Knowsley’s ECONOMIC · PDF fileKnowsley Economic Regeneration Strategy for 2012-2015....

Knowsley’s

ECONOMICREGENERATION

Strategy 2012-2015

Produced in partnership with Policy Impact and IntelligenceKnowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

(September, 2012)

Introduction 3 Message from the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy & skills and the Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce 3 Vision 5 Purpose of the strategy 6

Where we are today 7 Knowsley’s strengths 8 Knowsley and the Liverpool City Region 13 Knowsley’s target growth sectors 15 Local challenges 18 Policy Landscape 21

Where we want to be 24 Strategic goals 25 Strategic outcomes 28

How we will get there 30 Principles 30

Delivery and evaluation 39 Governance arrangements 39 Implementation and monitoring 39 Governance and implementation framework 40 Indicators 40 Impact assessments 40

Year one Action Plan 41

Appendices 49 Acknowledgements 49 Future employment in the City Region 50 Glossary of terms 51

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CONTENTS

We are pleased to jointly present the Knowsley Economic Regeneration Strategy for 2012-2015.

This strategy sets out how the borough willcontinue to invest in its people andinfrastructure to offer the best possibleplatform for continued business success, andcreate a framework for businesses, publicorganisations and third sector partners to aligntheir activities and investment over the nextthree years.

As part of the Liverpool City Region, Knowsleyhas played a key role in attracting investment.We have seen a substantial rise in economicactivity and our residents boast higher skillslevels than ever before. Investment frominternationally renowned businesses, such asJaguar Land Rover and QVC, and the wide rangeof small and medium-sized enterprises thattogether play such a vital role in the local

economy, testify to the quality of workforceand opportunities that the borough provides.

However, despite these successes, Knowsleyand the City Region have further to go to meetUK performance on a number of importanteconomic indicators, such as the employmentrate, business start ups and productivity rates.

The UK economy is making a slow and difficultrecovery from the global financial crisis andbusiness confidence remains uncertain.Obviously Knowsley is not immune to theongoing global economic uncertainty, but thestrategy and supporting Action Plan set out thekey priorities to support growth in the localeconomy, for example, by increasing publicsector spend with local businesses,improvements in infrastructure including greenenergy, comprehensive broadband access, anddeveloping closer direct links betweenbusiness, schools and colleges.

Notwithstanding these commitments, businesswill have to be even more agile and entrepreneurialas the reduction in public spending impacts onpublic sector delivery. However, in developing theEconomic Regeneration Strategy we have beenencouraged by the resilience and entrepreneurshipof many Knowsley businesses, indeed many havesought and achieved a real advantage throughgrowth and investment, with resulting benefits for the local economy.

We have also been encouraged that informulating this strategy the key partners fromthe public, private, voluntary and communitysectors have come together to advise andinform. In particular, the Chamber of Commerce,in its role as the key representative of localbusiness, has helped to shape the strategythrough its involvement in the steering group,and by facilitating business focus groups sothat policy makers became aware of key issuesfacing local businesses.

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INTRODUCTIONA message from the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy &Skills and the Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce

We now need to ensure that the key actions ofthis strategy are delivered, and that it remains‘live’. Therefore we look to the Chamber ofCommerce to form a Business Council withcross-representation of business leaders fromthe borough. The Business Council willscrutinize the Action Plan and hold partners toaccount, thus ensuring that the strategy isupdated and remains relevant to economicchanges and challenges.

We believe the Economic RegenerationStrategy provides partners with a flexibleframework to guide us through these difficulttimes and will help to put the businesscommunity in Knowsley in the best possibleposition to take advantage of any futureupturn in the economy. We are realistic aboutthe challenges we face, however we are alsoconfident that Knowsley has the strengths todrive sustainable economic growth in achanging world.

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Cllr LonerganCabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills

Lesley Martin-WrightChief Executive,Knowsley Chamber

Our vision “Knowsley - a thriving place witha diverse economy that is ready tocapitalise on sustainable investmentopportunities” is underpinned by threestrategic goals that provide the focus for actionover the next three years.

Our economic vision complements and reflectsthe longer term objectives set out in ‘A strategyfor Knowsley - The borough of choice’. ‘A strategy for Knowsley’ is a borough-widepartnership strategy that strives to makeKnowsley ‘The borough of choice’ by 2023. This Economic Regeneration Strategy (ERS)focuses on what we need to do in the short-medium term to keep us on course to achieveour shared longer term economic aims.

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Strategic Goal ThreeTo empower Knowsley residents to

realise their potential

Strategic Goal TwoTo establish Knowsley as a locationof choice where people want to liveand businesses want to invest in

Strategic Goal OneTo promote the conditions forsustainable business growth

“Knowsley - a thrivingplace with a diverse

economy that is ready tocapitalise on sustainable

investmentopportunities”

OUR VISION

Vision

The fundamental purpose of this strategy is toprovide partners with a flexible framework toguide strong and sustainable economic growth.In summary the strategy:

• Sets out our economic vision and goals forthe borough

• Highlights Knowsley’s strengths that wemust build on to make the borough anexcellent place to live, work and invest in

• Gives an honest account of our local barriersto economic growth that need to beaddressed

• Outlines the outcomes we want to achieveso that partners understand how we canwork together to attract investment andgrow the local economy

• Establishes guiding principles for economicregeneration that will influence our actionsover the next three years

• Supports the three drivers of ‘A strategy forKnowsley - The borough of choice’,particularly ‘Create a Thriving and DiverseEconomy’

• Ensures that Knowsley is well positioned tomaximise on opportunities with the CityRegion

The economic environment is in a constantstate of change which generates uncertaintyand unpredictability. This strategy cannotidentify all the challenges and opportunitiesthat may arise over the next three years, butwhat it can do is prepare us to respond toeconomic changes and ensure that we areready to capitalise on our assets.

Our detailed actions and evidence base are setout in accompanying documents. These will be‘live documents’ that will be updated asnecessary in response to emerging issues. A formal review of the documents will beundertaken annually. This approach will help toensure that this strategy does not simplybecome a ‘statement in time’.

EngagementThe preparation of this strategy has been agreat partnership effort, involving a widenetwork of businesses, public sector partnersand third sector organsations. Engagementactivities include a business survey, twoeconomic regeneration consultation workshops,on-going discussions with local strategydelivery partners, several ERS steering groupmeetings and dialogue with local Councillors.The contributions and insight gleaned fromthese exercises has proved invaluable.Appendix A acknowledges all those who haveplayed an important role in the development ofthis document.

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Purpose of the strategy

Knowsley has a population of 149,100 and ishome to around 3,000 businesses. It consistsof four main townships; Huyton, Kirkby,Halewood and Prescot/Whiston and the smaller villages of Cronton and KnowsleyVillage. The borough sits at the heart of theCity Region and plays a major role as a locationfor employment, housing and recreation.Knowsley has substantial economic strengths;its extensive portfolio includes:

• Superior connectivity• Abundant good quality and accessible green

space• Internationally recognised businesses• Regionally significant Industrial/Business

parks• Major capital investments in schools, leisure

and health • Suburban housing• Resilient people and communities • Major regeneration projects

These assets form the foundations of ourstrategy for growth.

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WHERE WE ARE TODAY

Superior Connectivity Knowsley is strategically located within theLiverpool and Manchester corridor. It isconnected to these cities by the M62 andA508. The borough is only 15 minutes drivefrom Liverpool City Centre and 30 minutes fromthe centre of Manchester. The M57 also runsthrough the borough which provides goodNorth-South connectivity by car. The M6 isreachable within 20 minutes. Four railway linesalso pass through Knowsley. Work is underwayto electrify the Liverpool-Manchester andLiverpool-Preston lines, which will deliver fasterand more frequent services.

Its superior connectivity means the borough iswell placed for both business and commuting,within the City Region and further afield. A recent local business survey indicated thatKnowsley’s transport infrastructure is one ofthe main reasons why companies choose to bebased in the borough1. On a daily basis around24,000 City Region residents travel intoKnowsley for work and around 25,000Knowsley residents leave the borough to workin the City Region2.

The borough’s excellent rail and motorwaynetworks also place it within easy reach ofLiverpool John Lennon Airport, Manchesterairport and the Port of Liverpool. This makesinternational business a viable and attractive option.

Abundant Good Quality andAccessible Green SpaceThe borough’s expansive green infrastructurenetwork is amongst itsgreatest assets. It provides manybenefits thatcontribute to thelocal economy, forexample; it canencourage visitorsand attract peopleto live in the borough,it provides employmentopportunities, it can alsoencourage the take up of physicalactivity which supports improved health andwellbeing. The borough’s green offer includes;10 Green Flag Award winning sites, a series ofgreen corridors linking people to places,recreational sites, valued natural habitats, aLocal Nature Reserve which is situated withinthe heart of Knowsley Industrial Park and thepopular tourist attractions; The NationalWildflower Centre and Knowsley Safari Park.

