ARTICLE 13 ORANGE PAPER
Public Sector Innovation in London Article 13
ARTICLE 13 ORANGE PAPER
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London Fire Brigade (London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority) Innovative youth programme supported by the London Borough Council of Waltham Forest and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to educate young people of the consequences of crime. Who is involved? The London Fire Brigade which is the operating arm of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). LFEPA is part of the Greater London Authority Group (GLA). LFEPA have an annual safety plan with targets that look at reducing the number of fires, the number of deaths and injuries associated with fire and reducing the number of fire alarms. The London Fire Brigade in the borough of Waltham Forest have a partnership with other groups including the police and ambulance services in participating at Crime and Safety Awareness Days organised by the No Way Trust (more commonly referred to by it flagship project Prison! Me! No Way! – PMNW). The Trust is based in Hull and operates UK-wide in all the devolved countries and the Channel Islands. It was established by prison officers in 1993 and was recognised as a charity in 1995. It seeks to guide and inspire young people and to promote and develop a fairer socially included society, with fewer inequalities. Mistakes, poverty, exclusion, or social deprivation should not mean a future without hope, it is the Trust’s intention to provide credible and effective lifelong learning experiences that will help to reduce any negative influences and encourage more young people to make a success of their lives. The Trust was instrumental for starting the PMNW scheme which is one part of the Trust’s activities.
Approach to CSR Community fire safety and work at a local level is new to LFEPA and Borough Commanders of the Fire Brigade as a result they are taking their own approaches. “Action plans developed by the LFEPA do not take into consideration local needs as these will vary from place to place,” said Jim Saddington Waltham Forest Borough Fire Commander for the London Fire Brigade, “As a model employer and a Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 1
respected body within the community we have an obligation to do what we can for the communities in which we operate”. This approach by LFEPA recognises its role within the wider community and not just within fire prevention and fire fighting. The LFEPA unique position of its reputation and social standing means that it is trusted and respected which is extremely useful in communicating messages on social responsibility.
The drivers The GLA, LFEPA and the London boroughs are seeking to improve links and relationships between themselves and with the communities in which they operate. The LFEPA aim of reducing hoax calls, false alarms, arson, and improving community relations were key drivers and the justification for Waltham Forest Brigade’s support to the PMNW Crime and Safety Awareness Days. The driver for the establishment of the PMNW was the belief that youth’s perception of life in prison was un-realistic and an initiative was needed so that they would think differently about the issues. This belief was shared amongst a small group of prison officers who did not want to see youths entering prison. Funding for the Trust comes from a variety of sources mainly grant giving trusts, neighbourhood renewal funding, county councils and children foundations.
The initiative Prison! Me! No Way! organise around 200 Crime and Safety Awareness Days throughout the UK each school year. The aim of each day is to raise awareness amongst young people about the causes, consequences and penalties of crime. Young people involved in these days are generally aged 12 to 14. PMNW’s research with secondary school children revealed that their perception of prison was far from the reality. Representatives from the police, fire and rescue, ambulance services, youth offending teams, victim support, magistrates, O2 nuisance calls bureau and other agencies are joined by prison staff volunteers (there is a pool of over 550) from various prison service establishments throughout the UK to participate on crime and safety awareness days. Themed workshops that have been developed in consultation with youths and are further tailored to meet the specific needs of the area are delivered relating to crime, consequences and imprisonment. Wherever possible there is a fully furnished life size replica prison cell on hand to provide an authentic experience and a life size street set used for acting out anti-social instances; prison dog displays and a period of prison exercise further complement the learning experience.
