just 37% of White British respondents.
Almost a fifth (18.4%) of respondents undertake other social activities two or three times a week. However, 48.1% of 60 to 64 year olds rarely or never undertake other social activities, and 50% of Pakistani respondents also do not undertake other social activities.
Only 12.5% of those who completed the survey were actively involved with local community and voluntary organisations. There was a higher proportion of respondents actively involved in community organisations in Orton, and females were generally more likely to be actively involved. Indian and Bangladeshi groups were also more highly involved in community and voluntary organisations.
28% of all respondents stated that they would like to be more involved in influencing decisions regarding their local area. The 16-19 year old age group, unusually, proved to be the most interested in influencing their local areas, with 35.7% stating that this was the case.
Awareness of the Enterprise Centre, GULP and Community Contact Centres were not particularly high. Respondents were more aware or organisations such as SureStart, Neighbourhood Watch and Residents Associations.
Over a third of all respondents stated that they would like to know more about community and voluntary organisations in their areas.
46.6% of respondents believed that crime had increased over the past year. This was highest in Orton, where 57.1% of respondents believed that crime had risen over the past year. Relatively small numbers of respondents believed that crime had decreased,
13 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 with the remainder stating that it had stayed about the same. Figures from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary indicate that levels of recorded crime have decreased in the past year, so perception of crime may be somewhat inconsistent with the actual picture.
A third of respondents stated that they were concerned about going out at night due to the threat of crime. This is consistent with the focus group findings, where it was often stated that fear of crime was a barrier to accessing local facilities or organisations. The highest levels of fear were amongst older people and females.
There are marked inequalities that exist within the Cambridgeshire Health Authority area and there are plans to reduce them. The most obvious relate to deprivation levels within districts – particularly in Fenland.
Deprivation has a fundamental impact on health and priority is being given to these wards to ensure that these communities receive the focus for community regeneration and other projects, such as Sure Start - a pre-school project in Fenland and Dogsthorpe and Central wards in Peterborough.
Fenland has the highest percentage of people suffering from a long-term sickness. In Cambridgeshire, 10.5 per cent of people had a long-term illness. This figure ranged from 13.0 per cent of persons in Fenland, the district with the highest proportion, to 8.6 per cent in Huntingdonshire, the district with the lowest.
Life expectancy at birth in Fenland for 1998-00 was the lowest in the Cambridgeshire with an average of 75.3 years for men and 79.7 years for women. This compared with the average UK rates of 74.9 years for men and 79.9 years for women.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions Many of the issues raised in the survey around this issue has led IiC partners to believe a new approach neighbourhood management needs to be developed across the sub region. This will build on existing practice in Fenland through the Fenland Links neighbourhood management pilot. Issues above concern engagement, ability to influence local decision making, we feel that by implementing a new approach to neighbourhood management will help alleviate current community concerns such as fear of crime and concern and isolation felt by our residents.
A continuing objective of our IiC programme will be to ensure our communities are empowered and that key individuals and organisations have the capacity to champion and deliver the strategic interventions required.
14 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Employment
In September 2004, the number of people who had been claiming work-related benefits for more than 12 months in Fenland had dropped to 9.3 per cent a fall from 15.9 per cent in September 1999. However, between September 1999 and September 2004 the number of young people aged 18 to 24 years who were claiming work related benefits remained unchanged in Fenland, compared to a reduction of 30.7 per cent in Great Britain overall.
Levels of employment are low, with only 43% of those who were interviewed being in full-time employment. 56% of males are in full-time employment. Self-employment, at 5.4%, is lower in the surveyed areas than national average (8.3%).
The survey indicated a severe pocket of unemployment in the Dogsthorpe area of the city. In the Dogsthorpe 1 SOA unemployment was 14% with a further 2% unregistered unemployed. This figure is higher than the NOMIS figure for the ward of Dogsthorpe (4.8%), and higher than the average for the parts of Dogsthorpe that were included in this survey, which was 12.5%.
18.9% of employed respondents were in ‘elementary occupations’. Occupation in these areas was particularly high in Dogsthorpe, Ravensthorpe and Central. 42% of people with no qualifications work in elementary occupations.
Higher levels of occupational employment were found in Orton, where 17.7% were managers or senior officials, and in Paston, where 19.6% were professionals.
24.7% of employed respondents had been in their job for less than 1 year, and 37.6% had been in their current job for 1 to 4 years. 17.1% had worked in their job for over 10 years. A correlation can be observed between the level of deprivation and the level of transience between jobs.
There was a strong desire to work from lone parents. Over a quarter stated that they were looking after their families but would like to work. Less than 5% of married or co- habiting couples looking after their families wished to work.
The Disability Living Allowance is a benefit paid to people under 65, who are disabled, and need help with personal care and/or getting around. In August 2003, 3,835 people in Fenland received this benefit. This represents 5.6 per cent of all people under the age of 65 living in the area, compared with 5.1 per cent of the population in England and Wales.
15 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 19.7% of the sample was found to be “workless”, that is, they are unemployed or economically inactive. Over half of this group had not worked for over 2 years. It was also found that the issue of long-term worklessness also increases with age (not just in the 60-64 age group), and was more likely to be a problem in the areas that are ranked higher on the IMD. The worst affected SOA was the East 3 area where 80% of workless residents stated that they had been out of work for over 2 years.
Caring responsibilities were the most common reason given for not working. This was followed by long-term sickness or disability.
80% of workless people have had previous work experience. 28% of these respondents have had experience of elementary occupations. This reflects a relatively low level of skills within this group. The skills that were used in previous work were very varied, but the main ones were:
o Specific manual skills (13.3%) - 25.7% in Dogsthorpe o Craft/technical skills (11.9%) o Customer handling (10.5%) - 50% amongst 16-19 year olds and 28.6% in East o Other skills (22.4%) including experience of the job, dexterity, people skills and timekeeping
About a third of the respondents who are workless are currently looking for work. This figure seemed to vary greatly across geographical areas. In Central only a fifth stated they were actively looking for work, whilst in Ravensthorpe almost three-quarters were doing so. However, almost a third of workless respondents stated that they were unlikely to ever look for work again.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions Employment is an issue across our sub region, levels of employment are low. Access to employment is also a key factor facing our communities, research has highlighted that many of our residents are seeking employment, but are finding it difficult to access jobs. Objectives to address these issues shall be incorporated within our IiC programme interventions.
