The rise of the LEPs
This VSNW briefing highlights:
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How the Autumn Statement 2012 has boosted Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).
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Forthcoming sub-regional ‘Strategic Plans for Local Growth’.
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LEPs’ role in future access to a national ‘growth-related’ Single Funding Pot from 2015
Download it here: http://tinyurl.com/cvatleps
Welfare reform briefing
The Government’s welfare reform agenda is central to their policy programme, and is set to become a reality for many communities from April. There are many layers of reform that are coming into place, which will affect people in different ways, which One North West’s briefing summarises here: http://tinyurl.com/cvatwelfarebriefing
Apprentice good practice resource
Ofsted has published a good practice resource for organisations supporting apprentices to succeed in an inner-city environment. It details the support that Reflections Training Academy provides, including an initial assessment of needs, healthy living advice, free breakfasts and one-to-one literacy and numeracy support.
Is tackling in work poverty the key for anti-poverty initiatives?
The 'low-pay, no-pay' jobs market keeps millions in poverty and holds the economy back. This annual report analyses trends to tell the story of poverty in the UK today. A set of 50 indicators covers a wide range of issues, ranging from low income, worklessness and debt, to ill health and education. The report reveals the extent of in work poverty and the dynamic nature of poverty, caused by people cycling in and out of work and an underemployed workforce. For the first time, the report examines the impacts of the current Government’s policies on poverty and exclusion. More information: www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitoring-poverty-2012
Addressing poverty? It’s economic development, stupid!
A New Start blogger wrote, 'Even having a job is no guarantee you won’t slip into poverty. Recent evidence tells the latest story of poverty in the UK – ‘in work’ poverty is on the rise. This problem of in-work poverty reveals a fundamental aspect of our economy – it is badly failing some people. So those tasked with thinking about our economy and developing it (including local enterprise partnerships – LEPs) need to be involved in writing a new economic story with tackling poverty at the forefront. However, for this to happen we will need to question some of the thinking.' More information: http://www.cles.org.uk/yourblogs/addressing-poverty-its-economic-development-stupid/
The true cost of living in Greater Manchester
Residents of Greater Manchester must earn £7.22 per hour working full-time to enjoy a reasonable quality of life according to a new research paper from the Manchester-based think tank New Economy. The paper reveals that the average hourly wage for the bottom 10 per cent of earners in Greater Manchester is £6.27 – only just above than the national minimum wage of £6.08 per hour.
Britain’s got talent: unlocking the demand for skills
A new report from the Social Market Foundation has said that the skills policies of successive governments focussing on subsidising employers or individuals to train has simply led some employers to get free training that they would have conducted anyway, and learners to take courses that were of no or limited value in the wider economy. The report calls for a new approach using market signals to identify and serve the demand for skills, with further education colleges rewarded for giving employers the skilled staff they need.
For information: website: www.smf.co.uk/files/7113/4149/2212/SMF_Britians_Got_Talent_WEB.pdf
It may be sustainable, but is it resilient?
Sustainability is a priority worldwide but the term has become a tag added often unthinkingly to guarantee the validity of policies, products and values. Sustainability is generally regarded as a way of living that will not undermine the capacity of future generations to enjoy the world’s resources. Sustainability is therefore about the future. But since the future is inherently uncertain, how can we be sure that what we put in place today in the name of sustainability will deliver what it promises? The answer could be: it must be flexible enough to adapt to future conditions whilst continuing to be resource-efficient. It must be resilient.
Read more on this discussion: http://tinyurl.com/sustainableandresilient
Going for Growth: Stimulating Sustainable Local Regeneration
This conference offers up-to-date information about the progress and future direction of the coalition Government's localised growth initiatives – such as the Localism Act and the Regional Growth Fund.
For more information and to book: http://tinyurl.com/sustainablegrowth
Prosperity without growth: economics for a finite planet
We must repudiate traditional economics if we're to save the planet, says Jeremy Leggett (Guardian). Every day the system in which we live tries to persuade us that our prosperity (put simply, a state in which things are going well for us) is intimately linked to whether or not gross national product is growing and whether stock markets are riding high. The core of the debate is that endless growth is a ridiculous notion because we live on a planet with finite resources, the mining and use of some of which is undermining our planet's life-support systems.
Budget blows hole in giving commitments
The Budget has caused concern for many as a result of a new cap on tax relief which many fear will affect levels of major donations. There appears to be a great disconnect of the Budget from the government’s policies towards charities and wider civil society. Ben Wittenberg (Directory of Social Change) comments that the government’s commitments to encourage giving has actually made it harder and less effective for some people and companies to give – despite putting more money in their pockets to do so.
Call for emergency action on youth unemployment
Youth unemployment has reached 'emergency point' and tackling the issue should be priority for all sectors, according to a report by the Commission on Youth Unemployment which includes recommendations on what can be done. With one in five young people not in employment, education or training, and a quarter of a million unemployed for over a year, the Commission says youth unemployment is not only one of the greatest challenges facing the country in human terms, but is also 'a £28 billion timebomb' under the nation’s finances. The report identifies ‘hotspots’ across Britain where youth unemployment has reached crisis levels. All ten local authorities in Greater Manchester are shown to have such hotspots.
For more information: http://tinyurl.com/ypunemployment
The social network
The Tameside Economic Development (TED) Network welcomed Jonathan Atkinson (of LowWinterSun) to their network meeting on 26 January 2012. Participants discussed the role of social enterprises in developing social capital and confidence to get collective economic results in Tameside.
The groups had the opportunity to network and share experiences and best practices, to understand common forms and routes to becoming a social enterprise, participants also got to learn what makes social enterprises truly different from other business forms using case studies.
Jonathan tweeted about the event afterwards, saying it could be time for a new network in Tameside. Tameside Council and the voluntary, community and faith sector in Tameside, in conjunction with TED are committed to bringing together social enterprises to share information and learning. If you are a social enterprise, or would like to be part of one, and are interested in being part of networking in Tameside about social enterprises, please contact Mohamed: mohamed.seedat@cvat.org.uk
Hidden Value
Conducted over a two year period this research highlights the far reaching benefits of the services provided by women’s organisations and the significant savings they create for the state, local economies and communities. The report found that for every pound invested into their services, women’s organisations can generate, over five years, between £5 and £11 worth of social value to women, their children, and the state.
Social enterprise – a route out of poverty for women?
Conducted by Oxfam, this research looks at whether social enterprise can be an effective route out of poverty for women, including findings from the St Peter’s ward in Tameside. For a printed copy or a summary, Email: mohamed.seedat@cvat.org.uk
