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This page is about the first Merseyside European Objective One programme. If you bother to read this page you will see how incredibly bureaucratic this programme was. You will see how regeneration money is wasted on Merseyside by a bunch of elitist councillors and council officers, who are, it would seem, hell bent on creating as much bureaucracy as possible so as to put as many middle England administrators into as many overpaid jobs as possible. Note: Please ignore the spelling mistakes and the grammatical errors in this document. Further note: Such is the size of this document that the web-site is unable to cope with it so it is slightly jumbled. Guide to the first Objective1 Programme Introduction On September 1998 I successfully completed a research course at Hope University. The subject I chose to research was the Objective One programme. At the time community activists where finding it extremely difficult to understand how the programme was evolving. It seemed quite impossible to gain a comprehensive picture of how the programme was being put together or to gain access to any significant information. Such was the bureaucratic nature of the programme's evolution information was spread across many agencies and local government bodies. The first Objective One programme has evolved into such a complicated maze of agencies and partnerships that a whole book could be written about it. Looking back in retrospect and knowing what I know now the first Objective One programme was allowed to develop into a massive gravy train for administrators, managers, coordinators, teachers, consultants, quasi-public service agencies, the list could go on ad-infinite. It was determined by my tutor that there was a need for an easy to read, but extensive guide to the Objective One programme. I chose as my research project the task of putting together a guide using material collected from the many agencies and administrative bodies connected with the Objective One programme. When the guide, which consisted of 15,000 words and 51 pages, was completed I took it to Government Office for the North West, who at the time had only managed to put together a leaflet guide, which was comprised of a couple of pictures and a few hundred words. For some reason the guide, which was comprised of their words, was never used as a forerunner to a more elaborate guide, even though my tutors at Hope University where impressed by the way in which the guide portrayed such a bureaucratic programme in a simple way. I have often wondered why the guide was never taken seriously? I can only conclude that the many people in charge of the programme's administration are deliberately keeping the people of Liverpool and Merseyside in ignorance. The latter statement can be given further authentication because the information and rhetoric that they have compiled and distributed in their many glossy brochures has bore no reference to the reality of the way the European money has been spent. The following guide only covers the first Objective One programme. Most of the agencies and organizations contained in the guide have ceased to exist. This is because these agencies never achieved a great deal and as a result of their failure they where eventually closed. Many millions of pounds of government public funding was squandered on these useless agencies and this public funding was used to draw down millions of pounds of Objective One funding. In reality, millions of pounds of European and public funding that was originally meant to regenerate 37 of the most poorest and run down neighborhoods in Merseyside has been squandered by a self elected group of incompetent administrators who coexist with each other in agencies and organisations such as the Liverpool City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Government Office, North West Regional Development Agency and Liverpool Vision. One of the most disgraceful aspects of the way in which this money was spent is the way the major players, such as the Liverpool City Council and Government Office made promises and statements that bore no reality to fact. For instance Government Office stated in their leaflet guide that £524 million would be invested in the 37 poor designated pathway communities. If you visit these communities today very little has been done to improve them. Except for the Speak Garston Partnership most of the other pathway areas have seen no radical changes. Government Office also stated that at the end of the specified six years it is hoped that 25,000 would be created and Merseyside's Gross Domestic Product would improve neither of the last two claims have been achieved. Changing the goal posts Since the guide was written many things have been changed in Liverpool, especially with the arrival of the new chief executive David Henshaw. Mr. Henshaw has said that he is going to change the whole structure of the Liverpool City Council. There is now a new Single Programming Document, which is available from the Chamber of Commerce, who it is said, played a big part in its compilation. There is also talk of reducing the local Partnerships in Liverpool from 11 to five. It is as though all the goal posts are being changed to further confuse people and hide the fact that the first Objective One programme was managed by incompetent bureaucrats who resided in a host of useless agencies. It is quite obvious that these changes are taking place because Merseyside has been granted another £844 million Objective One funding in 2000 to run till 2006. What is Objective One? Objective One provides money from Europe to help Merseyside catch up with the prosperity of other regions. In order to achieve this aim it must draw private sector investments as well as other public expenditure. Objective One status was awarded from 1994 to 1999. There are currently negotiations taking place in Brussels (home of the European Parliament) to continue this status until 2006. The status was awarded because of the Gross Domestic Product (GPD) per capita was less than 75% of the European Union (EU) average. This means that the average amount of money brought into the region per person was lower than the average for the whole of the EU. 1 How much money is available? The total package is £1.6 billion, which is made up of £650 million in grants and £950 million in matched funding from the private sector, public and voluntary sources. This will be expected to create over 25.000 jobs. This money is expected to bring up the GDP to at least the EU average in the form of grants known as Structural Funds - European Social Fund (ESF) (mainly for people) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (mainly for building and equipment). The Structural Funds must be spent on projects that fit within The Single Programming Document (SPD) which is the document that provides the outline on how the needs of Merseyside will be met. It does this by setting out five priority measures called the Drivers for Change. One of these Drivers is called "Action for the people of Merseyside" and is known as Driver 5. Driver 5 itself is split down into a number of measures, the first of which, Driver 5.1 is called Pathways to integration: a package of economic and social support targeted on key communities in Merseyside. These communities are known as the Pathways Partnerships. To make sure this measure has a chance of working, a grant has been made available to help local people in the Pathway areas become involved in the mainstream economy and society. In Liverpool this support is doubled (or "matched") by the Liverpool City Council and funds the Liverpool Local Partnerships Merseyside is the only region in England to have Objective One Status, and one of only three regions of the United Kingdom, the others being Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and Northern Ireland. 2 How is Objective One organized and what does the Five Drivers for change mean? Objective One is subdivided into five parts which are technically known as drivers for change. Four of these focus on industry they are:- 1 Infrastructure - making Merseyside more attractive to inward investors by developing key sites and premises, roads and public transport and improving the image of the area-£338 million. 2 Local businesses - support company start- ups and expansions, improving efficiency through training and helping firms to become more competitive - £298 million. 3 New technology - giving companies access to the latest scientific developments, in particular clean technology and the information society - £132 million pounds. 4 Culture - support for the arts, media, tourism and leisure industries on Merseyside - £114 million. 5 The fifth part of Objective One is targeted at improving the likelihood of unemployed people getting jobs and involving communities in Pathway area - neighborhoods which are economically depressed - in improving the local environment, community services and general quality of life -£524 million. 