State of Sheffield 2013

Gordon DabinettAndi Walshaw

Purpose

• Provides a narrative for the state of the city• Describes how things are now, how they are

changing, and how the city compares• This year report considers the board’s strategic

priorities – Environment, Attainment, The Ecomony, Jobs and Opportunities and Equalities

• Intention is to help Sheffield’s leaders understand more about the city, how it is changing and priorities for the future

Process

• Speaking to topic champions• Stakeholder engagement – stakeholder events• Mining the knowledge of experts – 1:1 discussions• Mining the data – report uses a wide range of

relevant data and dialogues held within organisations in Sheffield

• Final report

Content• 2012 update – where are we now?• The environment: How is Sheffield becoming more

sustainable to live and work in?• The Economy: How are Sheffield businesses creating growth?• Jobs and Opportunities: How are the pathways from

education to work offering new employment?• Attainment: How are young people succeeding and realising

their ambitions in Sheffield?• Equalities: How are communities and households surviving

financial austerity?• The Shifting National Policy Landscape: A overview of the

implications for the city of significant changes in public policy.• Looking forward

2012 update – where are we now?• Evidence suggests that the city is still undergoing

important changes in its demography and economy, and is reasonably resilient to immediate external forces

• City has become more like the rest of the UK, and perhaps more than ever linked to national economic conditions and influence of national government policies

• Sheffield appears to be faring better than some areas within Birmingham, Manchester and the north east of England, and other areas in the region such as Hull and inner city areas of Leeds

Environment• Clear evidence of changing climate - future will be about adapting

Sheffield and mitigating the impacts• Sheffield offers a good quality of life; but many of the significant factors

that contribute to a sustainable environment remain invisible• Carbon reduction – ‘mini-stern’ report provides evidence of carbon

emissions in the city and provides an understanding for the potential for managing heat/CO2 targets through new investment

• Waste – reduction in levels of household waste in line with other core cities, and future of recycling waste partly linked to heat generation developments

• Air quality – air pollution outcomes from transport behaviours relates to certain areas of the city with clear links to health problems

• City needs to do more to develop a more sustainable environment

Economy• Sheffield’s economic performance is improving• BUT the city still lacks presence compared to other UK cities

and metropolitan areas• Business sector is undersized• Prosperity gap remains• GVA is expected to increase by 2015 but below national

average; largest growth in construction sector and other services

• Latest estimate reveal that employment has been rising, and unemployment falling

• Rebalance between public and private sectors is continuing and skills profile has improved significantly since 2005

Jobs & Opportunities• Predictions suggest nearly 58000 are expected to be recruited

by 2015 as a result of economic change, transformational projects and replacement demand

• Low carbon sector likely to be a new source of opportunity with 6200 jobs expected over the next 10 years

• Business skill requirements will remain static but increases likely in IT/software skills and technical/practical skills

• Just under 75% of businesses in the SCR do not employ graduates and have no plans to do so in the next 3 years

• Apprenticeships are employed by just under 25% of businesses surveyed with more planning to do so over the next 3 years and trend to recruit from older age groups

• Sheffield 100 programme has responded to under-representation from BME backgrounds

Attainment• Attainment by Key Stage indicators showed marked

improvement and suggestion of an upward trend• The city is narrowing the gap with national

comparators on these indicators but concern that the bottom 20% not catching up

• Concerns persist in respect to literacy, transient groups, early years and diversity across the city linked to social/economic factors

• Colleges/Universities also key in offering opportunities to introduce new talent into the workforce

Inequalities• The city is generally doing well in making responses to the

needs of specific groups and communities who are disadvantaged

• Public sector cuts will reduce the potential ability to respond to ongoing economic conditions and the implementation of welfare reform

• Individual financial concerns are growing with those already in difficulty facing more hardship

• Addition groups slipping into financial hardship and new groups who were previously secure having new challenges to meet

• Gap between worse off and best off in the city increased with people aged 16-24 particularly affected

The shifting national policy landscape

• Welfare reform• NHS reform• City deals• Change in the planning system• Change of Geography? LEPs and combined

authorities• Police Commissioners• Changes in the way schools operate and are run• Impact of increases in university fees

On the cusp of change?

• Responses to medium term implications of climate change still uncertain

• Short term austerity and long term structural change in an undersized economy

• A potential mis-match in the labour market• Links between attainment gap for specific groups and

demographic change• The full scale of change resulting from welfare

reform and austerity are not fully realised