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Pupils at most venues are escorted as would be prisoners (subject to sufficient volunteers), to workshops and events. The idea is for the pupils to experience the restriction placed upon inmates and for them to recognise the true value of their liberty. Days are devised so that young people can investigate how one moment of thoughtlessness can lead to totally changed lives and to help them recognise how important trust and freedom are to building successful lives. “These days are innovative, hands-on approach to educating young people on the causes, penalty, and consequences of crime and to promote personal safety issues� said Paul Wilkinson CEO of the PMNW. Crime and Safety Awareness Days started in Waltham Forest in 2002 and were supported by the London Fire Brigade. They saw the opportunity to participate in a themed workshop on important issues relevant to the fire service such as false alarms and hoax calls to the fire brigade that can divert resources and as a result cost lives. The fire brigade volunteers assist the pupils in role-playing on various aspects dealing with fire safety and fire prevention such as arson. An example of a role play would be the pupils setting fire to a bin that then spreads to the eaves of a factory resulting in the factory burning down. The consequences of the fire such as deaths caused by the fire, or unemployment whilst the factory is rebuilt or the firm going out of business and family issues such as resulting marriage breakdowns are explored with the pupils. These role plays make the school children think about the consequences of their actions to others, and they also discuss and experience what happens to the offenders, for example prison or community service.
Challenges The main challenges for the LFEPA have been to understand how best to operate at the communitylevel and gain funding. As it is a new approach convincing people of its value takes time. This has been overcome by a seminar in London in March 2004 hosted by the police where interest was secured for the projects expansion into other London boroughs. Another challenge is funding. Each borough fire service has, in general, a budget of ÂŁ2,500 to commit to community fire safety. This has meant that the London Fire Brigade has given support by volunteering rather than substantial funds to the initiative. However, on a more practical level school day timetables do not fit the shift system of the fire brigade. So it takes a certain amount of logistical effort to free up fire brigade staff time for a whole day at a school.
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Benefits PMNW’s evaluation in 2003 of its national programme from a questionnaire at 32 schools (including those in Waltham Forest) involving 2,970 pupils revealed that 98% of the pupils said they would describe the Crime and Safety Awareness Days as either ‘very valuable’ or ‘valuable’. In another assessment Loughborough University evaluated the success of the programme found a 27% reduction in hoax calls to the fire service that could be attributed to the programme. Feedback from head teachers at the schools involved provides qualitative feedback and examples of marked improvement with individual children. In addition the initiative helps promote the fire brigade which is good for recruitment – an unexpected benefit. “Our involvement with other services has demonstrated that partnerships can work - one reason for this is the ‘can do mentality’ of the LFEPA,” said Jim Saddington. The initiative delivers to the core LFEPA mission, by improving safety and reducing false alarms which contribute to the LFEPA operating targets. The LFEPA are only just learning to work at the borough level so it has been an invaluable learning experience which has included seminars to 10 other borough commanders and six other borough councils to share experiences and promote uptake in other areas. As a result PMNW will start in Hackney in 2004 and other boroughs are interested. It aims to encourage new partners to ‘roll the programme out across London in years to come’
Why is it CSR? The development of the activities in the awareness days involved consultation with its target audience demonstrating stakeholder involvement. There are other aspects of CSR featured in this project and they include community involvement, education, health and safety, partnerships, good neighbour programmes and volunteering. The fire brigade and the other partners in the project are all volunteers and provide their support in attending the days outside of their working hours. Providing volunteers and ‘workers participation’ is another CSR activity.
What next?
The London Borough of Waltham Forest and other partnership organisations have made available £70,000 for the crime and safety awareness days. An additional £30,000 is still required. If raised, it will mean that for the first time all 17 schools, approximately 2200 children, will be able to participate in the programme for the next 3 years.
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As a result of the success in Waltham Forest other borough fire commanders, e.g. in Hackney, are interested in participating in the project, and for the school year 2003/04 the awareness days will also be run in the London boroughs of Enfield and Newham. For 2004/05 it will expand into another six boroughs. “This is a direct result of the vision, support and participation of reputable organisations such as the London Fire Brigade, without this the expansion would not have happened�, said Paul Wilkinson. The Waltham Forest Fire Brigade, the LFEPA and the other partners aim to continue to promote awareness of the project amongst the community and borough leaders. PMNW aims to increase the crime and safety awareness days from 200 to 300 in a school year.
