Neil McInroyChief Executive

Centre for Local Economic Strategies

Sustainable local economic futures

What i CLES?

Independent charity

Economic development but with social fairness and within limits of environment

Publishers:

Established 1986Planners, geographers, local government, environmental scientists, economists

Hybrid; research, consultancy, members

Leading UK member org for research into Economic development

About CLES

Evaluate policy and programmes

Make Strategies

Work out social, economic value of things

Make, interpret, dissect and lobby for policy

Help to develop new ideas for places

What does CLES do??

Thinkers/trainers for government

Even the economic good times were never that good for some

Need alternative economic strategies for place

Tired orthodoxies- Narrow definitions of ‘growth’

Approaches fail to factor in place/environment

We need to plan to shield as well as grow

Green economy, is about economic growth, but also new forms of economic development in place

What does CLES think about economic strategy?

Resilience?

‘Resilience is an emergent property of a system – it’s not a result of any one of the system’s parts but of the synergy between all its parts.’

Thomas Homer-Dixon, The Upside of Down, Souvenir Press Ltd, 2006

Resilience?

Background

2009 - Initial research – During GFC. role of local government in creating economic resilience – Model for assessment developed (Research trust funded)

Assessment model applied in Melbourne, Australia and in 16 Local Authority Areas in England

Developed Neighbourhood resilience version. Applied in Manchester and Walsall (ongoing)

Developed Town Resilience Version. Applied in Northumberland, Gtr Manchester, 3 Scottish Towns, Cheshire East. Involved in Scottish town review

Place as a system – assesses networks and relationships

Assesses assets and capital across public, social, commercial sectors

Explores ‘growth’ in all its forms. Economic, social, well-being, cultural, green

Links with place leadership/stewardship and public service change

A few Key principles to new economic strategies

Key underpinnings to our thinking?

GROWTHPrinciple 1. Nurture all forms of growth

Co-production??

Proposition: Local growth strategies with wider definition

Grow: Human capital and assets – Education, self development

Grow: Social capital and assets– NGO, Voluntary sector, Local ownership

Grow: Environmental capital and assets– green space

Grow: Public and private capital and assets– Green growth and democratise locally

Grow: Social return on public spend

Are we developing economies for health +wellbeing?

The I Ching (Classic chinese text)

‘Look at what connects and separates people’

Principle 2. Places and economies as networked systems

Place as a System.

Creation of place resilience

Governance

Health and wellbeing

Environment

Identity, history and context

Measures of resilience: interactions behaviours and relationships

Measure 1 – Size, strength + relationships - commercial sector

Measure 2 – Size, strength + relationships – Public sector

Measure 3 – Size, strength + relationships - Social sector

Measure 4 – Relationships between Commercial – Public

Measure 5 – Relationship between Public – Social

Measure 6 – Relationship between Social – Commercial

Measure 7 – Relationship with wider health and well being

Measure 8 – Relationship with wider Environment

Measure 9 – Relationship with wider heritage Identity and history

Measure 10 – Relationship with wider Governance and economy

Resilience v sustainability

Lu Xinjian: City DNA

Principle 3. Create the right conditions

In conclusion: New local economic strategies in Wales

There is a growing need and demand for things Wales has and is

Economic growth will prove illusive. But what an opportunity...lets go for social, cultural and environmental growth instead

We either lead and grab new paradigm now, or we bumble along with the old?

Strategies for a new Welsh enlightenment!

Think growth, green growth, non growth, steady state and new forms of place development

Centre for Local Economic Strategies

Email. neilmcinroy@cles.org.uk

Website. www.cles.org.uk

Magazine.

Twitter. @nmcinroy or @clestweet or @newstartmag

Phone. (0044) 161 236 7036