Skills and Education
A quarter of respondents have no qualifications. There was a slightly higher incidence in male respondents than females in not being qualified at any level. The proportion of people with no qualifications rises to a third within the 10% most deprived SOAs. The
16 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 highest incidence was found in the Central 5 SOA where 48.1% of respondents stated that they had no qualifications.
Males (16.4%) tended to be qualified to NVQ Level 4 (degree level), more frequently than females (14.5%). 20.2% of those in the 20-29 year old age range are qualified at this level.
13.8% of respondents stated that they were currently undergoing education or training courses. However, this figure is made up largely of people 16-19 year olds, as 53.6% of this age group were involved in a course or training of some form. Encouragingly, a further 29.5% of the sample also stated that they would consider doing an education or training course.
Over a fifth of respondents (21.9%) perceived that they faced barriers to education and training. Barriers were seen as even higher for those who are benefit-reliant (31%) and those who are lone parents (34%). Childcare and cost were seen as major barriers to education and training, but suitability of facilities was also raised as a key secondary issue.
Just under a quarter of respondents stated that they faced barriers in entering employment or in changing their job. Females more frequently stated barriers to employment/change of employment. Barriers were most commonly faced by those reliant on benefits and lone parents.
Age barriers were very frequently stated as a barrier to employment, and less frequently to training. This was not just from the over 60’s but also those aged over 44. This highlights the large number of disillusioned older workers that are in need of support.
In the academic year 2003/04 the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GSCE grades A* to C in Fenland was 36.9%. 56.2 per cent of pupils in Cambridgeshire achieved 5 or more GCSEs graded A* to C, compared to an average for England of 53.7 per cent.
In 2001, only 56.6% of residents ages 18-19 in Fenland possessed at least a level 2 qualification compared to an average of 71% in Cambridgeshire.
The Census 2001 showed that 82.1% of 18-24 year olds living in Fenland were in full time education or employment. This is lower than the Cambridgeshire average of 88.4%.
17 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Paradoxically, although training and qualifications were not seen as highly valuable in assisting a return to work, a large proportion of workless respondents stated that they did need new skills to help them in returning. Identification of requiring new skills as a factor to aim obtaining employment, diminished with age, as can be seen below:
o 66.7% of 16 - 19 year olds o 60.8% of 20 - 29 year olds o 53.1% of 30 - 44 year olds o 42.9% of 45 - 49 year olds
Over a fifth of respondents felt that they needed to improve their levels of skills to improve their job prospects. Younger respondents particularly saw this as being important to them. This was also perceived to be more important by those from “Other Asian” ethnic backgrounds where 34.4% stated this was important compared to just 17.4% of White British respondents.
Literacy, Basic ICT and Management skills were seen as the areas where skill improvements were most desired to improve job prospects.
People from Pakistani communities raised a slightly higher level of concern about basic skills as a limiting factor to employment.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions Barriers are clearly evidenced through our research, the IiC programme needs to act as an influencer on current service delivery. In part this will need to be focused upon individual communities of interest, as revealed by research amongst lone parents, and a clear reference to older disillusioned workers. Secondly basic skills need to be addressed, this is a key issue across the region as defined in the RES and Regional Social Strategy. We will seek to deliver programmes that seek to build on the LSC’s activities and learn from best practice that exists elsewhere in the region.
Access to Services
Transport to work by those who are currently unemployed was more likely to be by bus than by car. A general exception to this was found in the Pakistani community where the car was favoured considerably more than using the bus. Almost two-thirds of respondents would prefer to travel for less than half an hour to get to a place of work.
Transport was seen as a barrier to employment by 29.8% of workless people. This was the case most frequently in Dogsthorpe (42%) and Paston (45%). Transport problems
18 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 mentioned included inability to drive, unreliability of buses and difficulties with parking. Transport problems tended to be seen as a problem for females more frequently than males.
8.9% stated that transportation does provide problems in travelling to work. Reasons for this included inability to drive, unreliability of buses, not living on a bus route, heavy traffic and difficulty in parking. Although 30% of workless respondents stated that transport was a problem for them, public transport was rated good or excellent by more than half of the respondents.
Respondents believed that the main things that would help them back to work were childcare and more employment in areas that are relevant to their skills. However, no respondents stated that support with employability skills, such as support with interview techniques and CV preparation were important to them in getting back to work. Only 5% of these respondents stated getting qualifications was important, and 5% believed that training would be valuable in getting back to work.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions Transport forms a barrier to employment and indeed social activity across our sub region. We identify that in order to address this issue we need to engage with providers of transport services and the wider private sector through IiC to establish mechanism that can make access to employment more readily available within our communities. We will also review the needs identified with current planning policy across the sub region to establish whether a more supportive pattern of employment land can be identified.
Income
The annual survey of earnings 2004 revealed full-time employees in Fenland were £403, compared to Peterborough’s £373. Both of these figures are significantly below the Regional average (£450) and the national average of (£422). This is almost £200 less than the average for Cambridgeshire.
Overall, 77.2% of those who stated their personal income had an income lower than the Peterborough average of £19,950.32 (Source: New Earnings Survey). The lowest incomes were found in Dogsthorpe, East, Orton, Paston and Ravensthorpe.
Almost half (48%) of those aged between 16 and 19 who stated their level of income had personal incomes of less than £5,000 per annum, as did 47.5% of lone parents, and 87.3% of those with incomes solely reliant on benefits.
19 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 63.4% of those who stated their household incomes were below the Peterborough average. The lowest levels of household income were found in East, Orton and Ravensthorpe.