For more information Please contact: Jim Saddington, Waltham Forest Borough Commander for the London Fire Brigade. Tel: 0208 5247271. Website: www.lefpa.gov.uk Paul Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the No Way Trust. Tel: 01482 2244382 Website: www.pmnw.co.uk
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Thames Gateway London Partnership Innovative community safety initiative using a youth football programme with local professional football clubs to combat truancy, reduce the number of young offenders, provide life skills and promote community cohesion in deprived communities. Who is involved? The Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) aims to deliver the economic, physical and social regeneration of the Thames Gateway in London. The Thames Gateway covers an area that extends east from the City of London on both sides of the River Thames, with a new ‘Bridge’ planned to link the two sides. TGLP was established in 1995 as a not for profit unincorporated association. It is a sub-regional alliance between 13 local authorities (Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, Bexley, Greenwich, Dartford, Thurrock, Lewisham and the City of London, five universities, two health federations, the Learning & Skills Council London East and the London Development Agency. The TGLP works together with the private sector (e.g. Ford, and Canary Wharf), local communities and strategic agencies. TGLP seeks to bring about high quality and sustainable regeneration of the whole of the Thames Gateway London; to promote economic and social investment and equality of opportunity; to create employment, community and environmental benefits for local people, businesses and employees, reflecting their needs and aspirations. The partnership was largely a local authority led initiative focusing on the regeneration of East London. In 2000 the Thames Gateway was chosen by Office of Deputy Prime Minister as a showcase for development and regeneration because of its location and economic importance. As a result it attracted other partners and expanded its coverage outside of London into North Kent and Essex. It is now the responsibility of the Government-led body - the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership, which recognizes that a major improvement to London's infrastructure is essential to maintain and further maximize London's attractiveness for investment. The partnership will lead to the development of good
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quality new housing with good access to jobs and services for all income groups to help meet a local and regional shortage.
Approach to CSR
“The TGLP was set up to deliver improvements to society in the form of social and environmental regeneration, so we are aiming to deliver corporate social responsibility through our general approach”, said Ophelia Soares a Programme Manager at TGLP. This has been achieved through working in partnership at the community level. There are a number of projects within the partnership that promote corporate social responsibility (CSR). For example: the Community Safety 5 year programme called the ‘Community Safety Dimension’ which encompassed youth crime diversion, mentoring, traveling in safety, identification of crime hotspots and safe industrial sites; Transport - two transit schemes (the extensions to the Docklands Light Railway in the sub-region, and Crossrail) which will provide the transport infrastructure that will allow people to visit and invest in the poorer areas of East London and also provide those communities with access to a variety of transport systems for making the journey to work. The construction of the proposed bridge will generate at least 17,000 local jobs and the new transport system will provide opportunities for local employment. The economic regeneration will also provide jobs in construction of the proposed 120,000 homes to be provided in the next ten years. This case study is concentrating on the role of sport and youth football in addressing community issues. The Thames Gateway Youth Football Project (TGYFP) provides sporting and educational opportunities to vulnerable young people who are marginalized by poverty, low aspiration, poor self-image and discrimination, in areas of deprivation and high crime across east London.
The drivers
The main driver for the establishment of the TGYFP was the social issue: There were pockets of high unemployment in deprived and socially excluded areas, where investment in housing, transport and other infrastructure had been ignored. The establishment of the youth football programme was a recognition that the TGLP needed a people focus at a local level, as much of the partnership work was about developing infrastructure e.g. transport improvements, rather than meeting ‘grass-roots’ community needs.