3 What is the Gross Domestic Product? The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of a country's output of goods and services over a certain period (usually a year or a quarter), regardless of who owns the productive assets. For example, the output of British-owned companies based in Australia is considered part of Australia's GDP, not the United Kingdom's. Most developed countries now consider that the GPD is the best measure of economic activity. The indicator of living standards in a country is the GDP per head, which is calculated by dividing a country's GDP by its population. The figure is then converted into US dollars in order to allow comparisons between one country and another. If the GDP grows at a higher rate than the population, then the standards of living are said to be rising. If the population is growing at a higher rate than the GDP, living standards are said to be falling. Because the GDP per head does not take the cost of living in a country into account, some people consider that it is more accurate to judge living standards according to GDP expressed in purchasing power parities (PPPs). These estimates are normally shown on a scale of 1 to 100, with the United States as 100. Another indicator of living standards is the Humane Development index, which was published by the United Nations Development Programme in 1990. It is shown on a scale of 1 to 100 and takes into account GPD per head, adult literacy, and life expectancy 5 What is the European Regional Development Fund? The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of two Key sources of funding that can be accessed under Objective One. It is often described as infrastructure funding and targets capital projects such as new industrial units, renovating or creating tourist attractions and building new railway stations and roads. It may Also be used to provide revenue funding for business support schemes. In summary : funding for economic capital projects and business support measures.44 What is the European Social Fund? The European Social Fund (ESF) is the second of the main funds that can be accessed through Objective One. It mainly supports revenue type projects such as guidance and counseling, advice and training and usually provides up to 50% of a projects costs over a calendar year. In summery : for training and employment support measures. 45 What is the Single Programming Document? The Single Programming Document (SPD) is available free of charge from Government Office Merseyside (GOM). It was written by the European Commission Directorate General for Regional Policies in Brussels. Its purpose is to constitute the basis on which Structural Fund assistance to Merseyside through Objective One will be implemented for the 1994-99 period. 5 What is the MEA Document? The Merseyside Economic Assessment Document (MEA) is the document that was prepared to present a comprehensive and in depth review of the Merseyside economy and its future prospects over the next ten years. The MEA has been accepted by the Government Office for Merseyside as being the contractually required Economic Assessment and provides essential planning data for the key agencies and is being used to focus bidding for EU Objective One funds. The MEA document is available free of charge from Government Office for Merseyside.6 What is the Merseyside 2000 Document? The Merseyside 2000 document is the Regional Conversion Plan for Merseyside Objective One Region, covering Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. The Plan was submitted by the government to the European Commission. It has been prepared by a partnership, led by the Merseyside Task force of the Department of Environment, with the five local authorities other Departments (Trade and Industry, Employment, Transport), statutory agencies (Training and Enterprise Councils. Colleges of Further Education. The Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority), the Voluntary Sector and the Private Sector. The purpose of the plan is to asses and provide reasons as to why Merseyside should be given Objective One status, which is for regions whose development is lagging behind the rest of the country. It looks at the decline of Merseyside's Gross Domestic Product. The Plan sets out to deliver a vision of Merseyside that will promote economic prosperity and prosperity for the people of Merseyside. Emphasis is also put on Merseyside's role as a gateway between Europe and the rest of the World. 7 What can the money be used for? The money must be used in line with the Single Programming Document, Which was drawn up following negotiation between the British Government and the European Commission. The sort of things which are available for support under this program include: 1 Getting sites ready for industrial development. 2 Building and refurbishing factories and offices. 3 Improving transport access to industrial commercial and tourist developments. 4 Training and developing the people of Merseyside to equip them with the skills and capabilities to find jobs, especially in the new industries. 5 Supporting innovation and development. 6 Promoting the cultural, arts and leisure industries on Merseyside. 7 Support measures for small and medium sized companies. 8 Cleaning up the environment. 9 Helping people in the most disadvantaged communities. 8 Who can apply for grants? Applications must come from bodies such as local authorities, the universities, the colleges of further education, voluntary sector bodies, non profit making organisations and others, Partnership bids are strongly encouraged. Objective One is part of a European Union scheme which provides additional funds to help regions whose economies are below average in terms of the EU as a whole. There are six objectives reflecting the sort of help needed by different areas or groups of people. Objective One is the highest level of support and Merseyside is the only area in England currently receiving this special help. Objective One support comes either from the:- 1 European Regional Development fund (ERDF) for capital expenditure-land or building acquisitions, site clearance, construction, renovation, plant and machinery or the 2 European Social Fund (ESF) for revenue costs, mainly for training and job support services. A wide range of projects can get Objective One funding. What they have in common is that they are helping to bring about change for the better on Merseyside by rebuilding the economic base of the region and strengthening Merseyside's position as a European gateway to the world. 9 What are the problems with Merseyside? Merseyside is one of the 5th poorest regions in Great Britain. 55% of the cities population are defined as its most deprived communities (based upon a series of agreed indicators of depravation including unemployment, car ownership and children living in households with no earner) The following economic and social characteristics of the areas represent the average position across all the Liverpool Pathways areas. However, they mask localised concentrations of, for example, unemployment levels of over 70%:- 1 Liverpool Partnership Population in total 254.811 (55% of City total) 2 Unemployment - 31% average (Merseyside average 16.8%) 3 Children in families with no earner - 55% average (Merseyside average 31.4%) 4 Households with no car - 72% average (Merseyside average 45%) 5 67.000 households in Liverpool (37% of all households claim Income Support). 6 104.000 households in Liverpool (57% of all households) claim housing benefit and/or Council tax Benefit. 7 Around 26.000 households (14% of all house holds) are probably eligible for Council Tax Benefit but not claiming it. 8 Of the 183.000 households in Liverpool at least 35.000 Council homes (70% of Council homes) and 68.000 private sector homes (55% of private sector homes) are unsatisfactory. 9 Liverpool has the lowest proportion of centrally heated homes in Britain apart from the Scilly Isles. 52% of homes have central heating, compared to a national average of 83%. In addition many Council houses have inefficient warm air central heating systems. 10 27% of households in Liverpool pay for their electricity via a prepayment card meter (10% above the national average). 11 38% of households in Liverpool (71.000) are living in poverty. 12 52% of the households (99.700) in Liverpool live in or on the margin of poverty. These figures are likely to underestimate the true figure. 12 13 Some people are much more likely to live in poverty, for example women, black people, disabled people, older people and children.10 What is the population of Merseyside? The population of the county was estimated in 1992 to be 1.445.600. The principal towns are Liverpool (1994 estimate, 474.000) and St Helens ( 1994 estimate, 181.000). Other towns of note include Birkenhead, Bootle, Crosby, Formby, Kirkby, Southport, and Wallasey. Liverpool has city status. 11 How many people are unemployed in Liverpool? * The unemployment rate in Liverpool is 19.1%. This compares with a figure of 8.3% for the North West and 7.7% for the United Kingdom. * Only two of the 33 Council Wards have unemployment rates below the national average. * There are over 77.000 people unemployed in Liverpool. The unemployment figure for the city as a whole is twice the national average. Only two wards in the city have rates below the national average, Woolton and Grassendale. * Long term unemployment, is higher than any other City throughout the country. * 46% of those without jobs are long term unemployed. (out of work for over 12 months) A survey of job vacancies advertised in Liverpool Job Centers in 1995 found that 73% of the jobs paid less than £3.55 per hour. How many people are unemployed in Merseyside? There are over 95.000 people unemployed in Merseyside's five local authorities What are the five Merseyside local authorities? The five Merseyside local authorities are:- 1 Liverpool 2 Knowsley 3 Sefton 4 St Helens 5 Wirral How bad is the housing situation in Merseyside? Recant figures issued by Shelter as part of their special report Behind Closed Doors say that Merseyside has the highest number of unfit homes in the country. The homeless charity claims that 13% of properties, 79.000 across Merseyside were unfit for humane habitation under government defined guidelines. A further 68.000 across the region are living in overcrowded accommodation. 