Although less than one fifth of all respondents stated that they were solely reliant on benefits for their income, some groups were far more likely to be solely reliant than others. Over half of lone parents and 73.3% of disabled or sick respondents were in this situation.
Just over one quarter of residents stated that they were in debt. Females and White British respondents tended to be in debt more frequently than other groups.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions The sub region is renowned for being affordable. Income is aligned to this affordability. Whilst it is difficult to work with private sector partners and encourage them to pay their workforce more, IiC will have a key role in developing skills within our workforce that will complement the area’s growth ambition. Within this regional strategic priority, interventions need to be focused on reducing the number of people on benefits and encouraging more economic activity within our communities.
Enterprise
Economic growth is an essential enabler of ‘growing the right way’. Our area not only expects to grow, it has the capacity and capability to achieve levels of grow outlined within the Regional Spatial Strategy and locally within the Community Strategies for Peterborough and Fenland and Peterborough’s and Cambridgeshire’s Local Area Agreement (LAA).
The overall economy of the PREP area is strong as identified by a buoyant business climate with 70% of new business start-ups surviving into first 3 years of operation. However, this masks a number of challenges in our economy.
Average gross weekly pay is below the national average and significantly below the average for the eastern region
The Peterborough sub region has recently lost considerable numbers of jobs in the relatively well paid service and manufacturing sectors. Whilst Fenland specifically is over-reliant on traditional industries centred around food processing and packaging.
20 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The unemployment rate higher than that of the eastern region
Skills levels remain below the average for the eastern region with overall skills levels at NVQ level 4+ falling
5.4% of all respondents gave their economic status as self-employed. 44.9% of these respondents were from the Central Ward. 83.7% of the self-employed respondents are males.
56% of self-employed residents use their homes as their workplace, and a further 8% use premises that are attached to their homes.
The construction industry was the largest area of work for self-employed residents, but amongst self-employed females, the care and personal service sector was the most popular industry.
The majority of businesses did not feel that their business faced any major barriers in operating at its current location.
Awareness of business support facilities are not particularly high - less than one quarter of respondents were aware of services from the Enterprise Centre, Business Link Cambridgeshire or Chamber of Commerce.
Initial Alignment of Need with Interventions Levels of enterprise in the sub region are below the national average. The IiC programme will play a key role in supporting encouragement of innovation and growth within our communities. This will aid economic growth and aspirations contained in the RES and Regional Spatial Strategy. Interventions will seek to aid enterprise alongside existing services such as the Peterborough Enterprise Centre and Enterprise Fenland facilities. In particular reviewing current support packages on offer and tailor packages that can encourage increased entrepreneurship within our neighbourhoods.
21 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Strategic coherence with other regional and local strategies
A number of complementary activities and strategies have been identified and reviewed that provide an indication of the challenges faced and how they are currently being addressed. The most notable strategies reviewed are outlined below.
Complementary Strategies – Regional o East of England Development Agency – Regional Economic Strategy o East of England Regional Social Strategy o Migrant Workers in the East of England Project Report o Draft East of England Plan
Complementary Strategies – Sub Regional/Local o PREP Sub-Regional Economic Strategy o Peterborough Community Strategy – ‘Growing the right way’ o Fenland Community Strategy o Draft Cambridgeshire Local Area Agreement o Learning Skills Council – Strategic Area Review (StAR) o Fens Rural Pathfinder Plan o Fenland Links Neighbourhood Management and Delivery Plan
A review of synergy between this IiC strategy and key regional documents is identified below,
Regional Economic Strategy (RES) The RES sets an important economic and social context for the IiC plan. The IiC business plan seeks to set a context of regenerating our communities fundamentally and providing a platform through which communities can benefit from economic growth that is anticipated through Peterborough’s inclusion in the London-Stansted-Cambridge- Peterborough Growth Corridor. Key alignment with the RES occurs through four of the eight goals identified.
22 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The goals with relevance to the PREP plan include;
Goal 1: A skills base that can support a world-class economy IiC is seen as a vehicle that can complement existing skills support within the sub- region. Through direct intervention through training support in our communities the programme offers the opportunity to develop a wider skills base that is required within existing businesses within the sub region, and critically enable the local population to gain skills that can be utilised by future employers attracted to the city.
Goal 2: Growing competitiveness, productivity and entrepreneurship With the prevalence of the growth agenda within the sub region, the IiC programme is well placed to support interventions that enhance current economic performance. Through working closely with our business community and providing services that encourage growth of all business, we aim to create an environment through which entrepreneurs can thrive, whether they are setting out on their own, or seeking to develop significant enterprises through enhancing their workforce. Through doing so we aim to ensure that business development will add value and vitality to our communities.
Goal 4: High quality places, to live, work and visit Through strategic interventions within our neighbourhoods we aim to create significant improvements in our communities, principally focus will be on most deprived communities where we shall concentrate on engagement and making services more accessible to all our residents. Key locations within the Peterborough Sub-region for this intervention are Central and Dogsthorpe wards in Peterborough and North Wisbech and Waterlees in Fenland.
Goal 5: Social Inclusion and broad participation in the regional economy This goal represents the underpinning of our proposed IiC programme. The programme will seek to focus on supporting people in collaboration with our partners in Health, Crime and Education sectors to enable people to enhance their current position and support an increase in overall economic activity in the sub region. A considerable focus, evidenced by our needs analysis will be on supporting disadvantaged communities in accessing sustainable employment opportunities and enhancing prospects for better quality employment prospects. This is particularly relevant in our 26 SOAs currently in the top 20% nationally, and also communities of interest, such as women returners, migrants and travellers.
23 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Through evidenced need and proposed interventions, the PREP will seek, alongside its partners to ensure that activity within the IiC programme makes a considerable impact on the way services are delivered and in a manner which can influence local delivery towards the ambitious goals defined in the RES.