The initiative
The TGLP recognized that youth crime was an important issue. Football was identified as a potential major influence in raising standards, life skills and expectations of youths who may be vulnerable to Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 2
committing crime. As a result in 1998, the CEO of TGLP, heads of Departments of Community Schemes at four East London professional football clubs and a representative from the Community Programme in Professional Football met to establish the TGYFP. The TGYFP aims to provide development opportunities to vulnerable young people (5 to 24 years of age). It works with local authorities, the private sector and local communities to combat social exclusion, to reduce crime and to support the social and economic regeneration of the Thames Gateway. The project, now in its sixth year, has six main elements;
Estates programme – on-site drop-in sessions are established for estates with particular problems of deprivation identified through the government index of multiple deprivation and local partners;
Education to employment programme – the project improves basic skills and provides opportunities for young people and volunteers to obtain specialist Football Association recognized coaching qualifications leading to employment opportunities in football and recreation;
After schools club – this project was designed to divert young people living in high-crime areas during the critical time two hours immediately after school and consists of football coaching sessions;
Fit 4 life incentive scheme – this project targets child victims of crime and is in partnership with a number of organizations including local probation services and pupil referral units. It involves sessions, through football, that enhance young people’s self esteem and confidence and allows them to make positive choices about their future;
Healthy living programme - a football coach visits schools to provide advice and guidance on exercise, fitness, nutrition and drug awareness; and
Young women’s development – this project aims to increase participation by young women, initially through providing female only taster sessions in schools and estates, with a view to setting up weekly coaching sessions. The programme links to professional football clubs’ girls and women development programmes, in order to deliver a co-ordinated service and achieve maximum benefit for communities.
The TGYFP is currently working in eight boroughs: Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Thurrock and Tower Hamlets and the City of London. It has been sponsored by Skillswork, a government Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund programme, which provided over half a million pounds over four years. Among current major sponsors are: the Children’s Fund, New Deal for Communities and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Ford of Britain is the project's main commercial sponsor providing £20,000 a year for the project in Dagenham.
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Challenges
Another positive outcome of the project has been overcoming the rivalry between the football clubs which, at the beginning, meant that cooperation amongst them was difficult. Essential in overcoming this, or any other challenge, was a good governance system. There is an advisory steering group with terms of reference that reports directly to the TGLP board. The group comprises the project manager and coordinator, heads of community schemes for each football club, the regional director of the Community Programme in Professional Football and the deputy chief executive of the TGLP and is chaired by the vice chairman of West Ham United Football Club. It meets twice a year or more if needed. There are also once a month meetings between the TGYFP officers/coaches based at the clubs and the TGYFP manager and coordinator. This close coordination ensures any problems are addressed quickly and in a transparent manner.
Benefits
The main benefit has been social cohesion – helping to get young people interested in sport and to realize other opportunities to crime. In 2002/03 the project worked with 5,585 young people, of whom 29% were female and 35% were from minority ethnic groups and delivered 1,478 weeks of training. In the last three years 23 young people have achieved their level 2 coaching certificates and gained employment at various football clubs. “Communities do notice a difference in improved behaviour and reduced crime rate. Although much of the evidence of benefits is anecdotal, there is a definite legacy… coaches do influence the kids, long after the hour or two of football has ended,” said Ophelia Soares, the Programme Manager for TGYFP. Testimonials include; “I wanted to write to you to underline our support for a really priceless operation. It has played a key role as a diversionary activity for local youth and will have had a far from insignificant impact on the reduction of crime and disorder locally” Superintendent John Powell, Metropolitan Police, Bexleyheath. “Since the start of the project on the estate we have witnessed a marked improvement of those participating, in both self-esteem and their willingness to participate in the wider community…for once young people from the estate feel they are getting the best of something rather than the worst. It is noticeable that the incidents of tension between young people from refugee families and other people on the estates have dropped off considerably” Arthur Wiggins, Detached Youth Worker, Rainham and South Hornchurch.
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An evaluation of the project was last performed in 2001 by the University of East London. It demonstrated that the project was reaching its target beneficiaries and having a measurable impact on their lives. For example, in the after schools clubs, from 117 self-completion questionnaires, it was found that 27% of the young people behaved better after school and 41% felt better about themselves. 66% of youths admitted to previously indulging in anti-social behaviour and four to six weeks after the football finished there was a 12% reduction. The success of the TGYFP in Dagenham has led Ford to replicate many of the project’s ideas in its factory community in Genk, Belgium and similar discussions regarding best practice are currently taking place with Cologne, Germany.
Why is it CSR? The project demonstrates social responsibility as it is targeting young people with limited opportunities who are at risk of social exclusion. It focuses on delivering benefits to some of London’s most deprived areas where local services, such as the people referral unit, find it particularly difficult to engage with young people. Football provides that engagement.