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Knowsley’s strengths

1 A Knowsley Chamber Business Survey that was conducted with around 50 local businesses (2012). 58% indicated that transport was one of the main reasons for having a base in Knowsley2 Local calculation based on 2001 Census and 2010 Annual Population Survey

Around two thirds of the land in the

Borough is classed asgreen space, this isgreater than any

other local authorityin the City Region

Internationally RecognisedBusinesses Companies in Knowsley do businessthroughout the world. Their products andservices are recognised worldwide. Notable investors that chose to do business inKnowsley include; Jaguar Land Rover (JLR),Getrag, QVC, News International, Vertex, VirginMedia and Goodrich. As well as providingemployment opportunities for local residents,these companies offer valuable supply chaincontracts to small and medium sizedenterprises (SMEs). More than 2,990 SMEs arebased in the borough andmake a significantcontribution to thelocal economy.

Regionally significantIndustrial/Business parksThe borough contains several major industrialand business parks including one of the largestin Europe - Knowsley Industrial Park3 (KIP). This is a major business and employment hubwith around 800 businesses and 15,100employees. Knowsley Council commissioned anindependent review of the site (DTZ / Arup /Taylor Young, 2010) which found the site haspotential to provide further job opportunities,better utilise the floor space and increase GrossValue Added (GVA). Actions to progress theseproposals form part of the ERS action plan.

Other key employment sites include KingsBusiness Park, Prescot Business Park, HuytonBusiness Park and Whiston Enterprise Parkwhich offer high quality business space. New investment into the borough’s high prioritybusiness parks over the last decade has drivengrowth in GVA4.

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Approximately56,500 peoplework in theborough andthere are justover 3,000businesses

3 Knowsley Industrial Park includes Knowsley Business Park; this combined area covers approximately 544 hectares4 Cambridge Econometrics UK Regional Economic Forecast (July 2011) predict that between 2005 and 2010 GVA per capita grew by 0.9% per annum which was higher than the LCR average of 0.5%pa

Major capital investment inschools, leisure and health Knowsley is on a transformationaljourney to become a ‘Borough ofChoice’ where people choose tolive and work and businesseswant to invest. Considerablecapital investment has beeninjected into the borough to deliverstate of the art schools, healthfacilities and leisure parks. Knowsley's£150m Building Schools for the Future (BSF)programme has seen the creation of seven newCentres for Learning. The Centres provide firstclass learning environments for secondarystudents and valuable community resources.The borough’s primary sector has also receivedsignificant investment, involving the opening offive new primary schools.

Knowsley’s leisure offer has been greatlyenhanced with the opening of the Leisure andCulture Park. The park offers swimming andleisure facilities and an outdoor cyclingvelodrome and BMX track. This £16 million

scheme is part of a wider £25 millionLeisure Facilities Strategy that aims

to improve lives by supportingmore people to become moreactive, more often.

There have been significantimprovements in Knowsley’s

health infrastructure. Around£38m of investment has been

injected into 8 new health buildings.The new facilities provide a single access point

for a range of high quality primary care serviceswithin communities, for example, walk-inservices, GPs and pharmacies. In particular, theHalewood Health Centre is co-located with anumber of other Council services including aone-stop-shop and library. Whiston Hospital hasalso undergone a £250m major rebuildprogramme which has provided the localcommunity with world-class acute healthcarefacilities.

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In 2012, morechildren in Knowsley

achieved goodlevels of maths andEnglish at Key Stage2 compared to thenational average

Suburban HousingMost Knowsley residents live in the suburbantowns of Huyton, Kirkby, Prescot/Whiston andHalewood. Since the early 1990s, the choice ofhousing in the borough has improvedconsiderably through the development of newprivate estates and the investmentprogrammes of Knowsley Housing Trust andother registered providers of social housing.The house prices in Knowsley are highlycompetitive, with the average house costing£123,400 compared to £148,200 in the CityRegion. Key new housing development siteshave been identified in the Knowsley Local Planto meet the borough’s current and futurehousing needs as part ofa wider City Regionhousing market.

Resilient people and communitiesIts people and resilient communities areamongst Knowsley’s proudest assets. Knowsley is a place with strong community andfamily ties. There are many individuals whoregularly lead and support activities to maketheir neighbourhood a better place to live. This can involve participation on formal boardssuch as the Children and Young People’s Forumand Knowsley’s Older People’s Voice or informal volunteering such as supporting a local play group.

There is a huge appetite amongst residents tohave a bigger role in shaping their local area - asurvey in 2011 showed that 91%5 of residentsthink it is a good idea to give communities morepower and influence. There will be greateropportunities in the future for residents toinfluence the place they live through the socialgrowth agenda. This will involve supporting thedevelopment of social enterprises, increasingvolunteering and enabling funding to supportthe social sector through the KnowsleyFoundation.

Growth in the third sector will supportKnowsley’s journey towards a more balancedand resilient local economy.

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There areprojected to bearound 7,000

more householdsin Knowsley by 2026

5 Young Foundation Study (2011). Survey involved 147 residents

Major regeneration projectsKnowsley Council and its local partners arecommitted to supporting and encouraging thelong-term prosperity and success of its townsand residential areas. Major regenerationinitiatives are underway in Kirkby, Prescot andStockbridge Village.

The regeneration of Kirkby town centre is ajoint public and private sector venture betweenKnowsley Council and Spenhill RegenerationLtd. The 32,000 square metre mixed usedevelopment includes a new Tesco food store, areplacement library, town centre regenerationand the associated transport and highwayimprovements.

The town of Prescot has benefited fromsignificant investment to provide high quality services, opportunities and facilitiesthat matter the most to the community. This includes the development of 412 newhouses, a new purpose-designed joint libraryand museum facility, town centre eventsincluding producers markets and 7 play

pathfinder schemeswhich havetransformed thelocal parks. The council iscarrying out afeasibility studyto understandwhat futuredevelopments arerequired for the area.

The redevelopment of the residential area,Stockbridge Village has been a major priority forthe council and its partners.

The multi-million pound regeneration of thearea involves the creation of a new swimmingpool, state-of-the-art gym, learning resourcecentre, primary school, supermarket and a multi-use games area. The completed projectwill provide first class facilities and spaces forthe local community and bring about a newconfidence in the area.

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It is estimated thatthe Kirkby initiativewill bring £190m ofinvestment into thearea and createover 1,000 jobs

Knowsley forms part of the Liverpool CityRegion; which includes the boroughs of Halton,Sefton, St Helens, Wirral and the City ofLiverpool. It is home to 1.5 million people andhas a working age population of 950,000. The region is a well defined labour market, with90% of people both living and working in thecity region. The area is also closely relatedeconomically to Warrington, Cheshire West andChester Ellesmere Port, North East Wales andCheshire and Lancashire.

The Liverpool City Region has benefited fromimproved economic performance, greaterutilisation of indigenous assets andcollaborative working in recent years.Nonetheless, City Region partnersacknowledge that a step change is necessaryto rebalance the local economy away fromover-reliance on the public sector and to close the considerable gap in economic value,size of business base and skill levels betweenthe City Region and UK.

The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for theLiverpool City Region has a pivotal role inmaking this happen. The LEP is a locally ownedpartnership between businesses and localauthorities to drive economic growth across thearea. It is striving to create a thrivinginternational City Region by prioritisinginvestment activity across fourtransformational themes:

• Liverpool SuperPort - transformation of theCity Region’s ports, airport, road, rail andlogistics assets into a low carbon SuperPortof international statute.

• Knowledge Economy - knowledge intensiveindustries, including; advancedmanufacturing, life sciences, creative anddigital industries, environmentaltechnologies, and financial and professionalservices.

• Low Carbon Economy - job creation andgrowth through new opportunities in thelow carbon sector including; renewableenergy generation, retrofitting homes andbuilding, and low emission vehicles andtransport.

• Visitor Economy - establishing the CityRegion as a major visitor destinationthrough the marketing and development ofthe region’s cultural and heritage assets,retail and hospitality offer, and touristattractions.

Broad estimates predict that through growth inthese sectors, 95,000 - 130,000 jobs could becreated in the City Region by 2020.

The Mersey Partnership’s Economic Review2012 identifies a number of major projects thatwill help create wealth and realise futuregrowth in the Liverpool City Region. Schemessuch as Mersey Waters, the Mersey Gateway,Port of Liverpool, the expansion of LiverpoolAirport, Daresbury Science and InnovationCampus and the continued redevelopment ofLiverpool City Centre aim to take advantage ofprivate sector led investment which will helpthe City Region recover from the impacts of therecession. Appendix B details the number andtype of jobs expected to be created throughthese development schemes.

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Knowsley and the Liverpool City Region

Through this strategy, we will ensure thatKnowsley residents are equipped with the rightskills to seize future employment opportunitiesand we will maximise use of Knowsley’s assetsso it becomes a key location for investment.