Regional Social Strategy (RSS) The Peterborough Sub Region is typical of an area is inequalities as defined in the RSS, the area has significant pockets of wealth and by contrast deprivation. Indeed the sub region can be characterised as having areas in the top 10% most wealthy in the country and the most deprived 10%. This IiC seeks to draw on a number of elements within the RSS to ensure that interventions make the maximum difference to peoples lives as possible. Areas where our proposed interventions support the RSS are:
o To tackle poverty and reduce income inequalities o To promote access to work, tackle low pay and improve conditions of work o To improve the life chances of adults through earning and skills development o To support the development of sustainable communities o To improve access to services, especially disadvantaged groups o To develop social networks, community assets and promote community cohesion
Addressing inequality and access is a key theme identified within our needs assessment and through our subsequent strategic interventions, whether our communities reside in an urban or rural context. The IiC plan identifies areas of intervention that are needed to address each of the above strategic objectives. Key issues for the PREP area include:
o Addressing low pay in Fenland o Building on recent improvements in recent education performance across the sub- region and enhancing life chances of our young people o Encouraging our adult communities to gain qualification to enhance their employability (23% of adults in Fenland are without a qualification) o Providing basic skills support, particularly within BME communities o Building community cohesion across our neighbourhoods and sub-region
Through the implementation of the IiC business plan our partnership shall remain consistent with our aim to engage with all of our stakeholders among the community and the private, public and voluntary sectors.
24 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 We recognise the valuable role they can make in achieving our aims and view our business plan as supportive of wider strategic social and economic interventions both locally and regionally.
East of England Plan (EEP) The PREP IiC plan seeks to complement the objectives of the EEP particularly in supporting the achievement of its vision in seeking to ‘….to sustain and improve the quality of life for all people who live in, work in or visit the region, by developing a more sustainable, prosperous and outward looking region, whilst respecting its diversity and enhancing its asset’.
This IiC plan seeks to contribute to this vision in achieving regeneration of our communities and enhancing growth, through enhancing business opportunities and prospects, through skills development and business engagement. The EEP also states that key objectives for the region include:
o Increase prosperity and employment growth to meet identified employment needs of the region, and achieve a more sustainable balance between workers and jobs o Improve social inclusion and access to employment and services and leisure and tourism facilities among those who are disadvantaged o Maintain and enhance cultural diversity while addressing the distinctive needs of the different parts of the region o Increase the regeneration and renewal of disadvantaged areas
Each of these elements is a critical ingredient to this IiC plan. Key issues identified in the areas needs analysis reveal that increasing prosperity, improving inclusion and access to services and enhancing diversity are priorities for the Peterborough sub region. Strategic interventions identified are aligned through this business plan to the overall ambition of the EEP. Within this sub region we are also seeking to align the IiC programme with the growth agenda formalised through the London-Stansted- Cambridge-Peterborough growth corridor. Within the draft EEP, the Peterborough sub region will provide a minimum of 17,400 new jobs until 2021. This represents a significant step change in current economic performance. One key area of growth within this area of activity is indigenous economic development and employment of existing residents through bringing them into, or indeed back into economic activity. Ultimately growth in the sub region will be principally delivered through enhancing existing resources and skills rather than a reliance on attracting new people into the sub region.
25 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Within the specific policy areas, PREP identifies that IiC will contribute to the following areas:
Policy GPSR1: strategy for the Greater Peterborough sub region o Support regeneration of rural areas that have EU transitional status o Consolidate the market towns of Wisbech and March as important centres of employment..and the focus for economic regeneration within the rural area of north Cambridgeshire
Policy GPSR3: Growth of Peterborough o Providing 17,400 net new jobs in the period 2001-2021, supported by necessary infrastructure Policy GPSR4: regeneration of Peterborough City o Support the regeneration of the city centre to create an improved range of services o Support the regeneration of inner urban areas
Each of these policies has clear alignment with needs within the sub region from both a regeneration and growth perspective. Both elements are crucial to improving quality of life within the sub region, from both a social and economic perspective. Achieving potential within the sub region is dependent on both growth and regeneration in equal measure.
Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership Business Plan 2005 – 2006 The Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership area encompasses the whole of the administrative boundaries of Peterborough City Council and Fenland District Council, serving a population of some 240,000. Approximately 155,000 are resident in the Peterborough area while the Fenland area, comprises almost 200 square miles of north east Cambridgeshire, has a population of approximately 85,000. The majority of this population reside in the market towns of Wisbech (20,500), March (19,500), Whittlesey (16,000) and Chatteris (9,000).
The Peterborough and Fenland Community Strategies determine the vision for the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership. Achieving managed growth, improving prosperity and enhancing quality of life for all of our communities are the prime concerns for the PREP. These are central themes of the Peterborough and Fenland community strategies.
The PREP vision for the future of the Greater Peterborough economy is that:
26 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 ‘By 2010, the sub-region will be renowned for delivering growth on a sustainable basis and having a positive impact upon quality of life of our communities. Greater Peterborough residents will share in the economic prosperity of the area and continue to enjoy a high quality environment, reflecting the principles of sustainable growth. Growth will be maintained by our reputation for having a housing sector offering the widest range within the East of England’.
PREP brings together a number of key stakeholders from within the private, public and voluntary sectors. The group has embarked upon the development of a multi-agency Economic Development Strategy for the area, which seeks to maximise the economic performance of the Greater Peterborough area, providing a strong contribution to the attainment of the goals established within the Regional Economic Strategy. The objectives of PREP are:
To act as the “Sub Regional Economic Partnership” for the area, in line with the roles defined by the East of England Development Agency.
To promote sustainable growth and economic development within the Greater Peterborough sub-region. To co-ordinate services that will enhance growth in Greater Peterborough as reflected in the area’s Sustainable Communities Plan status. To promote a co-ordinated structure for interfacing with regional and national bodies involved in economic development and influencing their decisions. To co-ordinate the implementation of initiatives that support the enhancement of the Greater Peterborough sub-region, primarily in Fenland and Peterborough. To provide a coherent partnership framework to co-ordinate and align the activities of the main economic development organisations, private sector and other key partnerships such as Community Safety, Environment, Health and Transport.