What next?
TGYFP would like to conduct a thorough evaluation of the project and be able to measure the progress of beneficiaries after they have left the project. Ultimately, TGLP would like the TGYFP to be considered a model project.
For more information
Ophelia Soares, Crime Reduction and Youth Football Programme Manager. Tel: 020 7673 4726 Website: http://www.thames-gateway.org.uk
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London Remade A strategic partnership between regional government, London Borough Councils, the business sector, waste management companies and the not-for-profit sector to develop and promote new markets for recycled goods, including a major initiative on green procurement.
Who is involved? London Remade is a not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee. It is mainly funded by the London Development Agency (LDA) and employs 25 people. Its scope is pan-London and seeks to address the economic aspects of recycling and regeneration. London Remade was established in 2000 to deliver LDA
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Programme run by London Waste Action (LWA) during 1997-2000 which, with borough councils, sought to increase recycling rates: each London borough has a recycling target set by the Audit Commission and based on the previous year’s performance. For London these targets vary from 10 – 33%. The overall national target is 10%. “As recycling rates rise the next step is to create and promote markets and secondary industries for recycled materials in London – ‘the business of recycling’ – hence London Remade,” explained Tina Perfrement the Market Development Manager. London Remade is supported by Single Regeneration Budget funding from the London Development Agency whose Economic Development Strategy for London acknowledges the role organisations like London Remade have to play delivering sustainable economic growth e.g. job creation. Other supporters are a range of organisations that include the Association of London Government, Greater London Authority, Environment Agency, London First, London Waste Action, CORY Environmental, Cleanaway, Aylesford Newsprint and Valpak. They also have five principle sponsors; Guilbert - office products supplier; Bywaters - recycling and waste management; FM Conway – a construction company; M-Real – paper merchant and Brother – office machines.
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Approach to CSR London Remade has no statutory powers. It is market-driven, managing the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code and looking at three points of the recycling supply chain – collection of recyclable materials, making of recycled goods and the selling of recycled products. It operates in partnership, by sharing best practice in developing markets and recycling projects. The strategic partnerships are with the business sector, London boroughs, regional government, waste management companies and the not-for-profit sector. “Our internal approach to CSR is very much practice what we preach, and we have an environmental policy that covers energy, waste and procurement” said Project Manager Debbie Morris of London Remade. London Remade has an active secondment programme and partnerships with other recycling schemes as far away as Melbourne, Australia.
The drivers The drivers that affect London Remade’s activities and shape opportunities include EU Directives, UK Government targets, business agendas such as compliance with regulations and CSR reporting by companies, environmental and economic and social policies at national, regional and local level.
The initiative
The programme works throughout the supply chain, from consumer to waste producer, and this is reflected in a focus on 3 key areas which have developed in a co-ordinated manner. The three programmatic areas are:
Supply Infrastructure - Whilst highly developed logistical systems exist for the movement of goods the collection and sorting infrastructure for recyclates lags far behind. Improving the efficiency of the supply side is an essential part of the jigsaw to ensure that businesses that reprocess the material can provide manufacturers with viable alternatives to virgin resources.
Expanding Reprocessing capacity – London Remade is looking to reprocess an additional 250,000 tonnes of secondary materials back into products. This requires capital investment in additional reprocessing and the eco industrial sites developed in Greenwich, Rainham and Bexley.
Buy Recycled - Business sense dictates that private sector investment in reprocessing plant will only take place if there are viable markets for the materials / products and London Remade is working to stimulate demand for products.
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The three areas are supported and complemented by cross cutting projects covering; training, business support and communications. One aspect of this work is the promotion of green procurement, whereby products bought are made from recycled materials. London Remade does this through product showcases aimed at specific sectors such as office products, construction, highways and parks and gardens. Green procurement London Remade runs the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code.