13 The City of Liverpool The economic life of the City was built around the port and it is essentially a city of commerce rather than of manufacture. Changes in the country's pattern of trade and the mechanisation of cargo handling have resulted in a reduction in job opportunities. Although the population of the City has also been reduced by the relocation of families to new housing estates in the surrounding areas and to nearby new towns, the economic factors have led to a serious level of unemployment. Despite these aspects, however, there are many efficient firms in the areas which are considering the possibility of expansion, and energetic individuals wishing to set up new firms. In addition, rising costs in the South East of England have led an increasing number of organisations to consider relocation, and the single European Market is encouraging overseas firms to set up in the UK, with Liverpool as an attractive option. 14 What is the European Community? The European Community (EC) consists of 15 members countries They are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 15 What is the European Union? The European Union (EU), is the supranational organisation dedicated to increasing economic integration and strengthening co-operation among its member states. The European Union was established on November 1st 1993, when the Treaty on European Union, or Treaty of Maastricht, was excepted by the 12 members of the (EC). The EU has grown to include another three member states with the admission of Austria, Finland, and Sweden in 1995. 16 What is the Maastricht Treaty? The Treaty created joint foreign and monetary policies, as well as fixing the European Currency Unit (ECU) as a basis for the future single European currency, and projected the installation of a Central Bank by 1999. In general, it reflected the intention of the EU to broaden the scale of monitory and economic union, and to begin serious consideration of joint policies in regard to defense, citizenship, and the protection of the environment. Before it could become fully effective, the treaty had to be passed by all the member states. Some countries were extremely reluctant to relinquish national control over their monetary policies, notably Denmark and the United Kingdom. As a result they were both given the option not to participate in some aspects of the process of unification. 17 The Trades Union Congress (TUC) consider that this agreement will have an adverse effects on the working population of Great Britain because they think that more jobs would be created if Britain fully joined Maastricht. They excepted that in the short term jobs would be lost, but they felt more would be created in the long term. What is the Trade Union Congress? The Trade Union Congress (TUC) is the independent association of British trade unions. Founded in 1868 when union activity was largely illegal, the TUC is the oldest such association in the world. Its aims are to promote the rights and welfare of those in work and to help reduce mass unemployment. 18 What is the European Commission? The European Commission is a body of people who serve as the executive branch of the EU. It makes policy proposals and presents them to the Council of ministers. The European Commission also represents the EU in economic relations with other countries or international organisations. The administrative role of the commission is to manage EC funds and programmes and to deliver aid to other countries. 19 What is the European Parliament? The European Parliament is the principal institution of the European Union (EU) and the sole body directly elected by the citizens of it's member states. It was created in 1952. All member sessions of Parliament are normally held in Strasbourg, most committees meet in Brussels, and the bulk of the secretariat, or administration staff, is based in Luxembourg. Members currently number more than 500, since1979 they have been elected through universal suffrage every five years. Seats are distributed among the EU member states based on their respective populations. Members (or Euro -MPs) do not sit in national blocs, but in cross-national groups. Ad hoc coalitions are often formed on individual issues that cross ideological and national barriers. The role of the European parliament within the European Union is limited by the restricted nature of it's powers in relation to the council of Ministers and the European Commission, the legislative and executive branches of the EU's system. The Parliaments theoretical power to dismiss the Commission has never been used, due to the chaos it would cause and the lack of control the Parliament would have over reappointment of commissioners. Some budgetary powers are held jointly (though unequally) with the Council, with Parliament able in theory to reject the whole budget, but allowed actually to determine only the minority of total expenditure which are noncompulsory. Legislative powers were wholly advisory until the European Act and the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. The former gave the Parliament the right to a second reading of legislation and joint decision-making on accession treaties and association agreements with non-EU countries. the latter increased a Parliament veto on some internal matters such as the Single Market, enabled Parliament to request the commission to submit legislative proposals, and allowed Parliament investigations into the maladministration of EU law. Just as past growth in the powers and functions of the Parliament has been slow and limited, so is future growth likely to be piecemeal and restricted, despite being the only democratically elected supranational institution in the European Union and adhering to the EU principle of subsidiary (delegation of authority to competent local institutions wherever possible), the Parliaments powers pose a direct threat to the sovereignty of member states, and cannot be increased without those same states unanimously agreeing to do so. 20 Who are the MEP's and what do they do? The Members of the European Parliament (MEP) are responsible for representing their constituencies in the European Parliament. They are also involved in issues concerning the administration of Objective One and all forms of European Social Funding. The MEP's for Merseyside are:- * Richard Corbett MEP. constituency covers Liverpool and Sefton. * Terry Wynn MEP. constituency covers Garston, Knowsley, St Helens, Wigan, Ashton and Lee. * Lyndon Harrison MEP. Constituency covers Cheshire West and the Wirral. Richard Corbett has written extensively on the subject of European affairs, his publications include:- 1 The European Parliament (Longmans, a complete guide to and analysis of the European Parliament. 3rd edition 1995). Reviewed by the Tribune as "The definitive handbook" 2 Fabian Tract on European elections (1998) 3 A Socialist Policy for Europe (1985) 4 The Treaty of Maastricht (Longmans, 1992) 5 Europe and the Social Economy Drafter of pamphlet adopted by the 1992 Co-op Conference 6 Labour and 1996 in "Renewal" Vol 3 No 2 April 1998 7 Numerous articles (academic publications and socialist press) including annual review on institutional development for the Journal of Common Market Studies (every year since 1992) How many people are employed in the administration of Objective One? This figure is difficult to determine but sources believe that there are over 500 people employed either directly or indirectly in the administration of Objective One funding. 21 What is the Government Office for Merseyside? The Government Office for Merseyside (GOM) is responsible for the overseeing of the whole project funding, and monitoring of Objective One progress. It is the Regional Office for the main government departments concerned with urban regeneration. Home of the Secretariat which holds responsibility for administrating Objective One bids. Secretariat Based in the Government Office for Merseyside the Objective One secretariat is made up of civil servants and secondees. The secretariat administer the Objective One programme on behalf of the European Commission and the other Merseyside partners. It's remit includes producing the bidding guidance, collecting and appraising the application forms, chairing the partnership meetings and implementing decisions made at Technical Panels and Monitoring Committee (who make the decisions on whether a bid is successful or not) There are 22 people working specifically on Objective One in the Government Office for Merseyside. Their duties cover:- 1 Press officer 2 Competitiveness Investment and Europe 3 Regional Transport and Planning 4 Skills and Enterprise Objectives The Government office for Merseyside will work in partnership with local people to maximise the competitiveness, prosperity and quality of life in the region by:- 1 Meeting the operational requirements of departments and Ministers 2 Promoting a coherent approach to competitiveness, sustainable development and regeneration in the region using public and private resources and through an exercise of statutory responsibilities. 3 Contributing local views and experience to the formation and communication of Government policy. 4 Developing the skills of staff and methods of working. 5 Developing partnerships between local interests to promote and secure GOM objectives. 