Knowsley leads the work for the City Region onEmployment and Skills, and facilitates the workof the City Region Employment and Skills Board.This business led group has overallresponsibility for ensuring that the employmentand skills system is agile and meets the needsof businesses and residents. There is a trackrecord of delivery through City Regionstructures and making a significant differencein the lives of residents. This is based upon apartnership of businesses, colleges, learningproviders, welfare to work providers, publicagencies and Councils.

Global Context In today’s global market it is increasinglyimportant that we also consider the impacts ofoverseas economies on Knowsley and the CityRegion. Analysis6 shows that the worldeconomic outlook weakened once again in2011, as governments switched from trying tostimulate economies to protecting them.Growth in advanced countries such as the UK is expected to remain subdued over the nexttwo-three years. However, it is anticipated thatgrowth will continue in emerging markets suchas Brazil, Russia, India and China.

It is clear that the integration of economies has brought increased competition in sectorsthat are vital to Knowsley’s economy, such asmanufacturing. However, it is also important to recognise that it has brought significanttrade opportunities. For example, JLR based inHalewood will be creating 1,000 more jobs tomeet increased global demand for theirproducts by consumers in the US, China and Russia.

The rising cost of production in emergingeconomies has also provided a strong incentivefor some businesses to relocate back to the UK.In Knowsley, the textiles manufacturingcompany Calderia has switched some of itsoperations to its factory in Knowsley IndustrialPark from its plant in China. The firm firstlaunched its Chinese joint venture in 2004, over this time the Knowsley Factory hasbecome more competitive due to a risingChinese currency, rates of inflation andincreased red tape.

146 The Mersey Partnership Economic Review 2012

In order to remain competitive in a globaleconomy, Knowsley will focus its investmentand development activities towards sectorswhere it has significant strengths and potentialfor substantial long-term growth. Based onKnowsley’s assets and the predicted futuregrowth areas in the Liverpool City Region,Knowsley’s target sectors have been identifiedas:

• Transport, communication and distribution:including freight movement, logisticsservices and warehousing.

• Manufacturing: including advancedengineering and materials, green energygeneration, automotive industry, food anddrink.

• Finance and business services: includingbanking, finance, insurance, legal services,accountancy, management consultancy,recruitment and property services.

Below we bring together Knowsley’s targetsectors and highlight how these complimentthe LCR transformational areas.

Super Port Knowsley’s related assetsKnowsley Industrial Park forms the largestindustrial area within the Liverpool City Regionand the second largest in the North West. Itmakes a significant contribution not just toKnowsley’s economy but that of the widerLiverpool City Region. KIP is excellently servedby major transport infrastructure including theM57 and the A580, Knowsley’s Rail FreightTerminal and is close to the Liverpool andManchester airports.

OpportunitiesThere is substantial potential to enhance KIPsposition as a major distribution park by tappinginto opportunities through the logistics project,Mersey Super Port. A study supporting theSuper Port work stream has identified a needfor warehousing and available land fordevelopment that is suitable for logisticsoperations. KIP could address this demandthrough remodelling the existing industrial areaand regenerating vacant and under used partsof the site.

Knowledge Economy Knowsley’s related assetsKnowsley’s infrastructure provides acompetitive advantage across knowledgebased industries particularly; AdvancedManufacturing and Financial and BusinessServices. Knowsley has an internationallyrecognised advanced manufacturing industry;Jaguar Land Rover, Getrag and HalewoodInternational are amongst its greatest assets.

OpportunitiesKIP has been identified by the City RegionKnowledge Economy Action Plan as anadvanced manufacturing ‘Sector Hotspot’.There is a real opportunity to develop theborough as a centre for excellence for thisindustry. The borough is home to a number offinancial and professional businesses such asVertex on Kings Business Park and Barclaycardin Kirkby. Enhanced marketing of ourcompetitive office rental space could attractsmaller businesses to Knowsley within thisfield.

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Knowsley’s Target Growth Sectors

Knowsley’s Centres for Learning are providingchildren and young people in Knowsley withhigh quality and stimulating learningenvironments. The excellent facilities at thesecentres will help to equip the next generationof adults with the right skills to access jobs inknowledge based industries across the CityRegion. All schools offer a specialism; theseinclude business at All Saints Catholic Centrefor Learning and technology at St EdmundArrowsmith Catholic Centre for Learning.

Low Carbon EconomyKnowsley’s related assetsKnowsley Council is a member of the CityRegion Low Carbon Economy Committee andthe City Region Sustainable Energy Partnershipwhich have been established to stimulate andpromote growth in this area. Furthermore it hasestablished the Sustainable KnowsleyProgramme to co-ordinate, prioritise, andimplement Knowsley’s low carbon andrenewable energy projects. Assets for thistarget growth area include Knowsley IndustrialPark which is recognised by the City RegionKnowledge Economy Plan as a ‘Sector Hot Spot’for the low Carbon Economy.

OpportunitiesKIP is home to a growing nucleus of businessesin renewable energy and environmentaltechnologies. A feasibility study is underway toidentify options to transform KIP into a ‘GreenEnergy Park’ with a combined heat and powerplant. Knowsley is well placed to takeadvantage of the drive for a low carboneconomy. In doing to so we can also address a

range of challenges such as mitigating fuelpoverty, up-skilling the local workforce, creatingnew employment offers, and supportingneighbourhood regeneration. To lead thisagenda Knowsley recognises that it mustquickly emerge as the low carbon economyenabler within the Liverpool City Region thatidentifies new and innovative ways to reduceKnowsley’s and the City Region’s carbonemissions. This will involve building businessopportunities around sustainable and lowcarbon technologies focusing on energygeneration, its distribution and efficient use,and community behavioural change.

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Further opportunities for growthThere are opportunities for Knowsley to expandits offer, as part of our strategy to remain‘ready to capitalise on sustainable investmentopportunities’. We will continue to monitor theeconomic environment and consider thepotential to tap into developing sectors,potential opportunities include:

• Life Sciences - KIP is recognised as a LifeSciences ‘Sector Hotspot’ and is the site ofa number of life science businessesemploying over 100 staff. Whiston Hospitalis also based within the borough, whichoperates on behalf of St Helens andKnowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.The Trust employs over 4,000 people, holdsClinical University Education Centreteaching status and is affiliated to theUniversity of Liverpool. The hospital is ofregional importance providing specialistservices in burns and plastic surgery.

• Visitor Economy - The borough is home toKnowsley Hall and Knowsley the Safari Park,extremely popular tourist destinations. The

park receives over half a million visitors ayear. This makes it the second most visitedfee-paying attraction in the Liverpool CityRegion7.

Knowsley is also the place of the NationalWildflower Centre, Europe’s only centrededicated to wildflower conservation (one ofonly two in the world). The borough’s centrallocation within the City Region and excellentconnectivity could make it a convenient basefor visitors to the North West. The borough isless than 35 minutes drive away from Liverpool and Manchester Airports and within 1 hour’s drive of two of the country’soutstanding National Parks, the Peak Districtand Lake District.

There is also potential to better utilise theborough’s rural assets for sustainable leisureand tourism. In Knowsley 52% of land is greenbelt, with nearly 55 km of Public Rights of Wayand 5 km of bridle paths.

177 LCR Visitor Economy Strategy (2009)

In order to realise the full potential of our targetsectors, we recognise that there are a numberof local challenges that our strategy mustaddress. This section highlights the key findingsfrom our research and analysis, the fullevidence base is set out in a supportingdocument.

BusinessKnowsley has experienced the highest increasein business density rates in the Liverpool CityRegion since 2004. However, with around 218 businesses per 10,000 residents, theborough rate is still the lowest in the CityRegion. This in part is reflective of theborough’s below average business start up and business survival rates.

The percentage of the working age populationwho are self employed has risen strongly inKnowsley since 2004 and it is now slightlyhigher than across the LCR (6.7% compared to 6.2%). However the gap remains with GB (9.1%).

Like many other areas in the North of England,there is a need to rebalance the localeconomy to ensure public, private andcommunity and voluntary sector employersprovide appropriate levels of job opportunitiesto residents and businesses. Currently, 32% ofemployees work in the public sector comparedto 27% nationally.

Knowsley’s town centres are not achievingtheir full economic potential; in particular thereare opportunities to expand the range ofrestaurants and the evening economy.Knowsley is fully committed to reducing carbonemissions and is actively seizing newopportunities in the low carbon economy.Balancing economic growth whilst reducing our impact on climate change is a challenge,but one which Knowsley is confident it canovercome.

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Local Challenges

Employment and SkillsJust below 65% of Knowsley’s population areaged between 16-64; this is in line with thenational picture but economic activity in theborough remains lower than the GB rate at 70%compared to 76%.

The potential earnings of the working agepopulation are not being fully realised and theborough’s higher paid jobs tend to go to non-residents. Full-time earnings for Knowsleyresidents have risen in recent years to £440(gross) per week in 2011 but this remains lowerthan the national average of £503 and is £34lower than the average wage of someone in aKnowsley workplace (as opposed to a resident).