The Mayor's Green
Procurement Code was launched by the Mayor in June 2001 and was initially developed to stimulate demand for recycled products throughout the capital. The code is for business use to improve environmental performance through ensuring purchasing meets certain environmental standards. London Remade has expanded the focus of the Mayor's Code to look at the issues of material supply. London Remade is able to provide advice to organisations throughout the capital on how to 'close the recycling loop' by buying recycled-content products and supplying their waste materials to the manufacturers of those, and other recycled-content products. It is said that you are not recycling if you are not buying recycled. There are four levels to the Mayor's code, allowing each organisation to make a commitment appropriate to its current environmental policy:
Part A (levels A1 and A2) is about engaging with London Remade. If you have attended any of our meetings or replied to any of our surveys, you have already met the criteria for level A1. To stay at this level, you simply need to stay in touch with us, giving us feedback from time to time. Level A2 asks you to meet with us on a one-to-one basis to discuss the purchasing requirements and environmental policy of your organisation in more detail and/or the potential to participate in the Material Service.
Part B (levels B1 and B2) is about committing yourself as an environmentally progressive organisation moving towards measurable change. By signing up to level B1, you will give us data so that we can help you to achieve the final level of membership. Level B2 is about agreeing purchase or recycling contracts as a result of our assistance, setting realistic targets and measuring progress towards those targets.
To date the Mayor’s Green Procurement Code has 316 signatories and London Remade has made two significant contributions; first it has raised awareness of green procurement across the capital and secondly, it has made it easier for business to buy recycled products by providing information, helping a business develop procurement policies and providing access to companies selling recycled products. London Remade has ‘procurement brokers’ who provide this free advice and support to signatories including all the London Boroughs, FTSE 350 companies, small to medium sized enterprises and public sector organisations. Bodies like National Health Trusts have bought specific Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 3
time from the London Remade procurement brokers so that they can help their green procurement. In addition London Remade provides secondments to the private and public sector on waste disposal.
Challenges At first the challenges were to convince business to engage: a lack of time and money were often cited by companies as limiting factors. So London Remade had to promote the business benefits of cost savings and positive PR. London Remade found it essential to promote the wider economic benefits, such as job creation and impacts to the local economy. Procurement professionals can often be risk adverse so recycled content products have had to meet strict criteria associated with quality cost and timely delivery.
Fortunately recycled content products can deliver and many procurement
professionals are now advocates of these products.
Benefits London Remade has an internal monitoring and evaluating programme that measures the impact of its work. It’s performance is measured against a series of targets and objectives set at different levels or time horizons by the London Development Agency. Some benefits include; jobs, training, amount of waste diverted from landfill, amount of spend by London organisations on recycled products and the number of business advised. London Remade had set targets for the period March 2001- March 2004 which were monitored, these include:
To divert 360,000 tonnes of waste from landfill – achieved the diversion of 555,000 tonnes of waste from landfill;
To create 1260 jobs – achieved 761 jobs;
To generate £13 million private sector investment – raised over £ 13.3 million private sector investment;
Some of London Remade’s key achievements over the 4-year period include;
1132 businesses were advised on recycling and / or buying recycled;
4603 people were trained obtained qualifications;
524 published case studies, articles and reports mentioning London Remade;
320 people were trained obtaining permanent jobs.
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Why is it CSR?
London Remade’s programme is based around reducing the environmental impacts caused by the production, consumption and waste of goods. It seeks to reduce these impacts by promoting recycling and recycled goods. It promotes responsible business ethics of going beyond compliance in this area through efforts such as the voluntary Mayor’s Green Procurement Code. The initiative on green procurement goes beyond compliance and demonstrates voluntary commitments supported by London Remade assistance. It has proven that providing and stimulating local markets for local products and materials leads to the creation and maintenance of jobs and a better skilled workforce.
What next?
As a result of its success, London Remade has been involved in training 12 other ‘Remade’ initiatives. For example, Remade Kent and Medway, who have now set up the Green Procurement Code for their local authorities and businesses. London Remade aims to build on its initial work with the National Health Service and deliver green procurement and waste management. It also plans to promote a ‘Buy Better Buy Greener’ training programme nationally in conjunction with the Environment Agency and The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply. There is also the possible expansion into energy efficiency to help to deliver the Mayor’s 10% target reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
For more information Tel: 0207 6651536 Email: info@londonremade.com Website: www.londonremade.com
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City Fringe Partnership Innovative private-public partnership to deliver economic development in east London through supporting business development.