Peterborough Community Strategy – ‘Growing the right way’ Peterborough’s Community Strategy was developed by the Greater Peterborough Partnership (GPP), the area’s Local Strategic Partnership and adopted by Peterborough City Council in December 2004.
The Community Strategy reflects both the agenda for growth and the partner’s clear desire to ensure that Peterborough grows the right way, so that economic and population growth leads to genuine improvements in key areas, particularly those where Peterborough currently has specific problems or issues.
27 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The Community Strategy set out three priority areas for action, reflecting those issues that are believed to be currently the most pressing. These are
Improving the health and well being of the people of Peterborough Building strong and supportive communities and reducing crime Supporting children and young people and raising levels of educational achievement
Fenland Community Strategy Fenland Strategic Development Choices was developed by the Fenland Strategic Partnership and adopted in July 2005.
The Strategic Choices reflect the particular aspects and needs analysis of the forums within the Partnership and highlight the acuteness of the rural deprivation of the sub- region. The crosscutting priority presents a key challenge to support the raising of aspirations of the community
The Community Strategy sets out seven priorities. These are
Improving Access to Services and Information Developing a Diverse and Sustainable Economy Raising Fenland’s Profile Developing Pride in the Countryside Building Vibrant Town and Village Communities that are Good to Live in Encourage Strong and Learning Communities with Higher Aspirations Improving the Community’s Safety, Health and Environment
Peterborough Local Area Agreement The first Local Area Agreement (LAA) for Peterborough will be implemented within the period up to end March 2008.
The LAA is built on the priorities set out in the Peterborough Community Strategy published in December 2004 and sets out actions that will deliver those priorities.
The strong read-across between the three priorities of the Community Strategy and the three blocks within the template for the Local Area Agreement was a key factor in the decision to embrace the LAA as an integral part of the GPP’s work, not as a bolt-on extra.
28 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 That commitment to integrating the work on the Community Strategy and the LAA is reflected in the alignment of the targets and the proposed operational management arrangements.
The Community Strategy and the LAA are read across as follows:
Block One: ‘Children and Young People’ - integrates ‘Raising Levels of Education Achievement from the Community Strategy Block Two: ‘Safer and Stronger Communities’ – integrates ‘Building Strong and Supportive Communities and Reducing Crime from the Community Strategy Block Three: ‘Health and Older People’ – integrates ‘Improving the Health and Well- Being of the People of Peterborough’ from the Community Strategy
The outcomes are based on national and local priorities and reflected in the delivery and business plans of public service bodies.
Based on this agreement, the City Council and its partners will negotiate local freedoms and flexibilities from Government to achieve improvement in local service outcomes.
Participating in the agreement will give the City Council and its public sector partners the opportunity to agree to pool or align budgets (with £23m available for pooling and alignment) to support jointly agreed outcomes and increase spending capacity. Participation will also reduce monitoring requirements and bureaucracy and inspections and reviews associated with the outcomes in the agreement.
The Greater Peterborough Partnership (GPP) as the areas LSP oversees the delivery of the agreement.
Draft Cambridgeshire Local Area Agreement The first Local Area Agreement (LAA) for Cambridgeshire will be agreed in 2006.
The draft vision is:
‘for Cambridgeshire to be a prosperous, inclusive, healthy and safe area where growth is sustainably managed to the benefit of current and future residents; where children and young people have the best possible start in life; where first-rate services enable all members of our communities to thrive; and where quality of life will improve along with the quality of the county’s environment’.
29 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Cambridgeshire’s five Community Strategies reflect the social, economic and environmental issues that matter to residents. People, organisations, agencies and community and voluntary groups will keep working together to achieve communities that are: sustainable; inclusive; safe; healthy; and learning
The draft LAA identifies the three main blocks also included within the Peterborough LAA of:
Block One: ‘Children and Young People’ Block Two: ‘Safer and Stronger Communities’ Block Three: ‘Health and Older People’
In addition to the fourth block, ‘Economic Development and Enterprise’
Learning Skills Council – Strategic Area Review (StAR) The StAR process is designed to support the Cambridgeshire LSC in shaping the future direction of learning opportunities in the area.
The principles underlying the StAR are defined by national, regional and local objectives. The assumption is that at the heart of the provision there will be a strong and sustained focus on learner, employer and community needs. Active promotion of equality, diversity and inclusive provision to meet the distinct needs of different and disadvantaged groups, including learners with learning difficulties and /or disabilities will be provided. Having moved from an institutional focus to a learner and employer focus the LSC have established three customer groups:
A series of objectives have been set for each customer group, with examples provided below, while further examples are provided for priority groups and key local priorities that are relevant to this business plan:
Young People (14-19): Develop closer collaborative planning networks to ensure provision reflects the key sectors of opportunity in a local area and presents clear progression routes.
30 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Adults: Increase the number of adults with a level 2 qualification and the number of adults accessing basic skills provision.
Ensure an adult curriculum offer that is appropriate for local communities and recognises the wider social benefits of learning including working towards parity of outcomes for minority ethnic customers.
Business: Strengthening partners’ engagement in economic development and regeneration priorities to provide skills and job creation needed to produce a seamless route from welfare to workforce development
Priority Groups Adults who have Skills for Life skills needs (language, literacy and numeracy) Adults who do not have a Level 2 qualification Adults from disadvantaged groups and/or who live in areas of deprivation, who have low aspirations
Key Local Priorities Increase the range of appropriate learning opportunities for disengaged and underachieving young people to achieve a Level 2 qualification, with a particular focus on Fenland and Peterborough Increase the number of young people in employment taking up workforce development/structured learning, so that they achieve a level 2 qualification Increase the success rates for Skills for Life in key skills achievements Meet the needs of the local economy by achieving higher technical/supervisory skills and managerial skills Further develop local capacity for meeting the needs of young people and adults with a learning difficulty and or disability
Fenland Links Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Strategy and Delivery Plan The Fenland Links area covers 14,916 hectares including 15 villages/hamlet plus an area in Wisbech Town (Wisbech North) with the distance between the furthest two villages being approximately 20 miles. Fenland Links aims to make improvements in the wards of Elm and Christchurch, Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary and Wisbech North, in Fenland, Cambridgeshire.