Over the last 15 years, out-of-work benefitclaimant rates have fallen faster in Knowsleythan at City Region and national level, but at22% of the working age population, this stillremains more than 10 percentage points higherthan the GB average.

In keeping with trends across the country, morethan half of Knowsley’s benefit claimants are in

receipt of Employment Support Allowance(ESA) or Incapacity Benefits (IB). Securinggood health and well-being enhances people’sopportunities to gain employment and make apositive contribution to the economy. Overall,the health of Knowsley’s population isimproving and the health inequalities gap incomparison to the rest of England is narrowing.However, challenges remain; particularly intackling lifestyle behaviours that contribute tocancer, heart and respiratory disease

Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) rates in Knowsleyhave halved over the last 20 years to 6.5% andremain broadly aligned to levels in the LiverpoolCity Region but are still higher than the nationalrate of 3.8%. More than a third of the 6,250JSA claimants in the borough are under the ageof 25, compared to 29% nationally.

Improvements have been made in raisingeducational attainment and adult skillslevels across the borough. Record numbers ofchildren are achieving 5 good GCSEs including English and Maths with the 13th consecutiveyear of improvement. Similarly, increasing

numbers of residents are skilled to levels NVQ 2and NVQ 3. However the pace of progress hasnot been substantial enough to close the gapsin attainment and skills with the nationalaverage. There remains a need for more peopleto be educated to degree level or equivalentand for workforce skills to better reflect therequirements of the Liverpool City Region’s fourtransformational growth sectors.

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PlaceKnowsley’s housing stock needs to becomemore balanced; in particular there are significantopportunities to develop larger, executivemarket homes and smaller units in theaffordable housing sector.

In order for the borough to establish itself as adesirable location for businesses and bettercompete in a thriving City Region marketplace, it is necessary to better use and further developits employment space to its full capability.

Despite excellent road and rail links to theLiverpool City Region and Manchester, travel bypublic transportwithin the borough needs to be improved in order to give residents accessto a wider choice of local employmentopportunities.

Knowsley has many positive attributes, however there is a need to better market theseon a local, national and global scale. This couldhelp the borough to grow and develop its socio-economic population make up.

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Our economic regeneration strategy has beenwritten at a time of significant policy change. In this section we briefly outline the keypolicies that have influenced our approach andexplain how the economic strategy supportswider policy objectives.

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Policy landscape

National Localism Act

Local growth:Realising

every place’spotential

Skills forsustainablegrowth

Unlockinggrowth in cities Welfare reform

CityRegion

LEP Priorities:Super Port Action PlanLow Carbon Action PlanKnowledge Ecomony Action PlanVisitor Economy Action PlanLCR Sustainable Energy Action Plan

LCR Employment and Skills Strategy

Local Transport Plan 3

Enterprise Zones

Local Investment Plan

Local

A Strategy for Knowsley (2012-2023)

Knowsley’s Economic RegenerationStrategyKnowsley’s six pledgesEmployment and Skills Implementation PlanKnowsley Child Poverty and Life ChancesDevelopment PlanHousing StrategyKnowsley Partnership’s Climate ChangeStrategyAdult Learning Partnership Strategy andPlan

Knowsley Local PlanRaising Participation Age StrategyKnowsley Health & Wellbeing StrategySocial GrowthKnowsley’s Procurement StrategyLocal Transport Plan 3 (ImplementationPlan)

National PolicyThe Localism Act aims to transfer power awayfrom central government to local councils,communities and individuals. For localgovernment this means a new General Powerof Competence that the government hopes willallow councils the freedom to be creative andentrepreneurial, acting directly in the interest ofthe community, whilst working in new wayswithout the concern of acting beyond theirlegal powers. This presents Knowsley with anopportunity to fully utilise these new freedomsto allow new and innovative ways of working.

In the white paper Local Growth: Realisingevery place’s potential the government setsout measures to empower councils to helpbusinesses and the economy. The governmentexpects the creation of the Local EnterprisePartnerships (LEP) will allow councils to tap intoservices such as business advice, innovation,low carbon, inward investment, tourism, skillsand regeneration. In Knowsley the creation ofthe Liverpool City Region LEP allows the councilto fully integrate its regeneration plans with

the much wider and inter connected CityRegion economy.

Skills for Sustainable Growthmakes it clearthat the development of the country’s skillsbase is fundamental to supporting economicgrowth. Knowsley is responding to changes inpolicy which include removing central planningand improving responses to learner demandsthrough the work of the City RegionEmployment and Skills Board.

The Regional Growth Fund has been launchedto rebalance the economy towards privatesector employment, particularly in places thathave been reliant on the public sector foreconomic growth. Bids must come from privatesector companies or joint private and publicsector partnerships. Knowsley is alreadyworking with businesses to promote theopportunities that this funding presents.

The report ‘Unlocking growth in cities’ setsout the government’s plans to shift powers tolocal leaders and businesses with the aim of

stimulating economic growth. This provides the potential for Knowsley to join with CityRegion partners and use the new powers inareas such as transport, housing, skills andbusiness support to create the conditions forthe City Region to realise its full potential as an outstanding destination to live, work and do business.

The Welfare Reform Bill legislates for thebiggest changes to the welfare system in over60 years. Underlying reform is the need tomake work pay for more people. Knowsley isworking alongside its City Region partners tomonitor the impacts of the changes oninitiatives to grow the local economy. It isalready apparent that the reforms to transfersome people eligible for IB to JSA willsignificantly increase the number of peopleregistered as unemployed and thereforeincrease the pool of labour available for work,albeit that this work may be more part time in nature.

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City Region PolicyAt a City Region level the LEP is driving growthacross four transformational sectors (asoutlined in the previous section). Our localeconomic strategy will ensure that Knowsley ispositioned to take full advantage of thesegrowth sectors for the benefit of localbusinesses and residents. The City RegionEmployment and Skills Strategy (Transform,Compete, Thrive) sets out the challenges andobjectives for the City Region.

Several other documents are influencing theCity Region’s approach to economicregeneration including the Local Transport Plan3, City Region Local Investment Plan, as agreedwith the Homes and Communities Agency, andthe Government’s Enterprise Zone Policy.

Local Policy‘A strategy for Knowsley: The borough ofchoice’ (2012 - 2023) is a 12 year vision forresidents, businesses and agencies working inKnowsley. The strategy sets out how Knowsleywill achieve the long-term vision of becoming aplace where people choose to live and work,and businesses choose to invest. The strategywill be closely supported by the emergingplanning document, the Knowsley Local Plan(formally known as the Local DevelopmentFramework). The Local Plan (2013 - 2028) willensure that our future land use anddevelopment priorities are successfullydelivered.

All of the borough’s policies and strategies feedinto ‘A strategy for Knowsley’ but thedocuments shown in the above diagram haveparticular relevance to the EconomicRegeneration Strategy.

In the short-term, Knowsley Council will putparticular emphasis on issues it believes arecritical to delivering the longer-term outcomes

in ‘A Strategy for Knowsley’. These issues are:improving educational attainment, helpingresidents get jobs, affordable homes, reducingpersonal debt, and supporting communityenterprise.

The Council’s Corporate Plan includes sixpledges for 2012-2015 to address theseissues. Our Economic Regeneration Strategyhas a key role in making many of these pledgeshappen; particularly the two that are focusedon employment and job creation:

• We will put 10,000 Knowsley residents intolong term jobs.

• The Council will take a key leadership rolefor jobs, skills and tackling poverty in theLiverpool City Region, and ensure Knowsleybenefits from the new investment andplans to create over 100,000 new jobs overthe next decade.

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Underpinning our Economic Vision are three strategic goals that will propel Knowsley to become “a thriving place with a diverse economy that is ready to capitalise on sustainableinvestment opportunities”.

This section sets out our aspirations and outcomes for each goal. Our accompanying action plandetails the practical steps that we will take to achieve them.

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WHERE WE WANT TO BE

Strategic Goal OneTo promote the conditions for sustainable business growth

Strategic Goal TwoTo establish Knowsley as a location of choice where people want to live and businesseswant to invest in

Strategic Goal ThreeTo empower Knowsley residents to realise their economic potential

Strategic Goal OneTo promote the conditions for sustainablebusiness growth

As we prepare for the market upturn, we willpursue activities which promote the rightconditions for Knowsley businesses to not onlysurvive but thrive. We will enhance our businessinfrastructure and deliver comprehensivebespoke business support to assist localcompanies, including those in the third sector,to compete, invest and increase employmentopportunities. Our activities will ensure that werealise the full potential of our target sectors;finance and business services, manufacturing,and transport, communication and distribution.As well as growing our existing business base,we will nurture a culture that encouragesentrepreneurship and more business start ups,particularly amongst those who areunderrepresented in this area such as youngpeople and women.