Who is involved? The City Fringe Partnership (CFP) was established in 1996 by the London boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, and the Corporation of London. LB Camden joined in 1998. The CFP is an unincorporated partnership that now includes the membership of the London Development Agency (LDA), two statutory bodies – the Learning Skills Council and the Business Link for London – and five partners from the business community. Karianne Gaede is the chair. Karianne is a Vice President of Deutsche Bank.. The employing agency is the Corporation of London. The 5 LAs and the LDA have signed a Joint Venture Agreement for the Partnership. The CFP has seven full-time employees who generate ideas, make recommendations to the LDA, monitor and evaluate existing projects run by contractors for the LDA. and disseminate best practice from its analysis. City Fringe is an area of inner London bordering the northern and eastern boundaries of the City of London, the ‘square mile’. It is an area with significant problems and high levels of social disadvantage amongst its diverse residents. It has some of the worst social exclusion in the country, with high levels of economic inactivity, unemployment and deprivation. However, it also offers tremendous opportunities: It is an area of significant, concentrated economic activity with a thriving enterprise culture and potential to generate more growth. The CFP has the vision to build an area of thriving competitive industries and an area whose residents prosper from the success of the region. It aims to support and maintain a diverse economic base, a diverse residential base and diversity in employment.
Approach to CSR “The CFP does not have a specific approach to CSR as it is not seen as an add-on” said Sarah Purvis the business development manager. “We are about new ways of working through partnership to promote economic growth for local business; this involves various aspects of CSR”. Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 1
These aspects include stakeholder involvement and engagement in particular, ensuring that businesses are integrated into the design and delivery of projects set up to either train people to get jobs with them or help devise business support projects to make their business more competitive, the promotion of good governance through transparency and accountability through a diverse board, stimulating local sourcing and environmental regeneration. The CFP can influence the design of projects to ensure CSR is featured in a way that will deliver our aims.
The drivers The CFP was established initially to bridge the gap between the wealth of the city the poverty in its fringes. The main drivers for the future of the CFP is the desire to focus on the competitive advantage and the potential of inner city areas rather than the social disadvantages. The development of government strategies with related funding opportunities has been a key driver as they have placed enterprise and business at the heart of regeneration. Today these strategies have cumulated in the City Growth Strategy (CGS) for which the City Fringe is a pilot area. The CGS builds on the American experience pioneered by the business guru Professor Michael Porter at Harvard Business School.
The initiative The CFP initial programme ‘Revitalising the City Fringe’ was funded by the Single Regeneration Budget 2 Programme which was succeeded by the SRB 4 Programme ‘Bridging the Gap’. The CFP has evolved and responded to latest UK Government thinking and is currently engaged in the Government’s CGS. This case study focuses on the ‘Bridging the Gap’ programme and shows how the current CGS is building on this work. ‘Bridging the Gap’ ran over 5 years, 1998 -2003, funded with an £8 million SRB grant that was used to support a wide range of imaginative projects designed to bridge the gap between the wealth of the City and the deprivation of the communities on its borders. Over a 100 separate projects were supported, many specifically directed at developing small business sectors and at overcoming the disadvantage experienced by City Fringe residents through unemployment and lack of qualifications. Funding from the partnership has also helped to lever significant additional funding from public and private sources, so increasing the cumulative impact on the City Fringe area and acting as a catalyst in tackling barriers to growth and maximising benefits for local communities.
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‘Bridging the Gap’ had four programmes:
City bridges enhanced the skills, motivation and employment prospects of local people, especially the young and disadvantaged, to enable them to compete for jobs in the City and the City Fringe and to promote equality of opportunity in the job market;
Confident communities fostered stronger, more self-assured neighbourhoods via estate safety schemes and projects to enhance young people’s educational opportunities and life skills;
Managing the impact aimed to gain benefit for local people and businesses from the City’s physical expansion into the City Fringe by working with developers, planning authorities and community groups;
Thriving industries assisted local small businesses, especially creative and City support industries, to improve their competitiveness through specialist advice, access to affordable workspace and environmental improvements.