31 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The area in Wisbech North is based on the former SRB area which covers two thirds of the Waterlees ward (2,600 people) and part of the Clarkson ward (900 people). In terms of IMD (Indices of Multiple Deprivation) data we have used the two SOAs (Super Output Areas) in Waterlees which match this boundary most closely. The small numbers of inhabitants in some of the villages covered by the Fenland Links area, means that statistical trends are difficult to measure, or make meaningful comparisons against Fenland, regional, or national figures.
The process does vary from place to place, but most of the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders share some common factors:
Being a mechanism for delivering service improvements at the neighbourhood level Requiring regular partnership meetings/liaison between a wide range of service providers, residents and other local stakeholders Participants must all share a common aim: to improve local services and make them customer rather than provider-led.
Fenland Links will be seeking to learn from its urban Neighbourhood Management counterparts and from other best practice across the region. However, certain issues have already been identified that will need to be taken into consideration when measuring the impact of Fenland Links.
Link to EEDA Core Products As one of EEDA’s four core products, IiC needs to retain and develop a consistency with the other core products agreed as key drivers of regional economic support by EEDA. This section seeks to identify areas where the PREP IiC programme will seek to complement the overall implementation of the four core products.
Alignment to the Business Support Package Ensuring that the sub region prospers economically is a key feature within the PREP IiC interventions. There is a key alignment to be made in this area. Within our approach we see clear linkages to the following elements of this core product. We shall work alongside our partners to maximise delivery, whilst reducing bureaucracy and duplication. This will ensure that delivery is tailored to local need and be responsive to changes in these needs. Key areas where we seek to align our approach with the region include:
Supporting local enterprise to encourage business growth through the use of coaches, mentors and brokers
32 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Increasing integration of existing support services for skills, enterprise and innovation. Ensuring that the sub region is aligned to the regional model for specialist business development infrastructure. Provision of support to encourage greater exploitation of international business opportunities.
As the sub region is seeking to attract considerable levels of growth, alignment with the business support package is crucial. Our interventions through Intervention 3: Skills and employment will be aligned with this package and support the overall regional objectives espoused by EEDA.
Enterprise Hub Programme The sub region has one existing Innovation Centre in the South Fens Business Centre, and the proposed Peterborough Innovation Centre due to be completed in 2007 alongside the regions enterprise hub for sustainable engineering; the centre for sustainable engineering. The IiC programme will seek to support this initiative through engaging with the private sector and highlighting the role that these facilities can offer. As the IiC programme for the sub region needs to focus on improving the economic base of the sub region. Hence the need to support and align the delivery of the Enterprise Hub product, in addition the sub region is keen to learn from other facilities that have been established across the region, such as MAS East and Food East.
Regional Renaissance Package The Regional renaissance package is aimed at supporting areas undergoing major change through growth and/or regeneration. The fundamental issue for the Peterborough sub region is achieving growth and regeneration in a manner that is complementary and inclusive. The Regional Renaissance package has particular resonance within this sub region. Through IiC we aim to make neighbourhoods more inclusive, economically active and ultimately more supportive environments than currently present. We wish to ensure that the IiC product links to Opportunity Peterborough, and its role in supporting physical renewal and promotion within the urban area of Peterborough, and additionally, within Fenland support the regeneration of key areas that will help develop economic success, such as developing the Wisbech Marina.
We also wish to engage the private sector in a manner that encourages investment in people and places. We aim to see practical interventions that will facilitate this
33 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 development and support the overall ambition confirmed in the Regional Renaissance package.
34 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 investment readiness
The Regional Economic Strategy and Regional Social Strategy identified seven priorities that are central to tackling deprivation and inequality in the region, as outlined below:
SP1: Multiple Deprivation SP2: Employment SP3: Skills and Education SP4: Access to Services SP5: Income SP6: Communities SP7: Enterprise
The research and consultation that has taken place to develop the IiC business plan, as outlined within the level of need section has been significant, enabling our partnership to interpret these priorities at a sub-regional level. This review has led to the adoption of the seven strategic priorities identified above as IiC interventions for the PREP area.
Strategic Intervention 1 Multiple Deprivation
Purpose To establish neighbourhood management delivery within three selected deprived wards within the PREP area. Location Central Ward, Peterborough Dogsthorpe Ward, Peterborough Waterlees Ward, Wisbech Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 1,000 400 1,400 Note 1
Note1: An additional £500,000 has been approved through IiC for the 2005 – 2006 financial year.
Assessment The detailed analysis of the level of need within our sub-region demonstrated deprivation is significant and is most acute within specific geographical areas. The
35 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 indices of multiple deprivation identify specific SOAs within the PREP area that can grouped by their concentration. Applying this process has enabled three diverse communities to be identified and selected for piloted activity under this intervention heading.
The three ward areas identified are detailed below: Central Ward, Peterborough SOAs within Most Deprived 20% Nationally 6 Overall Population 8,750 Ethnic Group White 45.3% Asian/Asian British 50.7% Black/Black British 1.8% Mixed 1.4% Other 0.8% Qualification Levels No Qualifications 41.2% Level 1 14.5% Level 2 16.6% Households with no-one in employment 39.5%
Dogsthorpe Ward, Peterborough SOAs within Most Deprived 20% Nationally 4 Overall Population 8,750 Ethnic Group White 91.4% Asian/Asian British 5.3% Black/Black British 1.2% Mixed 1.6% Other 0.5% Qualification Levels No Qualifications 44.2% Level 1 18.2% Level 2 17.5% Households with no-one in employment 46.1%
Waterlees Ward, Wisbech SOAs within Most Deprived 20% Nationally 1 Overall Population 5,200 Ethnic Group White 98% Asian/Asian British 0.7% Black/Black British 0% Mixed 0.5% Other 0.8% Qualification Levels No Qualifications 38.42 Level 1 38.40 Level 2 19.10 Households with no-one in employment 37.37
Delivery Objectives Establish a neighbourhood management process to deliver effective neighbourhood renewal that tackles quality of life issues faced by our targeted communities, such as:
Better management of the local environment; Increasing community safety;
36 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Improving housing stock; Working with young people Encouraging employment opportunities Enabling skills and employment readiness
Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention 1 are summarised at annex 6.