Our businesses will have a leading role inshaping and enhancing the conditions for

sustainable growth. Growth will also beexperienced in the third sector, with more socialenterprises, mutual’s and cooperativesoperating in the borough and maximising onpublic sector procurement opportunities. The private sector will also have a part inincreasing third sector growth and buildingcommunity capacity through its CorporateSocial Responsibility offer. This work willsupport the borough’s journey towards a moresustainable and balanced economy betweenthe public, private and third sectors.

Underlying all activities will be our ongoingcommitment to building a sustainable economythat provides opportunities for the present,without compromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs. This willinvolve encouraging and making it easier forbusinesses to operate in ways that areenvironmentally sustainable.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal TwoTo establish Knowsley as a location ofchoice where people want to live andbusinesses want to invest in

As we seek to position Knowsley as a highlyattractive location for investment within theCity Region, we recognise a need to continuallyenhance the borough’s offer to businesses andpeople. We will use the recent capitalinvestment in the borough and majorregeneration projects as a catalyst for furtherimprovements. It is clear that over the comingyears there will be increased competition withother areas in the UK through the introductionof Enterprise Zones and from developingoverseas economies. Through partnershipswith developers, businesses and public sectorpartners we will ensure that Knowsley offers acompetitive business location with effectiveinternal public transport, digital connectivityand high quality premises. The Knowsley LocalPlan will be the central mechanism for ensuringthat existing and potential employment sitesare used sustainably and strategically to

support growth across our target sectors.

A key factor to ensuring the long-termeconomic sustainability of Knowsley is thestability of our population. We will work withdevelopers to enhance Knowsley’s housingoffer in order to attract and retain skilled andtalented people. We will also strive to enhancethe quality of life that the borough providesthrough good facilities, attractiveneighbourhoods, excellent education provisionand a quality retail and hospitality offer.

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Strategic Goal ThreeTo empower Knowsley residents to realisetheir economic potential

We will empower our residents to be work readyand achieve higher skills so that they cancontribute as well as benefit from a thrivinglocal economy. Our skills system will becomeincreasingly responsive and flexible to thechanging needs of local businesses. It will alsobecome more aligned to the City Regiontransformational areas, ensuring that residentshave the right skills to access jobs in futuregrowth areas.

Businesses, schools and training providers willincreasingly work together in dynamicnetworks to ensure that Knowsley residentsare work ready and have the right skills to meetfuture recruitment needs. At a school level,Knowsley will realise its Pledge that all Centresfor Learning will achieve national averages orbetter for 5 GCSEs A*-C, including Maths andEnglish by 2015. Young people will also aspireto the benefits of high quality employment,

training and apprenticeships. There will becloser co-operation between schools, collegesand employers through mentoring, the provisionof vocational education and student workplacements. This will help prepare young peoplefor the world of work, cultivate a culture ofentrepreneurship and raise aspirations.

We will work with our local and city regionpartners to help individuals overcome thebarriers to sustainable employment. Success will be realisation of the KnowsleyPledge to put 10,000 residents into long-termjobs. Increased economic activity will bringbenefits to the overall economy throughincreased local spending power and lessreliance on public services. Good qualityemployment will bring many benefits toindividuals and communities including, betterhealth and wellbeing, increased income andimproved life chances. Supporting adults withdisabilities into employment will also reduce therisk of social exclusion and discrimination.

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The following table details our strategic outcomes. Those identified as longer-term outcomes willrequire sustained effort beyond the life of this strategy in order to achieve substantial improvements.

Short-medium term outcomes

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Strategic Outcomes


• Conditions for businesses to grow and expandare developed

• More businesses and organisations operate inways that are environmentally sustainable andresilient to the risks of future climate change

• Increased corporate social responsibility

• Improved access to business finance

• Strong and effective relationships betweenbusinesses, schools and training providers

• A greater balance and connection betweenpublic, private and community sectors

• Increased inward investment into the borough

Strategic Goal TwoTo establish Knowsley as a location of choicewhere people want to live and businesses want toinvest in

• Increased recognition of Knowsley as anattractive place to live

• Improved connectivity across Knowsleythrough modes of transport that limit theeffect on the environment

Strategic Goal ThreeTo empower Knowsley residents to realise theireconomic potential

• More young people take up training,apprenticeship and employment opportunities

• More residents in long-term jobs in Knowsleyand the wider City Region

• More residents have the life skills to fulfil theirpotential

• Family income is maximised

• Adults have the resources and support toenable them to manage their own health andwellbeing and have a good quality of life

• People with disabilities and those that care forthem are able to seek work

• More young people and adults become self-employed and start successful enterprises inthe private and third sectors

Long term outcomes

In addition, there are number of strategies and actions plans working alongside the ERS that willcompliment and support this work, these are set in Policy Landscape section of this strategy.

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• Increase in thriving social enterprises

• Increase in business start ups and survival

• Growth in jobs and in our target sectors

• The productivity gap with the nationalaverage is reduced

Strategic Goal TwoTo establish Knowsley as a location of choicewhere people want to live and businesses want toinvest in

• A local retail and hospitality offer thatsupports aspiration, quality and choice

• The right mix, quality and quantity of newhousing

• Increased population growth

• Land assets are used sustainably to support

Strategic Goal ThreeTo empower Knowsley residents to realise theireconomic potential

• More appropriately skilled and qualifiedresidents

• Less children and young people in poverty

• A reduced gap in life expectancy between andwithin Knowsley and the rest of England

PrinciplesOur specific strategy actions are set in anaccompanying partnership action plan. Theaction plan is a live document that will reviewedon a regular basis to ensure that our approachis responsive to emerging challenges andopportunities. However, there are a number ofguiding principles that will remain importantthroughout the lifespan of this strategy. Theseprinciples will continue to shape and influenceour action planning process over the next threeyears:

• Planned responsiveness

• Maximising on our position in the CityRegion economy

• Building on our social assets

• Capitalising on our strengths

• Growing the low carbon economy

• Addressing the barriers to employment andskills progression through integratedapproaches

• Mutually rewarding Public, Private, and ThirdSector Partnerships

Planned responsiveness Why this is importantEconomic development is often driven byopportunism and the ability for places to beready to do the right sort of deals to attract theright investment at the right time. Thereforeour approach is to be agile and remainresponsive to the changing economic and policycontext.

What this means in practice Some of the ways that we will ensure we areready and capable of taking advantage ofsustainable growth opportunities will include:

• Planning for growth by utilising theKnowsley Local Plan to identify and preparesuitable sites for business and investment.

• Marketing the borough to raise awarenessof Knowsley’s enviable strengths andpromote its opportunities and selling pointsto potential local, national and globalinvestors.

• Ongoing economic monitoring through therefresh of the ERS evidence base.

Maximising on our position in the City Region economy Why this is important Knowsley forms part of the Liverpool CityRegion which is defined as a functionaleconomic area. This is one of the mostcontained labour markets within the country.Four transformational sectors of growth havebeen identified. Our approach will involveensuring that the borough supports andflourishes from these areas of growth.

What this means in practiceSome of ways we will maximise on our positionin the City Region economy will include workingclosely with the Liverpool City Region LocalEnterprise Partnership to deliver its action planand ensure that Knowsley and Knowsleyresidents benefit from major growth andregeneration projects. We will also supportresidents to access the learning anddevelopment opportunities within the CityRegion so that they have the right skills to gainthe new jobs, as directed through the CityRegion Skills for Growth Agreements.

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HOW WE WILL GET THERE

Building on our social assets Why this is important In order to establish Knowsley as a location ofchoice where people want to live andbusinesses want to invest, we must supportand encourage our residents to build andstrengthen their own communities.

What this means in practiceWe have already begun to build on our socialassets through the launch of Knowsley’sCommunity Empowerment Strategy. Ourongoing efforts will focus on enabling residentsand supporting them to become moreindependent and less reliant on the council andthe services we provide.

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Case Study OneBuilding on our social assets

Creating opportunities for people to improve their quality of life through Corporate Social Responsibility

Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) is a successful Housing Association that provides homes to over 25,000people through its 14,000 properties in Knowsley. It forms part of the First Ark Group which is well knownfor its commitment to building sustainable communities and empowering tenants through Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR). Its approach to CSR is split under four headings:

• Partnerships - Working in partnership to achieve the best outcomes for our communities.

• People - Creating an inclusive, safe and fun work environment.

• Communities - Supporting the development of sustainable communities.

• Environment - Positively managing our impact on the environment.

Some of the practical ways that KHT is supporting tenants to improve their quality of life is through theprocurement process. Its Investment Programme contracts require partners to provide a minimum of 52 training weeks for one local resident for every £1.5 million of works contract value.

The Trust is also supporting charities and social enterprises to address social and economic challenges. For example KHT has supported local social enterprise Care and Share Associates (CASA) Knowsley to secure £75,000 in grant funding to help the enterprise get off the ground. CASA Knowsley is a localfranchise of CASA, an employee owned social care enterprise that operates branches throughout the UK.CASA offers home care services to enable vulnerable, elderly or disabled people to remain in their homes.CASA has created 33 jobs in Knowsley in its first 12 months and now serves 131 people, delivering 1,222 hours of support each week.