6 Providing a single point of contact for local people and deliver high quality services on Citizen Charter Principles. 22 Who are the English Partnership? The English Partnerships (EP) is a government appointed body responsible for urban regeneration through a range of funding mechanisms including the Land Reclamation Programme. Who are the Pathway Partnerships? There are 38 Pathway Partnerships in Merseyside. There are 11 covering poor areas in Liverpool. The other 27 Partnerships cover Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirral. The development of Local Partnerships in Liverpool as part of the Objective One Pathways programme is supposed to be one of the most fundamental changes in the way the processes of urban regeneration in the City are operated. It reflects the lessons learnt from the experiences both in Liverpool and nationally and is developing a model of good practice which has wider applications in both Britain and in Europe. The partnership concept has been described by the European Community (EC) as a novel approach which puts the emphasis on local communities to develop their own approaches and action plans to solve local problems in co-operation with existing measures. The Partnerships have been establishes for just over 3 years up to when this guide was written in September 1998. Each Local Partnership has prepared a detailed action plan setting out the priorities for the regeneration of their area to secure Objective One funding from within the allocation under measure 5.1. the Action Plans also identify opportunities for attracting resources from other Measures in the Objective One programme. 23 The names and population of the 27 Partnerships that cover Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral are:- Knowsley:- 1 Kirkby. Population 31.960 2 Huyton. Population 39.120 3 Halewood. Population 9.430 4 Lickers Lane. Population 2.850 Population Total = 83.360 There are 8 staff covering the Knowsley Pathways. 2 staff covering the Kikby Partnership. 2 Staff covering the Huyton Partnership. 1 Staff covering the Halewood Partnership. 1 staff covering the Lickers Lane Partnership. 2 staff are based in the office known as the European Unit. Sefton:- Bootle/Seaforth. Population 36.900 Dunningsbridge. Population 21.700 Population Total = 58.600 Sefton has 12 staff. 10 staff are employed at the Netherton Pathway office which is responsible for the administration of the SRB funding programme. The 2 remaining staff are located in the two remaining Partnerships. 1 staff covering the Bootle/Seaforth Partnership. 1 staff covering the Dunningsbridge Partnership. St Helens:- 1 Parr/Brook. Population 17.500 2 Thatto Heath/Portico. Population 3.039 3 Thatto Heath/West Sutton 5.008 4 Four Acre. Population 3.344 5 New Street. Population 2.000 6 Wargrave. Population 2.806 7 Fairbrother. Population 2.340 8 St Thomas Square. Population 554 Population Total = 36.591 There are three staff based at the Pathway Office covering the 7 pathway areas they are:- 2 development workers. 1 Pathway Manager seconded from the council. Wirral:- 1 Town Lane, Bebington. Population 1.104 2 Beechwood/Ballantyne. Population 4.483 3 Bromborough. Population 1.210 4 Birkenhead. Population 19.712 5 Seacombe & Poulton. Population 8.519 6 Eastham. Population 1.045 7 Egremont. Population 3.344 8 Leasowe. Population 4.031 9 North Moreton. Population 2.450 & Sandbrook. Population 1.718 10 Noctorum. Population 1.583 11 Prenton Dell. Population 1.013 12 Tranmere, Rock Ferry and New Ferry. Population 11.839 13 Woodchurch. Population 6.452 Population Total = 68.503 There are 10 staff covering the Wirral Pathways. 6 are based at the Wirral Borough Pathway Support Unit, 4 are employed as outreach workers. Three Wirral areas have SRB funding. Liverpool Partnerships:- 5 of the 11 Liverpool Partnerships have or had SRB funding. The names and population of the 11 Partnerships are:- 1 Speke/Garston. Population 24.000 31 staff 2 580 (Gillmoss/Fazakerly). Population 15.000 4 staff 3 Dingle. Population 15.000 5 staff 4 Liverpool East (LEAP). Population 20.457 5 staff 5 North Liverpool. Population 28.500 18 staff 6 Netherly & Valley. Population 16.500 7 staff 7 Parks (East Central). Population 40.000 10 staff 8 Stanley. Population 40.000 5 staff 9 Queens (Norriss Green). Population 36.500 4 staff 10 Duke St/Cornerwaliss. Population 1.500 2.5 staff 11 Granby/toxteth. Population 15.354 6 staff Population Total = 252.811 The Five areas that have or had approved SRB programs are :- 1 Speke/Garston. 2 Dingle 3 North Liverpool 4 LEAP 5 Netherley & Valley 24 What is SRB? The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) succeeded the Urban Programme in 1994 as the funding mainstay of the government's urban policy reform. As the flagship of Challenge Funding it ushered in competitive bidding for regeneration funding. Drawing together almost 40 hitherto separately-managed funding programmes, SRB is designed to provide integrated, flexible and targeted support for sustainable packages of economic, physical, and social regeneration according to locally determined priorities developed and delivered through multi-sectoral partnerships. Bids are usually of two types:- 1 Area based (with specific and limited geography) 2 Thematic (covering a specific topic usually over a wider area) Bid are funded for 5-7 years although pilot schemes for 1 year may be considered. SRB should be used to:- 1 Enhance employment prospects, education and skills 2 Encourage sustainable economic growth 3 Protect and improve the environment and infrastructure 4 Improve Housing 5 Promote initiatives of benefit to ethnic minorities 6 Tackle crime and improve community safety 7 Enhance the quality of life 25 What are the Pathway Partnership area Descriptions? Below is a description the of each Pathways area. These descriptions were taken from a document called the ESF Guideline for Applicants April 1998. They consist of a brief outline of the problems faced by each one of the 38 partnership areas in the five Boroughs of Merseyside. The Borough of Knowsley :- 1 PK1 - Kirkby, Population 31.960 There are 11.366 households in the Kirkby designated Pathway area. The economy of the town has always been largely dependent on the nearby Knowsley Industrial Park. At 1.200 acres it is by far the largest industrial park in Merseyside and one of the largest in Europe. Strategically located close to the motorway network, it has easy access to the Liverpool free port and Liverpool and Manchester Airports. A new SRB initiative is expected to create 2.000 jobs in the next three years and it is hoped that many of these will go to the people in kirkby. The town benefits from a strong sense of community and a notably low crime rate. 2 PK2 - Huyton, Population 39.120 Huyton together with Stostockbridge Village, St John's and Mosscroft, is an area dominated by large Council estates built by the Liverpool City Council in the 1930s 1940s and 1960s. The estates were subsequently taken over by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough. Huyton is situated some 10 km to the east of Liverpool City Centre. Although there are some middle class housing areas towards Huyton Village and Roby, the large Council Estates which include Longview, Page Moss, Hillside and Woolfall Heath as well as Stockbridge Village, St John's and Mosscroft, suffer from extremely high levels of unemployment and social depravation. There are also high levels of crime and vandalism, and despite recant efforts to improve some of the estates, notably through the Government's Estate Action Programme and the Stockbridge Village Trust, much remains to be done. A lack of sports, leisure and social support facilities, often associated with such areas, is compounded by a largely dependent population including high levels of single parent families and long term youth unemployment. 3 PK3 - Halewood, Population 9.430 The Halewood pathways area is divided into two. Halewood North with a population of 2.773 runs along the Knowsley/Liverpool border (Mackets Lane) On one side and also incorporates the housing area with most of the housing stock built in the early 1960s. Pensioners make up an increasing proportion of the population in Halewood and the provision of accommodation attractive to the elderly is a key issue. The soon to be completed "Greenhouse" project at Mackets Lane will provide high quality houses, which are also being produced by the conversion process, additionally the local environment been enhanced, which is increasingly attracting private sector investment to the Halewood Estates. 4 PK4 - Likers Lane, Population 2.850 Located in the middle of the Borough near to the boundary with Widnes. The area consists of five small estates which until recently, was predominantly Council stock with 78% of the population living in local authority housing. Unemployment rates on the estate are three times the national average as is the incidence of as is the incidence of children living in a household with no earner. Of those in work 37% are either semi or unskilled or on a government scheme - nearly twice the national rate. The Borough Sefton:- 1 PS1- Bootle/Seaforth. Population 36.900 The Bootle Seaforth and Orrell area has a population of 36.900 and contains the main operational estates of the Port of Liverpool and the Maritime industrial Zone. The Town Centre and Stanley Office precinct are flanked by residential zones north and south of the Strand Centre. The largest single employers are public sector agencies. However there are large number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's), with 85% employing less than 25 people. Incomes are very low, with three quarters of households in receipt of some form of public assistance. There is a large concentration of health problems, including heart disease and lung cancer. There is also a well entrenched problem of drug abuse, especially amongst young people. Levels of qualifications are low with 40% of all local residents holding no qualifications. Reported crime rates are about 70% above the national average for England and Wales. 