Strategic Intervention 2 Employment
Purpose To support the sub-regional growth agenda by increasing the employment rate and increasing the prosperity of targeted communities. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 150 400 550
Assessment The employment rate within the PREP area is lower than that of the region, while a review by area as highlighted above by selected areas of multiple deprivation demonstrate greater inequalities.
Delivery Objectives Access volunteering opportunities Supporting communities access employment through shared service delivery between statutory agencies and community groups Provide services that enable residents to become engaged in their communities, improving individual confidence, self-esteem and employability
Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention 2 are summarised at annex 6.
Strategic Intervention 3 Skills and Education
Purpose Targeted provision will be developed through multi agency partnerships to improve educational attainment within skills for
37 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 life, basic skills and vocational skills. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 150 500 650
Assessment Skills levels among deprived communities remain low within the PREP area, creating barriers that will compound exclusion, with rural areas often more acutely affected, as summarised below:
Qualification Level by Area No Qualifications Level 1 Level 2 Central 41.2 14.5 16.6 Dogsthorpe 44.2 18.2 17.5 Ravensthorpe 41.4 18.9 19.0 Staithe 44.6 18.9 19.4 Waterlees 47.9 20.1 15.8 Peterborough 30.5 18.9 21.4 Fenland 38.4 19.8 19.1 England 28.9 16.6 19.4
Delivery Objectives Influence current service delivery through establishment of pilot programmes Focused support for identified communities of interest Underpin activity of lead agencies such as LSC through gap analysis and appropriate resource allocation
Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention 3 are summarised at annex 6.
Strategic Intervention 4 Access to Services
Purpose Support multi agency partnership approach to address low levels of access encountered by communities across the PREP area. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants
38 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 300 300 600
Assessment Poor access to services exists across the PREP area, with rural communities most affected. Access to services such as information, advice and guidance to support specific communities who would not otherwise access such services due to stigma or location is particularly valuable.
The community survey found that adding value to existing provision through enhancement and innovation were viewed as beneficial, with focus group findings highlighting the need for local community provision that was culturally sensitive.
Barriers to Services Rank Ward IMD Rank Within most deprived 1 Parson Drove and Wisbech St 557 5 Mary 2 Elm and Christchurch 650 3 Roman Bank 1,417 4 Northborough 1,560 5 Glinton and Wittering 2,183 10 6 Benwick, Coates and Eastrea 2,441 7 Barnack 2,840
Delivery Objectives o Engage with providers of transport services and the wider private sector to establish mechanism that can make access to employment more readily available within our communities. o Review the needs identified with current planning policy across the sub region to establish whether a more supportive pattern of employment land can be identified. o Map and evaluate existing services within our PREP area to ascertain current provision and direct future activity. Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention4 are summarised at annex 6. Strategic Intervention 5 Income
Purpose Address the low levels of income within the PREP area through an increased skills base, business support and enterprise start ups developed through a coordinated multi agency approach. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000)
39 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 150 200 350
Assessment Income levels within the PREP area are significantly lower than the regional average with income deprivation particularly high for a number of SOAs and communities of interest. A review of the indices of deprivation demonstrate that this is not solely due to levels of employment as the number of SOAs classified for income deprivation is far higher than those categorised for employment.
Income Deprivation Rank Ward IMD Rank Within most deprived 1 Dogsthorpe 383 5 2 Central 741 3 East 865 4 Central 1,119 5 Central 1,554 6 Waterlees 1,860 10 7 Ravensthorpe 1,949 8 East 2,579 9 Ravensthorpe 2,584 10 Orton Waterville 2,650 11 Paston 2,798 12 Orton Longueville 2,846 13 Orton Longueville 3,040 14 Dogsthorpe 3,132
Delivery Objectives Develop skills within our workforce that will complement the area’s growth ambition Support initiatives to reduce the number of people on benefits Encourage more economic activity within our communities. Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention 5 are summarised at annex 6. Strategic Intervention 6 Communities
Purpose To generate the sense of community cohesion and empowerment supported by physical infrastructure improvements that are essential to effective regeneration. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 300 300 600
40 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Assessment The involvement of local people, for example, through ‘linking’ people in deprived areas with organisations that shape society and communities is a valuable tool. Involving communities in specific activity as proposed under the multiple deprivation intervention provides the foundation on which to develop further community led initiatives through very visible physical improvements.
Delivery Objectives Engage local people in visioning the future of their communities Establish community empowerment network Establish appropriate training opportunities to develop capacity of key individuals and organisations to champion and deliver Establish cohesion strategy for the diverse communities with the PREP area
Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention 6 are summarised at annex 6.
Strategic Intervention 7 Enterprise
Purpose Providing support for local businesses and enabling communities to establish social enterprises supports the long-term sustainability of communities by creating greater financial independence, generating revenue and providing local services and opportunities. Location PREP Area Communities of Interest Lone Parents Disabled Migrants and Travellers NEET Ethnic Minorities Incapacity Benefit Claimants IiC Funding Capital £ Revenue £ Total £ up to 31 March 2008 (,000) (,000) (,000) 1,000 200 1,200
Assessment
41 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 The overall economy of the PREP area is strong as identified by a buoyant business climate with 70% of new business start-ups surviving into the first three years of operation. However this masks a number of challenges in our economy with decreasing levels of enterprise in our most deprived SOAs. Although commissioned research has indicated that increased support to enable general access to the labour market, self- employment and social enterprise would support sustainability and economic prosperity.
The community survey commissioned for the IiC programme identified that awareness of business support facilities are not particularly high, with less than one quarter of respondents aware of services from the Enterprise Centre, Business Link Cambridgeshire or Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.