KHT is committed to continually improving its corporate and social responsibility performance. CSR nowforms part of staff competency review and part of every employee’s induction. KHT is also looking at waysto incorporate volunteering as a yearly activity for staff.

Capitalising on our strengthsWhy this is important Knowsley boasts significant assets, not leastits world class manufacturing sector, suburbanlifestyle offer, excellent connectivity networkand affordable housing. We must use ourparticular strengths to the greatest possibleeffect and build on what we do best.

What this means in practiceSome of the ways we will grow and strengthenour assets include enhancing our businessinfrastructure by delivering an easy to accessbusiness support service that businesses wantand value (see case study below). Such supporthas already had a positive impact on businessformation and survival.

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Case Study TwoCapitalising on our strengths

Knowsley Council and Jaguar Land Rover Partnership

Knowsley Council has an impressive track record in meeting the needs of employers in the borough byproviding an adaptable and suitably qualified workforce. An excellent example of this is the bespoke training and recruitment package delivered by Knowsley Council to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The servicedelivered to JLR was unique and particularly benefited members of the community who would normally nothave access to such opportunities; this resulted in not just a significant change in the lives of individuals,but those of their families and communities as well.

Ten KMBC staff were placed in JLR for over 6 months completing the assessment and interviewing process.Other KMBC staff were located in communities to promote the opportunities and prepare unemployedresidents through a series of preparation work programmes. Working with residents across the Liverpool City Region, over 7000 applicants were assessed and 1500 were placed into employment with JLR. Of those that were unsuccessful further work was undertaken to move these residents into otheremployment opportunities.

JLR has shown an exemplary attitude towards working with and including the local community that JLR is apart off. In conjunction with the major recruitment Jaguar Land Rover committed to work in partnership withKMBC to employ 120 18 - 24 year old and long term unemployed residents on a short-term contract basis.This resulted in 111 of these residents progressing into permanent employment with the company. JLR hasalso been a significant supporter of the Knowsley Apprenticeship programme, in recent years JLR haveemployed 30 apprentices through the programme, as well as its usual intake of engineering apprentices.

Growing the low carbon economy Why this is importantOver the last ten years there has beenincreased recognition of the impacts of carbonemissions on global warming. In response tomounting concerns, a suite of climate changelegislation, targets and incentives have beenintroduced to move the UK towards a lowcarbon economy. For Knowsley, the transitiontowards a low carbon economy brings excitingnew business and economic opportunities.Knowsley is already making significant progressin exploring sustainable energy sources,ensuring greater energy efficiency. Growing thelow carbon economy will continue to be a keypart of our strategy for economic growth withclear opportunities for increasing businessactivity, employment and re-skilling those withcurrent skills that can be enhanced.

What this means in practiceThe Sustainable Knowsley Programmeoversees and coordinates the borough’s strongportfolio of green energy projects. Some of theways that we will proactively develop our greeneconomy include:

• Reducing energy consumption and carbonemission from council buildings andsupporting businesses to adopt energyefficient measures.

• Growing the low carbon supply chain, forexample by supporting local businesses toaccess supply chain opportunities throughthe Irish Sea Offshore Wind Programme.

• Developing low carbon and sustainableenergy infrastructure byexploring theopportunities to transform KIP into greenenergy park with a district energy centre.

• Supporting the development of a LCRSustainability Energy Action Plan (SEAP)which will identify and exploit low carbonenergy opportunities by facilitating privateand public sector interventions andinvestment.

• Working with schools, training providers andemployers to ensure that young people andthose of working age have the opportunityto develop their skills and experience totake advantage of new employmentopportunities in the growing low carbon andrenewable energy economy.

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Case Study ThreeGrowing the low carbon economy

Transformation of Knowsley Industrial Park intoa green business park

Knowsley has a long-term vision to transformKnowsley Industrial Park into the largest greenenergy park in the North West. The Council feelsthat the size, scale and range of businesses usesoperating from the KIP provides an excellentopportunity for Knowsley and the Liverpool CityRegion to seize the business growth, employment,re-training and new/increased skills opportunitiesarising from the low carbon and renewable energysector, including the supply chain and newbusiness leads. The practical benefits throughimproved energy costs and security of energysupply for such a large business location will besignificant making a major contribution to themeeting the city region’s low carbon emissionstargets as well as reinforcing KIP’s advantages asa key location for businesses.

A number of options are currently underconsideration. These include developing a heatnetwork centred around key energy providers andconsumers; developing a biomass centre whichwould blend biomass to provide a consistent fuelstream for potential consumers in and out of thePark; supporting the establishment of a Smart Gridwhich promotes efficiency and good practice inelectricity usage; and promoting renewable energyand energy efficiency measures to businesseswithin the Park.

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Case Study FourLow carbon living

Knowsley is maximising on opportunities to increase household energy efficiency through the CommunityEnergy Saving Programme (CESP). The programme is a joint initiative between Central government, energysuppliers and power generators which will see a total of £350m worth of energy efficiency measuresinstalled. CESP is expected to benefit around 90,000 households nationally and will save nearly four milliontonnes of CO2 emissions.

In Knowsley, Stockbridge Village was selected for the programme where the majority of homes within thearea have warm air heating systems that are less efficient than the conventional boiler and radiator systems.The non-traditional construction of a large number of properties in the area also results in low thermalefficiency and makes insulation methods difficult and expensive. In partnership with British Gas, energyefficiency is being improved by:

• Introducing Energy efficient boilers

• Converting homes with electric heating to gas

• Installing External wall insulation

• Loft insulation

The scheme is being delivered, in two phases and each phase comprises of privately owned and VillagesHousing Association social rented stock. In total around 1,800 home are expected to benefit from thescheme. It has also had a positive impact on the local economy through the creation new jobs (nine of whichhave been taken up by Knowsley residents) and several local construction and logistics companies have alsobenefited from supply chain opportunities.

Addressing the barriers to employment andskills progression through integratedapproachesWhy this is importantOur local economy is not an isolated silo ofbusiness and investment activity. Our approachrecognises the importance of joining up activitywith linking strategies to support people toovercome barriers to employment and promotethe conditions for economic growth.

What this means in practiceSome of the ways we will address the barriersto employment and skills opportunities willinclude:

• Ensuring that schools, colleges andproviders are aware of the skills needs ofbusinesses through dissemination of theSkills for Growth Agreements, fundedthrough the City Skills Fund.

• Working with businesses and residents toidentify solutions to employment barrierssuch as childcare, accessibility and skills.

• Strengthening relationships betweenschools and businesses.

• Working with providers of welfare to workservices, learning providers, colleges andother public agencies to ensure they arefocused on meeting the needs of residents,particularly those from harder to helpgroups.

• Working with NHS partners, particularlyKnowsley Clinical Commissioning Group toenable people to identify earlier detectionand better management of their long-termhealth conditions.

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Case Study SixAddressing the barriers to employment and skillsprogression through integrated approaches

Skills for Growth agreements

The City Region is projected to create up to afurther 130,000 new jobs in the four growthsectors over the next 10 years. There is a clearneed for businesses to have particular skillsavailable at particular times, and in order forproviders to be able to support learners to havethose skills, the providers need to understandwhat skills are required when. The City RegionEmployment and Skills Board is facilitating theproduction of Skills for Growth agreements, whichwill specify what skills are required by whichbusinesses and when, and these form part of thewider City Skills Fund offer. This then allowsschools, colleges, universities and learningproviders to plan their courses accordingly. This leading edge approach, developed within theCity Region, is now being copied by other areas ofthe country.

Case Study FiveAddressing the barriers to employment and skills progression through integrated approaches

Working Well

Working Well is a comprehensive borough-wide programme that aims to assist Knowsley businesses toimprove the general health and well-being of their staff in the workplace. It is a joint initiative delivered byKnowsley Council’s Environmental Health and Consumer Protection service in partnership with NHSKnowsley and Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. The aims of the programme will be achieved by officersengaging with businesses and helping them to ensure that the workplace environment and policies areconducive to good health. Benefits of a healthier workforce include increased productivity, lowerabsenteeism and staff retention.

Businesses are asked to sign up to 6 core commitments. They then have the option to work towards 6 healthrelated standards (healthy eating, physical activity, alcohol reduction, smoking cessation, mental health andwellbeing, and health and safety) over a period of time, supported by a working well officer. There are anumber of incentives on offer to qualifying businesses who join the programme including discounted leisurememberships and access to small grants for health.

Mutually rewarding Public, Private, andCommunity and Voluntary SectorPartnershipsWhy this is important Reciprocal relationships and connectionsbetween the public, private and third sector arethe key to strong and resilient economies. Newforms of partnerships are also beingencouraged through the establishment of LocalEnterprise Partnerships and the bidding processfor the Regional Growth Fund.

What this means in practiceSome of the ways we will encourage mutuallyrewarding partnerships include:

• Utilising the purchasing powers oforganisations, particularly within the publicsector to create opportunities for small andmedium sized businesses, including socialenterprises.