2 PS2 - Dunningsbridge. Population 21.700 A series of housing estates in the Netherton area of Sefton, and adjoining estates in the Ford and Moss Lane areas of Litherland, traversed by the A5036(T), linking the Port of Liverpool with the Moterway network via M57 and M58. Whilst mainly residential, the area also includes the Bridle Road and Atlantic industrial estates and South Sefton Business Park, in it's south eastern corner. Key local problems and concerns are :- 1 High unemployment (26% overall, and 41% for males aged 16-24, but much higher on some estates). 2 Self-employment rate (4%) only half the Merseyside average. 3 Low skills levels: 41% of residents with no qualifications (double the national average) 4 Low incomes: three quarters of households are in receipt of some form of public assistance 5 Attainment levels in local secondary schools are only half the Sefton average 6 heavy dependence on public transport owing to low car ownership, dispersed housing areas, and distance from major centres 7 High levels of ill-health, disability and lone parent families 8 Lack of local facilities/activities for young people 9 High levels of crime and vandalism and a widespread fear of crime 10 Neglected areas of green space with and between housing estates The Borough St Helens:- 1 PH1 - Parr, Blacbrook, FingerPost, Derbyshire Hill & Cement City. Population 17.500 A mixed urban area running from east of St Helens Town Centre to the Borough boundary. The area consists of a mixture of inter and post war Council properties, older terraces (most now owner occupied) and an ex National Coal Board estate now in mixed ownership. the area includes several industrial estates. It's inhabitants were significantly affected by the closure of both Sutton Manor and Bold Collieries. 2 PH3 - Thatto Heath/ Grange Park/Portico. Population 3.039 An area immediately to the west of Thatto Heath local centre, comprising the Broadway Council Estate and a mixture of post war Council and earlier terraced residential properties. 3 PH3 - Thatto Heath-Queensland, West Sutton/Sutton Heath. Population 5.008 Based mostly on the post war Queensland Council Estate, which includes a local shopping centre. The area also includes older, mostly terraced properties along Elephant Lane. 4 PH4 Four Acre. Population 3.344 Bounded by Chester Lane, Clock Face Road and Garston's Lane, this area comprises for the most part a large council estate, including the local community centre and shopping precinct, together with older terraced properties. The area is immediately to the north of the site of the former Sutton Mannor Colliery. 5 PH5 - New Street. Population 2.000 Until recently a 1960s Council estate. However the area is being significantly redeveloped by a private/public partnership, developing a mix of private, Council and housing association properties. 6 PH6 - Wargrave. Population 2.806 A large pre-war Council estate particularly characterised by it's isolation from local centres due to poor community links. The area is in the vicinity of the recently closed Parkside colliery, the development of which is seen as an important local employment opportunity by many Pathway residents. 7 PH7 - Fairbrother. Population 2.340 This area is to the north of the centre of Ealestown/Newton and is to some extent cut off by a main road, Lane East. The area is a mix of mostly public owned council estates some of which have been upgraded. The area also has a large area of open space-known as Tully Park and also a small industrial estate. 8 PH8 - St Thomas Square & Greenbank. Population 554 A public sector housing area immediately to the south and west of St Helens Town Centre, but bounded by major roads which can prevent easy access to the centre. Part of the area contains St Helens' only remaining multi-story flats, adjacent is Beechams factory which closed in 1994. Top of the Document The Borough of Wirral :- 1 Town Lane, Bebington, Population 1.104 The estate was during the 1930s and 1940s as a Council estate and although a few of the houses on the estate are now privately owned, most are still Council properties. The estate has a mixed population with many young, single families and a high percentage of children. Unemployment rates on the estate are high (85% of the residents receive housing benefits). The main amenity available to Town lane residents is the newly opened Town lane Drop in Centre, Which opened in summer 1998 as a direct result of residents getting to together to, work on Pathways. run by local members of the local residents association, the centre is already developing into a community centre, offering a widening range of information and services. There are some shops and a small library, with limited facilities, within walking distance. There is a derelict park on the estate with no play equipment, which is now used as an unofficial car park and dump. there is a lack of reliable, affordable and convenient public transport to enable residents to access amenities and services elsewhere. 2 Beechwood/Ballantyne, Population 4.483 The two Council estate were built on farm land between 1968 and 1975. The Beechwood estate (originally called the Ford Estate) comprises of more than 1.500 dwellings, a mixture of low rise flats and three and four bedroomed houses. Recently a number of bungalows have been added to the estate. Beechwood has a mixed population, with a high proportion of single parent families and high unemployment rates-with children growing up in families were neither parent has never known the security of paid employment. The Ballantyne Estate, built before Beechwood is a smaller estate of three hundred houses and has a mixed population. Beechwood is the site for facilities and amenities used by residents from both estates, including a medical practice. There is a Council run Leisure Centre offering a limited range of activities and a Community Centre which incorporates a youth club and some out of school activities. Sommerhill House (a former kwik Save store, donated for community use on a long term lease by the company) is the base for Beechwood Community Trust, a nursery and a community owned social club-with the rest of the building converted managed office space and conference facilities. The estate has a neighborhood college and a job club and this autumn saw the launch of the Chances Programme of Self Development Training on the estate. 3 Bromborough, Population 1.210 The Estate was built as a Council Estate between 1930s and 1950s and houses a wide range of people including young families with small children, single parent families, a large teenage population and a significant population of elderly people. Facilities on the estate are limited, consisting of a family centre, offering crisis support, day care and nursery facilities for single parent families and a luncheon club for elderly people, which is also used as a base for weekly child care clinic. the Acre Lane Centre, on the edge of the estate offers several community based facilities, including a youth club, a club for the Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied people, a Scout group-as well as community education classes. At Bromborough Village, a 10 to 15 minute walk away, are a library, a civic centre, the St Barnabas Community Centre, a British Legion and a church-as well as a range of shops, plus banks and building societies. 4 Birkenhead Pathways, Population 19.712 The Birkenhead Pathway area is largely residential and is a home approximately 21.000 people. There are also business and commercial organisations within the area sited mainly in central Birkenhead, in Price Street and Cleveland Street and in the Docklands area. The population is a mixed one with high levels of unemployment. It has been a recipient of City Challenge resources since 1992. This programme completed it's task in march 1997. Prior to this period, Birkenhead Pathways was part of the City Lands area. There are over 90 organisations within the area and through the City Challenge Community Action Network Initiative there has been significant history of community involvement. key facilities and amenities in this area include 2 Neighborhood Colleges, Birkenhead Docks, Wirral Freeport, Valley Road business Park, Europe Swimming Pool and Wirral Metropolitan College business and Management Centre. There are also a range of youth and community facilities, local sports and play facilities, libraries, health centres and GP surgeries. The area has also received a number of significant housing improvement initiatives. 5 Seacombe and Poulton, Population 8.519 Up until March 1997, this area has been part of the City Challenge, City Lands project. Following City Challenge's completion, it now has become its own Pathways area and is linked to the new Wallasey SRB3 project which is due to start in 1997. The area is primarily residential with a medium level of local businesses and companies within the Wallasey Docks area. It has received significant resources from the City Challenge Project which has led to housing improvements, a Neighbourhood Resource Centre, a Neighbourhood Education College and the development of a small number of Business Parks. Principal employment areas are in the Wallasey Docks, Kelvinside Business Park and a range of other enhanced local businesses. It is still an area of high unemployment and there is many concerns about local industrial pollution and environmental issues. There has been an active involvement with the City Lands Community Network and therefore a history of community participation. 