Delivery Objectives Development of innovative approaches to delivery targeted at the communities most in need Support social enterprises with all activity based on a robust business model, including a full review of sustainability issues Review access to finance, learning opportunities, and the establishment of support networks Develop employer engagement in work related education for 14-19 year olds Establish community asset development Establish community ownership vehicle
Note: Proposed initiatives within intervention7 are summarised at annex 6.
42 PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 Delivery Capacity
The IiC programme will be strategically governed through the PREP, while Peterborough City Council shall act as the accountable body.
Accountable Body Peterborough City Council performs the role of accountable body for the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership. It is a role that the Council performs for a number of regeneration programmes, including Urban II, SRB and the Rural Renaissance Fund.
IiC Team The day to day management and delivery of the programme will be undertaken through the Economic Regeneration section of Peterborough City Council. A dedicated Programme Management team has been established to operate all regeneration programmes to ensure strategic alignment, with three dedicated staff assigned to the IiC programme, as outlined in Table 9, supported by a part-time Administrative Assistant.
The IiC team is comprised of a Regeneration Programme Manager, with responsibility for the development of the strategic direction and the implementation of the business plan, and two Senior Regeneration Officers, responsible for the operational programme support and delivery. The Manager and one Officer are employed by the accountable body, Peterborough City Council, who also host one Officer employed through the partner authority, Fenland District Council. The Manager and the Urban co-ordinator will be employed by the accountable body, Peterborough City Council.
Staff Structure of IiC Team IiC Manager
Urban Co-ordinator Rural Co-ordinator
Performance Management Administration
Partnership Structure Within the PREP area there are two local strategic partnerships, the Greater Peterborough Partnership and the Fenland Strategic Partnership. Each partnership is integral to the successful delivery of the programme and has strategic input to the programme through the PREP. In addition it is recognised that increased planning and delivery with the Greater Cambridge Partnership would further support the programme across the county. Therefore a
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control43 0.4 committee structure will be established that acknowledges these requirements, directs programme delivery and ensures strategic alignment. An outline of the committee structure is provided below.
A cross-county group will also be established which will address cross cutting programmes i.e. education, training, business support as appropriate. It will be made up of representatives from both the Cambridgeshire Rural Forum IiC Partnership and the PREP Regeneration Group as IiC Partnership.
Sub Regional Structure
Greater Peterborough Fenland Strategic Partnership Partnership
Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership
IiC Overview Group
GCP IiC Group Peterborough and Fenland IiC Group
IiC Project Approval Process The strategic interventions we have set do not exist in isolation. The implementation of one intervention will have a direct correlation to other interventions. As such, we shall develop a co-ordinated, staged approach to delivery to achieve effective results throughout the duration of this business plan.
Research and development has formed the foundation from which the programme has been developed and will continue to inform our planning process. The activities that will cross the strategic interventions making a real demonstrable difference to our communities will follow the completion of associated and relevant research, as we will not make ill informed judgements simply to move ‘projects’ forward.
A programme informed through research and development, and based upon strong strategic and partnership activity can still be ineffective if the appropriate levels of flexibility are not established from the outset in relation to the approval of activity and subsequent resource allocation. Therefore an effective commissioning approach shall be developed that will empower our partnership and ensure effective strategic delivery.
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control44 0.4 Commissioning A commissioning approach will provide an effective mechanism for reducing costs and improving service quality. Previous funded programmes have often ignored this approach, appraising organisations bidding for funds in isolation, without due consideration of other potential providers. The result of this approach, on occasions, has meant a series of isolated activities not necessarily delivered by the best organisation.
This approach is not in anyway intended to undervalue the vital work that organisations undertake within our communities, but to ensure that activities channelled through the IiC programme remains effective, relevant and complementary. Based on community need as opposed to organisational need, which will be catered for by complimentary programmes.
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control45 0.4 Strategic Intervention Approval Process – Flow Diagram Project Idea
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PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control46 0.4 In addition to the fiscal and quality imperatives identified above there is a third strand to our delivery approach; sustainability. This will be achieved by ensuring our communities remain integral to the delivery process. This remains a key principle objective within the IiC business plan and operation of the delivery of the IiC product.
We do, however, recognise that in some instances the capacity of community organisations, groups and individuals will not be sufficient to enable this to happen in the short-term. We will, therefore, incorporate capacity development into our delivery planning process to empower our communities and develop skills for their future ownership and delivery.
Approval Principles
Our approval process shall be guided by the following principles:
o we shall determine service levels, service standards and award contracts to the most appropriate provider. o we shall support delivery through multiple contractors where appropriate. o we shall restrict contract lengths to increments related to our resources and review policies.
Business Plan Review The IiC Overview Group will undertake the review of the business plan although the review will be additionally informed by the wider partnership, most notably the PREP and the two area strategic partnerships.
While the implementation of the plan will be reviewed on an on-going basis the overall plan will be reviewed on an annual basis as part of the performance management procedures being applied to the programme by the accountable body.
Evaluation Alongside equality and diversity, and sustainable development, evaluation has been identified as a cross-cutting theme of our IiC programme. The value of evaluation is clearly identified by the work that our partnership has commissioned to review associated regeneration programmes.
The IiC programme offers the opportunity to pilot new innovative approaches to regeneration and therefore primary research and evaluation of initial activity will be imperative. Action research will be incorporated into activity wherever it is appropriate while an annual evaluation will be undertaken to inform the review of the business plan. In summary the evaluation will incorporate the following:
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control47 0.4 Evaluate the performance of all approved activity, identifying best practice and particular factors that are contributing to the success or failure of individual projects
To comprehensively assess projects’ sustainability
To evaluate the effectiveness of community involvement in the design and delivery of current projects and interventions
To inform the on-going planning process for the IiC programme
To map project activity to provide a detailed database summarising the range of groups supported in each project, geographical areas covered, and the types of interventions being pursued.
PREP IiC Business Plan 2006 – 2008 – Version Control48 0.4