• Using the Social Value Act to develop asocial value model for Knowsley. This willinclude better defined social outcomes incontract specifications and evaluationframeworks to ensure (where it is

appropriate) that organisations deliveringsocial benefit are able to compete forcontracts or larger businesses who arebidding will include community businessesin their supply chains.

• Building on the work of the Unit for SocialEnterprise to grow the social enterprisesector. Together Knowsley Council,Knowsley Community and VoluntaryServices, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce,and Knowsley Housing Trust will encouragethe development of the social enterprisesector by both supporting the sectorthrough advice and training and by publicsector commissioners working to developthe market in areas where they will wantdelivery from in the future.

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Case Study SevenMutually rewarding Public, Private, andCommunity and Voluntary Sector Partnerships

Unit for Social Enterprise (USE)

USE was established 2 years ago by the Council,Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, KnowsleyHousing Trust and Knowsley Community andVoluntary Services. Initial work includedcompleting a social enterprise directory andproviding development funding to the sector.

It has recently launched through the KnowsleyFoundation a social enterprise sector developmentfund through which money is available for specificsectors to meet future priorities of public sectorcommissioners. These priority sectors are: adultsocial care, green economy and recycling; play andyouth provision; reoffending; employment andskills.

The Unit now housed in KCVS will continue tosupport social enterprise development inKnowsley from 2012 to 2014 through theEuropean Funding it has recently received.

Case Study EightMutually rewarding Public, Private, and Community and Voluntary Sector Partnerships

The Knowsley Foundation

The Knowsley Foundation is a new fund under the umbrella of the Community Foundation for Merseysidewhich brings together private, public and voluntary sector partners to encourage and support social andeconomic development in local communities. The Foundation was launched in November 2011 by fourfounding partners: Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, Knowsley Council for Voluntary Service, KnowsleyCouncil and the Community Foundation for Merseyside.

Its vision is to enrich the lives of people in and around Knowsley and through them create united, thrivingand prosperous communities. The Foundation’s mission is to provide a united approach that will enablecharitable grant-making and social investment that will best meet the needs of Knowsley’s localcommunities. It achieves this by encouraging local people, businesses and organisations to donate theirmoney, time, goods, services and expertise to the Foundation in order to contribute to supporting local livesin Knowsley.

The Foundation acts as receiver and distributor of donations and new forms of social finance. For example, itbenefits the wider Knowsley community by providing charitable grants to community groups and charitiesand also by providing funding to support the development of new social enterprises and initiatives. As wellas this, it facilitates local volunteering, especially for local businesses.

The Foundation is a pioneering model which is gathering much interest from other areas across the country.

This section explains the intended approach to manage the strategy and its action plan. We have been realistic about the resourcesavailable to Knowsley Council and its partnersto deliver the proposals and programmes setout in this strategy and action plan. Nonetheless, it is an ambitious agenda and itwill be a challenge to deliver successfully. There are a number of key success factors tobe considered, including:

Governance arrangementsThe success of the ERS will depend on theleadership and support of public, third andprivate sector partners. Therefore it is proposedthat the Knowsley Local Strategic PartnershipExecutive and the emerging Business Councilwill jointly oversee the successful implementation of the strategy. The BusinessCouncil is in the process of being formed by the Knowsley Chamber of Commerce and will include a cross representation of business leaders.

Where strategy actions that are tied to CityRegion wide projects and programmes, thesewill be reported up to LCR Employment andSkills Board and LEP as necessary.

Implementation and monitoringThe strategy action plan will be delivered via a wide network of organisations andpartnerships. Partners commitments are set out in accompanying action plan, alongsidemeasures and targets to assess impact andeffectiveness of our apporach. The Action Planwill be monitored bi-annually and reported tothe LSP and Business Council on an annualbasis. The Council’s ‘Policy, Impact andIntelligence Division’ will have the role ofbringing together all the individual actionsevaluation reports and reviewing progressagainst the strategy goals.

The Overview Scrunity Board will also beupdated annually on progress and consulted toexpress their view on any shifts of focus andchanges to the action plan. In line with thevision and principles set out by this strategy,the action plan will be a live document that canbe updated as and when necessary to ensurethat the borough remains agile and is ready torespond to challenges and opportunities asthey arise.

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DELIVERY AND EVALUATION

IndicatorsAlongside the service based output measuresthere will be a suite of high level populationindicators have also been complied to monitorthe health of our local economy and informfuture service priorities.

• Total floorspace developed (Total and byallocation) (Internal monitoring)

• Amount of new full-time jobs createdthrough land development (Internalmonitoring)

• Business demography (Enterprise births,deaths and survival)

• Total employment

• Residents earnings

• Work place earnings

• Population count

• Employment rate

• Unemployment rate

• Economically activity

• Economically inactivity

• Self employment rate

• Employment by occupation

• Claimant levels

• JSA claimants

• Percentage of 16-19 year olds who are notin education, training or employment

Impact AssessmentsThis strategy has been subject to an EqualityImpact Assessment and an Integrated ImpactAssessment to ensure that environmental,health, social, and equality and diversity issuesare recognised and embedded in the strategy.

Governance and Implementation Framework

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City Region governance Local Enterprise Partnership Liverpool City RegionEmployment and Skills Board

Local strategic ownership LSP Business Council

Deliver, implementationand monitoring

Knowsley Council Delivery partners and partnership groups

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YEAR 1 ACTION PLANSeptember 2012 - August 2013

Actions Outputs Impact Responsibility

Strategic Goal: To promote the conditions for sustainable business growth

Provision of a comprehensive businesssupport programme to include access to:

• Small Business Growth Grant (£2k-£10k) 305 business successfully assisted Improved access to finance for local KMBC / Knowsley businesses with the potential for growth Chamber

• Building Improvement Grant (£10k-£50k) 300 jobs createdIncreased number of local businesses

• Signposting to access to finance 100 jobs safeguarded bidding for contractsprogrammes including MSIF & NW fund

350 individuals supported• Advice and guidance for applications for

regional and national funding such as 100 Apprenticeships createdRGF and GPF

• Property matching service

• Tender alert service & procurement advice workshops

• A ‘Business Advocates’ team to provide a Local businesses provided with single point KMBCsingle point of contact for businesses of access for all interactions with KMBC. accessing Council services Business support team, tel: 0151 477 4000


• Sector Networks Forums established aimed at improved business KMBC / Knowsleyto business collaboration and identification Chamber / LEPof inter trading and supply chain opportunities

• Advice & Promotion of Energy Efficiency Reduced energy costs and reduction in carbon KMBC& Climate Change Agendas footprint

• Business and employee travel plan advice Reduced barriers to employment through KMBC / Merseytravel service improve transport access

• ‘Working Well’ Programme including grant Reduced sickness absence at organisations KMBC / CCG / Health support participating in the programme and Wellbeing Board

• Recruitment, training & mentoring support Businesses supported with the recruitment KMBCthrough Knowsley Works & partners development and retention of staff, including

provision of apprenticeships. Funding aligned to business skills needs.Local residents securing employment

Support local procurement, key actions are: KMBC

Establish a baseline figure for public sector A baseline and target for public sector Increased social and economic impact of public KMBC / First Ark/spend with local businesses in Knowsley and spend to local businesses is agreed sector procurement (as measured through the NHSthen set an appropriate target to increase this ‘Social Value Model’)over the next 3 years

Promote the tender alert service Routine alerts to targeted local Increased ability to sell to KMBCbusinesses

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‘Meet the Buyer’ events centred on key 1 event per regeneration project Support local business growth & employmentregeneration projects

Procurement contract conditions or Include in all relevant contracts Sustainable & improved economyvoluntary local agreements that encouragelocal sub-contracting

Promote ‘The Chest’ (eProcurement portal), KMBC internet site to have revised Access to KMBC and public sector tenders in including sub-contracting opportunities selling to the council page. the North West

Business support programme and Access to sub-contracting needs of successful procurement advice workshops tenderers

Support of the LCR employment & skills Major local businesses sign up to Increased local employment and skillsthrough procurement charter the charter

Support businesses in achieving relevant Business support programme and Increased ability to sell to KMBC and the accreditations to aid securing local procurement advice workshops wider public sectorprocurement through the business support programme and procurement advice workshops

Support Social and Community Enterprises to 20 SE start ups supported Development of Social Enterprise sector KCVS / KMBC / grow and deliver borough priorities through within the borough promoting social inclusion Knowsley Chambersupply chain opportunities and access to 8 new (up to 36 mths) SEs supportedfinance

6 established SEs supported

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Prioritise LCR Growth Sectors and continue to KMBCgrow infrastructure within:

• Port logistics KIP Regeneration Programme New investment attracted into KIP• Visitor economy• Advanced Manufacturing KIP energy network Increased visitors• Low Carbon economy• Finance and business services Prescot Heritage Initiative Improved image and perception of Prescot

and achievement of THI PI’s

Kirkby Town Centre Regeneration Increased footfall in Kirkby Town Centre

Opening of Halewood Centre Increased service provision and economicpotential of Halewood