6 Mill Park, Eastham, Population 1.045 Mil Park was built as a Council estate, during the 1950s, to an open plan design featuring plenty of green spaces and trees many of which have now been vandalised. The housing on the estate (more than half of which is privately owned) is a mixture of flats, houses and a few recently built bungalows for elderly people. The estate has a mixed population, although the proportion of young families has declined in recent years. Facilities and amenities on the estate itself consist of some shops, Mill Parks Infants and Mill Park Junior Schools, a small library, a church, two church halls, a Scouts Hut, an Air Training Corps Hut, The Delamere Community Centre, Eastham Clinic and Eastham Adult Training Centre. Lowfields Nature Park, which runs alongside the Dibbin Brook. is next to the estate, offering potential facilities on the communities doorstep, for recreation, environmental education and community activities. 7 Egremont, Population 3.344 Egremont is a predominantly residential area situated within Wallasey on the bank of the River Mersey. Its Pathway area, broadly bounded by Falkland Road, Liscard Road, and Manor Road stretches up to Wallasey Central Park. 8 Leasowe, Population 4.031 Leasow has a long history of community action and self help, with its residents working hard to make the most of what they have, with very little outside funding. There is a high proportion of single parent families on Leasowe and many residents who are caring for children, retired or unemployed. Much unemployment is long term and often spans three generations. Young people are growing up on the estate with no hope or expectation of ever having a job. The housing stock is a mixture of two, three and four bedroomed houses. one or two three bedroomed flats and bungalows for older people. many homes on the estate still have draughty metal window frames, which makes them hard to heat and subject to condensation. All land on the estate which was built on marshland in stages between 1931 and 1959, is badly drained and waterlogged in winter months, making gardens and recreation spaces inaccessible for recreation use. Services available on the estate include a health clinic, schools (one secondary and three primary), a community centre, an adventure playground, a woman's centre, a recreation centre and a library. Other services have declined over recant years - the Community careers Officer and the Employment Service Inner City officer have, for example been removed . Access to services is a problem for local people as many have to go to Wallasey, Moreton and Birkenhead for many services (e.g. Job Centre). The cost of public transport has risen as local services have declined and although there are regular bus services on some routes, other parts of the estate are extremely limited, there are no main shops within reasonable walking distance. residents complain about the difficulties of providing of providing healthy, affordable meals for the family. 9 North Moreton and Sandbrook North Moreton, Population 2.450 Sandbrook, Population 1.718 The North Moreton and Sandbrook area features a mixture of private and publicly owned households, housing a wide range of people from young families and small toddlers through to a significant elderly population. there are a number of single parent families and families on low income in the area. The 1991 Census identified several neighbourhoods within the area with a high proportion of unemployed young people and the perception locally that this situation has worsened since the census. Most amenities for the area (which are not tending to keep pace with the continuing population growth) are situated around Moreton Cross. There is a library, a youth club serving the whole area and community centres in both North Moreton and Sandbrook. There is one training agency in the area, the CEWTEC funded Forward 2000. On the whole education and training opportunities for adults are limited, with people travelling outside the area for further education opportunities. Sandbrook has few shopping facilities and residents have to travel into Moreton or Liscard for most other amenities. Public transport provisions within the area is patchy, hampering residents access to a range of services. 10 Noctorum, Population 1.583 The estate was built as a Council estate in 1964, using a pre-cast concrete construction. It consists mainly of three and four bedroomed houses, with just one five bedroomed house and forty eight bungalows, mainly lived in by older people. houses at the "top end" of the estate have been extensively refurbished and residents hope that this work will, in future be extended to cover the rest of the estate. The estate has a mixed population with many young, and single parent families. Unemployment levels are high on the estate, particularly amongst young people. There is a strong sense of community on the estate, despite real problems. The key facility on the Noctorum Estate is the local Council run, Community Centre which offers activities ranging from a pensioners lunchtime club to a variety of sporting activities and a parent's and toddlers' group. There is a small, locked playground for young children, which is persistently vandalised by older children. Noctorum Young People's Project, funded by Wirral youth Service, sends workers out and about to meet young people in the streets - befriending, coucilling and having fun with them. There are two churches on the estate with parent and toddler groups, plus a number of clubs for young people. Rigeway High School houses the estates small lending library and provides reading clubs and activities for younger children during school holidays. The school is also used for night classes which, because they are fee bearing, few residents can afford to attend. 11 Prenton Dell, Population 1.013 The estate of some 475 households, was built as a Council estate. A small majority of them homes are still rented from the local authority, with the rest now privately owned. the population of Prenton Dell is a mixed one, united by the widely held perception that Prenton Dell has been neglected in the past and this must change. Within walking distance for Prenton Dells Pathway residents are a parade of local shops, a public house, a post office, a library, a small annex-church, a youth club, an infants school, a health centre and a children's playground in need of urgent repair. All of these facilities are in the village centre, on the edge of the Pathway area. Walker Park and the rough land around the privately owned rugby club and golf driving range are the only open areas for leisure activities. The church and some small voluntary groups provide some activities on the estate. The nearest housing office is in the Woodchurch and there are no adult education, job search or employment guidance facilities on the estate. 12 Tranmere , New Ferry, Rock Ferry, Population 11.839 Historically, both New Ferry and Rock Ferry were dormitory towns for people who commuted to Liverpool via the cross river ferry service and later by bus and underground train. In addition, many New Ferry residents found employment in the neighbouring Lever factories, while many residents of both Rock Ferry and Tranmere (once an area of full employment) found work in Cammell Laird Shipyard and within associated industries. The shipyard has now closed and in recant years there have been work force reductions in lever companies - leading to a high level of unemployment in all three communities. The Pathways area of New ferry and Rock Ferry feature mixed housing, ranging from impressive homes built merchants (some of them now in poor repair and/or divided into flats), back to back terrace houses, council housing (some in very poor condition), blocks of flats and "new build" homes. Trammere has a mix of housing, ranging from privately owned older terraced properties in need of renovation to publicly owned properties of various types. The population of the area is a mixed one, including large numbers of both single parent families and older people in New Ferry and Rock Ferry. Key facilities in the area are a community centre at New Ferry village Hall, two yacht, two parks, a safe play area, two football cages, the Viking Youth Club and the health centres in New Ferry and Rock Ferry. In Trammere the main community service provider within the Pathway area is Trammere Community Project. Outside the Pathways area, but within St Catherine's hospital (offering a range of health provision), housing association projects, Wirral Rehab (offering support to people with mental health problems) and the Trammere and ferries Business Association. 