Examples of initiatives with the Thriving industries programme include the environmental regeneration of Hoxton Street Market aimed at making the street a more attractive place to shop. The Hoxton Trust administered and managed this regeneration project. It started with extensive consultations with the local community including market traders, local businesses, residents and school children on how to enhance the prosperity of Hoxton Street’s traders and of the local community. As a result, the street received a facelift that included a new arched sign, attractive signposts, new street furniture and sculptures with the effect that the street was ‘re-branded’. At the same time local retailers improved their shop fronts so completing the transformation. With these improvements came a change in attitudes as business became more receptive to business support programmes: a website was set up to advertise the market and retailers, a map of the street and its surroundings was produced and London Underground advertising and street entertainers attracted visitors in the crucial pre-Christmas shopping period. Another example of the Thriving industries programme included support to traditional crafts and design businesses, like jewellery makers in Hatton Garden area. The CFP has enabled the Clerkenwell Green Association to develop a range of support services designed specifically to meet their business needs – courses on marketing and public relations, accounts and cash flow, IT, and longer- term business development. The Association’s Pennybank Chambers, where the courses are run, also provides showcase space were local designer-craftspeople can display their work. The SRB 4 funding programme ended in March 2003 but much of the Bridging the Gap programme has been absorbed into the CFP’s City Growth Strategy. The strategy has a cluster development approach looking at supporting business through competitive strategies. CFP are looking at a range of supply chains e.g. fashion and jewellery so building on the ‘Bridging the Gap’ programme. Ideas and support are given to those industries in the production, distribution and retail areas of the supply chain. The CFP have taken an issue based approach. For example workspace, by interviewing over 100 Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 3
business they have built an understanding of the supply and demand for workspace this has resulting in levering £4.5 million from the LDA to fund premises to house over 50 local fashion companies.
Challenges The greatest challenge has been to understand the current situation of the industries the strategies are trying to help. An absence of real data on which to base ideas has proved to be a challenge, as has trying to understand the dynamics in an area where 75% of business employs less than five people. This has been overcome by taking an issue based approach which has involved consultation and business involvement.
Benefits The CFP have helped business express and address their needs in their own terms by being a catalyst for change, enabling them to articulate their business aspirations and provide support for essential things such as training and workspace. This has resulted in levering funding for a variety of industries, e.g. in partnership with the London Metropolitan University a new workspace facility in Whitechapel for product design, digital manufacturing and furniture industries. Funding of £2 million has also been used to train local people in a variety of industries including, creative industries, manufacturing, the green economy e.g. waste management and recycling, and financial industry. A review of the CFP programme over 1998-2003 revealed, amongst others:
£25.2 million additional public sector spending
£53 million additional private-sector spending
550 new jobs were created
8,500 pupils benefited through improved attainment
2,400 people obtained qualifications
3,560 City Fringe residents were assisted into employment
1,600 previously unemployed people were given training and obtained permanent jobs
150 new business were established and 2,200 existing businesses received support and advice
1,100 people took up voluntary
Why is it CSR? The CFP activities support both the workplace – training and development - and community through local employment initiatives for the regeneration of the area. There are no CSR activities per se but the partnership promotes shared responsibility both internally and externally through outreach with the business through good neighbour programmes and visual impact/environmental improvements. The Article 13 Insight Research 2004: www.article13.com 4
governance exhibited by the CFP also demonstrates CSR both through stakeholder engagement and involvement.
What next? The CFP aim to make the projects they support more sustainable, through establishing social enterprises business models and mainstreaming activity. The Partnership will be negotiating a further 2/3 year contract to continue its work whilst exploring ways of engaging business to invest in the aims of the Partnership.
For more information Please contact Hilary Potter, Programme Director, Email:cityfringe@corpoflondon.gov.uk Tel: 0207729 2814 Website: www.cityfringe.org.uk
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