An 18+ skills action plan to deliver the More residents have high skills and the right JCP / KCC / JCP / LCR employment and skills strategy skills to gain jobs in growth sectors Knowsley Works,

14-19 Partnership

Skills for Growth Agreement Links between skills needed by businesses LCR Teamand education providers

Provision of enterprise support programme 100 new businesses created Improved business start up rate for Knowsley KMBC / Knowsley including: Chamber / Blue Orchid• Fresh Start Grants • New Enterprise Allowance Programme

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Develop a business forum to promote skills 1 x Business forum established with Links created between CfL’s and local KMBC / Knowsley development & and employability each Centre for Learning businesses, individuals aspirations and Chamber / KCC /

employment opportunities increased Private Sector

1 specialism and curriculum review Curriculum’s represent the skills needed to per CfL secure work in the future

Establish a Business Council 1 x Business Council Businesses capacity to bid for contracts Knowsley Chamber

Consideration of how Businesses will Improved supply chains aid the achievements of theStrategies goals Businesses becoming more sustainable

Strategic Goal: To establish Knowsley as a location of choice where people want to live and businesses want to invest

During 2011-2015 build 426 new homes and 639 Full time Jobs created Increased employment opportunities and KMBC / First Ark / make land available for up to 2,250 additional investment in the borough as a direct result of Plus Dane Group / homes in the Borough the construction activity. New housing Villages Housing /

£43m investment into the Borough provided for existing and new residents of / to Private Sectorthe borough

Raise the profile of the borough regionally Attend and support 5 LEP led key Perceptions and profile of the borough KMBC / Knowsley nationally & internationally as a location of sector events improved Chamber / Private choice through: Sector / LEP• Supporting the LEP at key sector events


• Developing an key events plan for the 4 key events delivered within the borough borough

• Developing both an investment & Strategy developed and delivery international strategy for the borough within commencedthe LCR proposition

• Linking with UK Trade and Investment

• The Discover Knowsley website: Website launchedwww.discoverknowsley.co.uk

Support land owners / developers / investors to 10 owners / developers / Sites brought forward for economic investment, KMBC / Private Sectorcreate suitable land and property opportunities investors supported maximising the potential appeal of the boroughaimed at both employment and residential to investorsdevelopment

Progress development of the KIP Regeneration KIP development procurement process Progress made towards transforming KIP into KMBCProgramme: undertaken the largest and most successful business park • Prepare overall Outline Business Case for the by 2023

long term regeneration of the park Undertake procurement process • Develop potential RGF Programme bid for an energy partner to deliver KIP• Establish economic potential of key heat network

development opportunities• Explore opportunities for energy network to A KIP Green Energy Hub Feasibility

support businesses on the park Study

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Develop the Knowsley Local Plan to ensure Core Strategy submitted to Delivery of the future planning framework KMBCexisting and potential employment sites are Government by February 2013 for the borough progressedused sustainably, strategically and support growth sectors

Strategic Goal: To empower Knowsley residents to realise their potential

Assist residents to be work ready through Knowsley Works to support local Deliver a ‘work ready’ workforce for businesses KMBC, 14-19 employment related training, and promoting a residents to access employment expanding and creating jobs Partnership, A4E LTD strong work ethic and entrepreneurial culture and or develop key employability skills and Ingeus UK Ltd

through provision of: • Information Advice & Guidance -

12,000 residents supported• Employability training -

6,000 residents supported• Routeway programmes -

3,000 residents supported• The Knowsley Apprenticeship

programme -100 Apprenticeshipscreated

• The Merseyside Apprenticeship Programme - 10,000 LCR.1,000 young people supported in Knowsley)

• The Families Programme - 240 families to improve their employability and gain work experience


• 70 young people accessing work KCCexperience with employers

Deliver sector based work academies for 136 residents supported Increase in work readiness JCP / KCC / JCP /residents on JSA and ESA relevant to local Knowsley Works opportunities

Deliver effective learning & skills routes to raise An 18+ skills action plan to deliver More residents have high skills and the right JCP / KCC / JCP /adult skills across key growth sectors the LCR employment and skills skills to gain jobs in growth sectors Knowsley Works,

strategy 14-19 Partnership

Development of a Community Learning Trust

Supporting businesses in upskilling of their Skills for Growth Bank Improved skills and business productivity LCRworkforce

Challenge and support Work Programme Improvement tracked through Quality of service delivery improved to meet City Regionproviders and JCP to improve performance national & local statistics, the needs of residents and businesses Employment & Skills

SLA’s put in place to set minimum standards

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This strategy has been benefited from the views and contributions of our public, private and community and voluntary sector partners, including:

• 14-19 Partnership

• All Saints School

• Job Centre Plus

• Knowsley Chamber of Commerce

• Knowsley Community and Voluntary Services

• Knowsley Community College

• Knowsley Foundation

• Knowsley Housing Partnership

• Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

• Knowsley Providers Network

• Merseyside Connexions

• Merseyside Police

• Merseytravel

• NHS Knowsley

• Skills Funding Agency

• Villages Housing Association

Over 50 businesses of various sizes and from a range of sectors were also consulted with via the Knowsley Chamber of Commerce annual businesssurvey and a focus group session.

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APPENDIX AAcknowledgements

Development Predicted jobs created Timescales Skills required

Development of Royal Liverpool 2,000 Early 2020’s Biology, health, clinical researchBiomedical Campus

Expansion of Daresbury Science and 12,000 Early 2020’s Advanced instrumentation, microtechnology,Innovation Campus nanotechnology, advanced engineering and

digital/ICT

Expansion of Liverpool Airport 9,400 8 2030 Construction, retail, hospitality

Irish Sea Offshore Windfarm 3,000 2015 Research and development, marine and offshore engineering

Kirkby Town Centre 1,000 20159 Retail, construction, healthcare

Low Carbon energy projects, including; 8,500 2015 Environmental sciences and management, smartgrid, retrofit and microgeneration geophysics, energy generation

Liverpool and Wirral Waters 40,000 2012-2042 Retail, hospitality, construction

Multi-Modal Gateway Rail Freight Interchange Widnes 5,000 2014-2020 Engineering, logistics management, construction

Post Panamax Container 3,000 2012-2016 Logistics management, Marine & Offshore Engineering, maritime civil engineering

The Mersey Gateway 4,640 2015 Logistics management, advanced engineering, marine engineering

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APPENDIX BFuture employment opportunities in the City Region

8 A cautious estimate of future direct and indirect employment at JLA9 Approximate date

Term Explanation

Building Schools for the Future A school building investment programme in England.

Business start up A company that is in the first stage of its operations.

Corporate Social Responsibility A form of corporate self-regulation which encourages activities that have a positive impact on the environment,consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders.

Employment Rate This is a statistical ratio that measures the proportion of the country's working-age population (ages 16 to 64)that is employed.

Enterprise Zone Special geographical areas in which certain tax laws are suspended or financing or financial incentives areextended to companies that establish businesses within the zone.

Green Flag Standard A scheme recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country.

Gross Added Value A measure in economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy.

Knowsley Housing Trust A local not for profit housing association.

Knowsley Foundation A charitable and independent organisation which brings together private, public and voluntary sector partners toencourage and support social and economic development in the communities of Knowsley via charitable activities.

Low Carbon Economy An economy which has a minimal output of emissions.

Mersey Waters A collective name for Liverpool Waters & Wirral Waters schemes.

Life Sciences Fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, for example plants, animals, and humanbeings.

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APPENDIX CGlossary of Terms

Term Explanation

Liverpool City Region Consists of six local authorities: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

Play Pathfinder A £3 million project bringing 28 natural play spaces to the borough.

Productivity Rates The amount of work that can be accomplished in a given time period.

Smart Grid A digitally enabled electrical grid that gathers, distributes, and acts on information from suppliers and consumersto improve the efficiency, importance, reliability, economics, and sustainability of electricity services.

Social Enterprise A business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose.

Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) A small enterprise is defined as an enterprise which employs fewer than 50 persons and whose annual turnoverand/or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €10 million. A medium-sized enterprise is defined as anenterprise which employs fewer than 250 persons and whose annual turnover does not exceed £ 50 million orwhose annual balance-sheet total does not exceed £ 43 million.

Super Port A second container terminal to be built at the Port of Liverpool to accommodate two of the new generation post-Panamax container ships, doubling the ports capacity and predicated to create 3,000 jobs.

Sustainable Knowsley Programme A single, co-ordinated programme that prioritises and implements Knowsley’s many low carbon and renewableenergy projects.

Working Age Population People aged between 16 and 64.

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Useful contacts

Business Support TeamPO Box 26

Yorkon BuildingArchway Road

HuytonL36 9FB

Tel 0151 477 4000Fax 0151 443 2345

www.knowsleybusiness.comwww.discoverknowsley.co.uk

email [email protected]

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