13 Woodchurch, Population 6.452 The estate, which won awards for initial design, was built on agricultural land in the late 1940s as a Council Estate. It was designed on the Garden City model and has many green spaces - both open and blocked in by surrounding houses. There are more than 3.000 dwellings on the estate, a mixture of two, three and four bedroom houses, maisonettes, bungalows, bedsits and flats. More than a third of these homes are privately owned. There are many long term residents on the estate, which therefore has a high proportion of elderly people. There are also many young families on the estate. Key facilities on the estate include - Serve Wirral Training's youth training scheme, based in the former Orrets Maedow School. A social services run family centre, situated on the same campus as Ganney's Meadow Nursery School and Fender Primary School, which offers support and courses such as "Surviving Parenthood" and "Health Awareness". Woodchurch Leisure Centre offers a limited range of sporting facilities and Woodchurch Community Centre is the base for a variety of community and voluntary sector activities, ranging from luncheon clubs to a weekly welfare rights clinic. Two church halls are also currently available for other local activity groups. Fender Youth Cub offers a range of activities for both 11 - 13 year olds, plus informal education courses and an in - house training programme for senior members, which leads to an NVQ. The Woodchurch Young Persons' Project (which like the youth club is run by Wirral Youth Service) provides a base for a team of street workers and a small drop - in coffee bar. There are two general practices on the estate, both with attached teams of health professionals, and a local heath clinic, based at the leisure centre. The Borough of Liverpool :- 1 Speke/Garston. Population 24.000 The area is 10 kms south-east of Liverpool City Centre; 1034 hectares along 6 km of the Mersey. the area is home to 24.000 people (18.000) in the pathway area) in 2 communities. It is the engine room of the city with the largest concentration of manufacturing industry plus Liverpool Airport and Garston Docks and is a major growth 'pole' for the Merseyside region. 2 580 (Gillmoss/Fazakerly). Population 15.000 Located 10km north-east of the City Centre, the area consists of two residential communities of Fazakerly and Croxteth Gillmoss home to some 15.000 people, located around the A580 and a belt of industrial and business activity culminating in the Aintree Industrial estate. 3 Dingle. Population 15.000 Covers parts of three inner city wards: Abercromby, Granby and Dingle. Approximately 15.000 live in the area. Over half the numeration districts in the last census reported unemployment of over 40% while a quarter had rates of in excess of 50% resulting in an average rate of 34% against the city's of 22%. 4 Liverpool East Area Patnership (LEAP). Population 20.457 One of four outer city council estates located to the east of the city on the boundary with Knowsley and encompassing the communities of Dovecot, Deysbrook, Kings Heath, Princess Drive and Finch Road. The area is densely populated with 20.457 residents in 7.468 households of which 56% are council rented. the area has a high proportion of 0-4 and 5-16 year olds alongside a high proportion of single parent households (11.7%). Unemployment is roughly 29.1%. There is little indigenous commercial or industrial activity with the majority of private sector activity based on retail activity. 5 North Liverpool. Population 28.500 North Liverpool covers the Wards of Vauxhall and Breckfield, most of Everton Ward and a small part of Melrose Ward. It has some of the worst unemployment in the country and relatively high levels of poverty and depravation. 6 Netherly & Valley. Population 16.500 Netherly Valley is a predominately residential area bounded on three side by green belt. It has a population of 16.500 a small number of local industries and is the most physically isolated of the Liverpool Pathway's areas. Transport links to the City Centre are good, in all other directions transport links are poor. 7 Parks (East Central). Population 40.000 This is an area of largely older housing and modern industry lying to the east of the City Centre. It is home to nearly 40.000 residents and over 20.000 jobs. Situated in a strategic location on the principle route between the City Centre and the M62. It encompasses the flagship Waver tree Technology Park. 8 Stanley. Population 40.000 The North Central Area, covering Anfield, Walton and parts of Kirkdale, Kensington and Tuebrook, is mainly residential in character and contains approximately 10% of Liverpool's population - 40.000 people. Economic activity is centred on a number of shopping areas. 9 Queens (Norriss Green). Population 36.500 The area is predominately residential and consists almost entirely of inter war council estates. There is no industrial base within the area and commercial activity is mainly retail based, primarily made up of micro-enterprises. The area suffers from high unemployment, poor educational achievement, an acute lack of community/youth leisure facilities and extremely poor housing conditions. 10 Duke St/Cornerwaliss. Population 1.500 The area covers south of the City Centre including the Duke Street/Bold Street area, Nelson Street/Chinatown, the residential Cornerwallis neighbourhood (home to 1500 people) and the waterfront. An historic and cultural quarter, adjacent to the City Centre retail and commercial areas, focus for Chinese community. A major redevelopment area. 11 Granby/Toxteth. Population 15354 This area is effected by continually declining job opportunities and prospects, particularly for young people. Levels of educational attainment are low. There is also a growing perception of racism adversely effecting the lives of the majority of residents which has resulted in an inward looking attitude for a great many people. The area continues to suffer from physical blight, even though new housing stock has been built and a number of environmental improvements have been made. The area has a lack of green space, poor street lighting, a growing drug dependency problem and is in a increasingly depressed state. This area now includes the canning Area - previously part of the City Centre East Area. The Liverpool Pathway Partnerships The 11 Partnerships are situated in 11 of the poorest inner city areas of Liverpool. Each Partnership area consists of a portion of the 252.811 people that live in the 11 designated areas. There are 98 people who work in the 11 Partnerships, 3 to10 people per Partnership. The larger the populous in each Partnership the bigger the staff. Each one of the 11 Liverpool Partnerships has an office that is usually situated in a building in the area that the Partnership serves. The people who work within the Partnership have various tasks that include a co-ordinator, business association manager,(his job is to attract businesses into the area) community outreach workers, administration worker, resource development officer, planing officer. Their job is to help enhance the community, help the residents to improve the environment, to better the lives of the people within the community. They also identify community needs and try to obtain funding to initiate various projects. Access to funding is either by bidding or direct approach. They also advise people about education, training, and business opportunities. Each Partnership meets at least once every three months with members of the community and community activists. This meeting is referred to as the Community Forum, its object is to inform the people within the community of what is taking place:- 1 Community Projects 2 External Funding 3 Youth provision and opportunities 4 Environment 5 Health 6 Future Schemes, 7 Jobs 8 Miscellaneous items. The Partnerships have other forums covering various initiatives such as poverty. health, housing, ect. They also have annual meeting and try to involve other outside community help groups such as Communities Against Poverty and Liverpool Community Rights. Who are the Community Activists ? The community activists are people who take an active position within their communities such as participants in residents associations, community councils and other community organisations. They mainly work on a voluntary basis. 26 Who are the Liverpool Community Rights? The Liverpool Community Rights represent the voice of the various communities in Liverpool they are based at Caber house, 10/12 Pall Mall, Liverpool L3. The Liverpool Community Rights along with researcher Paul Kyprianou completed the 1997 report called, A Review of Community Participation in The Liverpool Objective One Partnerships. The report and the research it is based on was produced by Paul Kyprianou as part of a research degree being undertaken at the University of Liverpool and as a co-opted member of Liverpool community Rights. The report was first presented at "Community Maters in Europe" Conference in March 1997. Copies of this report can be obtained from the above address. 27 What is or was the Liverpool Euro Community Reps Network? The Liverpool Euro Community Reps Network is a network of community representatives in the 11 Liverpool pathway partnerships. The LECRN Exists to help make sure that local community representatives have a voice which is heard at a variety of levels in the city and in Europe. It also tries to help community Representatives from the different Pathway/Partnership areas meet one and other and share their experiences. It also keeps the community reps informed about European issues that effect them. The LECRN also encourage community reps to meet European and local decision makers, and help them to do this confidently. Anyone in the Pathway/Partnership areas can join. There are 2 paid workers for the Network. Their names are:- Liz Reed - Development Worker. (Liz Reed achieved very little at Euro-Reps, she now works in the Kensington Regeneration) Christine Escoffery - Administrator. 28 What is the Liverpool Partnership Group? The Liverpool Partnership Group acts as the overall co-ordination and strategic focus for the development of local Partnerships in Liverpool and is made up of the major public agencies operating in the City. Driver 5 Group is a sub group of the main Partnership Group that provides the more detailed co-ordination and policy development of the Liverpool Partnerships. it is chaired by the Chief Executive of the Liverpool Council for Voluntary Service and includes a representative of each Pathway (normally the Chair of the respective Community Forum or an other community representative). What is the Merseyside Pathway Network? This is a network of community representatives in the Liverpool Pathway Partnerships. Objective of the Partnerships The Liverpool City Councils information pack says that the overall objective of the local Partnerships is:- To improve economic wealth and quality of life for the people who live in the most disadvantaged areas of Liverpool. This will be done through the establishment of the 11 Partnerships. Their purpose is to harness the skills, abilities and resources of the local communities, local business and private sector bodies. The main purpose of the local Partnerships are:- 1 Develop a working partnership of a wide range of community interests. 2 Establish a collective vision of regeneration of their area. 3 Define needs and opportunities. 4 Develop action plans to transform the area. 5 Be an advocate of the area. 6 Ensure long lasting benefits. The key aims are:- 7 To Improve the life chances of people in the pathway communities. 8 To improve the ability of local people to compete effectively for jobs through employment, education and training programs. 9 to improve access to job opportunities by removing barriers to employment, training and education,. 10 to support new and existing local businesses and develop community based local enterprise. 11 To enable local communities to design, deliver and monitor initiatives which improve conditions in their area and to sustain regeneration for the future. 12 To secure the full involvement of local communities. 13 To improve the quality of life for local communities 29 What is the Local Partnership Central Teams and who are the Borough Group Pathways Officers? The other four borough's of Merseyside each have a similar central team to Liverpool and work to a similar format. The five borough Pathway Officers are:- LIVERPOOL JoCampbell Liverpool City Council Millennium House 4th Floor 48-72 Victoria Street Merseyside Liverpool L1 6JN SEFTON Lisa Smith Sefton pathways 32 Marrion Square Netherton Merseyside L30 5QA Wirral Tim Slack Wirral MBC Wirral Pathways Beechwood Birkenhead L41 2SA KNOWSLEY John Mcintyre Chief Executive Department Knowsley MBC Municipal Buildings Archway Road Huyton Knowsley L36 9YU ST HELENS Jeff Sanders St Helens Pathways c/o Hardshaw House Tolver Street St Helens Merseyside WA10 1EW Liverpool Central Team The Liverpool team is comprised of five staff and was established in the summer of 1997. Their job is to provide co-ordination and support to 11 Partnerships across Liverpool. Four of the staff are based in the Central Policy Unit in and the partnership accountant who is based in the Finance Department. The Local Partnership Managers name is Jo Cambell. The mission for the Central team is to:- 1 Provide effective co-ordination of and support to the local partnerships. 2 Help share good practice and develop cross Partnership collaboration whilst respecting the differences and diversities. 3 Ensure that the Partnerships are aware of and part of the wider agenda of regeneration. 4 Embed the ethos of Partnership into mainstream services. 5 Promote local Partnerships. 6 Help Partnerships to win resources. 7 This is done by providing the following services; 8 Support and servicing. 9 Publicity and promotion. 10 Training and development. 11 Review and monitoring. The Central team therefore provide support in a range of ways from co-ordinating production of a six weekly bulletin to inform elected members and others of progress in each of the Local Partnerships to providing training courses. The team also services a range of Action Groups which are issue based and run for the lifespan of the issue. The action groups consist of member of staff at each of the three broad levels (co-ordinator, development worker admin worker) that exist within Local Partnerships plus a community representative-all from different Partnerships. This facilitates cross Partnership working and reduces the parochialism that can occur from area to area. 1 The present action groups cover:- 2 Publicity. 3 Training. 4 Outputs. 5 Conference (Intended to take place in November 1998). 6 Review (of Liverpool Local Partnerships). 30 7 Who are the Partnership Partners? The Partnerships Partners include:- 8 *Government Office for Merseyside 9 Liverpool City Council 10 Merseyside Training and Enterprise Council 11 Employment Services 12 Merseyside Police 13 Mersey Travel 14 Liverpool Health Authority 15 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 16 Liverpool Council for Voluntary Services 17 Liverpool Hope University College 18 City of Liverpool Community College 19 Liverpool John Moores University 20 University of Liverpool 21 Employment Links Scheme 22 Toxteth Community Council 23 Liverpool Housing Trust 24 Waterfront business Association 25 English Partnerships 26 VANT 27 Local Residents Association 28 Churches 29 Citizens Advice Bureaux 30 Home Link 31 GPT 32 Barclays Direct Loan Services 33 Chinatown Business Association 34 Liverpool 1 Focus 35 Merseyside Youth Association 36 Liverpool 8 Law Centre 37 Merseyside Caribbean Centre 38 Nat West Bank 39 Slic FM 40 CDS Housing 41 Granby Toxteth Development Trust 42 Petra 43 Ford Motor Company 44 Mersey TV 45 Dovcote Shopkeepers Federation 31 What is Milanium House? Millennium House accommodates the Liverpool City Council administrators, it is large office building that was built on the site of the old Liverpool Echo Offices in the Liverpool City Centre. The building has approximately 800 staff and is comprised of four floors. There are different departments on each floor. The departments are:- 1 The fourth floor houses the Central Policy Unit 2 The third floor houses the Leisure Services Directorate and the Engineering Resources Directorate. 3 The second floor houses the Development and Environmental Services Directorate. 4 The first floor houses the Licensing and Environmental Health Reception. 5 The ground floor houses the Housing and Consumer Services Directorate and the main reception desk. The Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Council is Mr Peter Bounds. He is situated in the:- Municipal Buildings, Dale Street, Liverpool L69 2DH. 32 What is the Merseyside Information Services? The MIS was set up to provide information services to the five Merseyside districts appertaining to surveys and transportation. 33 What is the Central Policy Unit? The Central Policy Unit (CPU) was established as part of the overall restructuring of the city Council in 1991/92. More recently it has incorporated the Economic development and European Affairs Unit. Objectives of the CPU 1 Support the City Council and its directorates by helping them function as a single and financial entity. 2 Work in partnership with directorates to provide quality services which meet peoples needs, offer value for money and equality of opportunity. 3 Work in partnership with communities and other agencies to regenerate the City and improve the quality of life for all the city residents. 4 Improve the prosperity of the people of Liverpool by enhancing the quality and quantity of sustainable employment and investment opportunities in the City. 5 Tackle the causes and consequences of social exclusion so that all resident can become genuine stakeholders in the social and economic life of the City. The CPU also represents the City Council on the Merseyside Information Service Steering Group. The Central Policy Unit is situated on the forth floor in Millennium House and is comprised of seven departments manned by 159 staff . Mr Alan Chape the Assistant Chief Executive manages and oversees the seven departments He also manages the Merseyside European Liaison Unit MELU on behalf of all the five Merseyside local authorities. The Seven Departments are:- 1 The Merseyside European Liaison Unit. (3 staff) 2 Community Development & Equality. (62 staff) 3 Economic Development & European Affairs. (37staff) 4 Regeneration & Partnerships. (15 staff) 5 Corporate Strategy & Performance Review. ( 10 Staff) 6 Healthy Cities Unit. (10 staff) 7 Resources Team. (22 staff) 1 The Merseyside European Liaison Unit is responsible for liaising and supporting MELU in attracting European resources into the City and the wider Merseyside region. 2 The Community Development & Equality Unit is comprised of the :- Community Development and Resource Team The Anti Poverty Team The Equality team, (also includes Translation and Interpreting Unit). Community Matters and Training Unit Community Safety The Unit works to support and develop strong and empowered local communities, reduce inequalities and improve the quality of life of people living in poverty in the city. 3 The Economic Development and European Affairs Unit was established to improve the prosperity of the people of Liverpool by enhancing the quality and quantity of sustainable employment in the City. The Unit acts as a central focus for inward investors and for new and expanding companies. It is actively involved in creating and promoting opportunities for development, investment and trading activity within Liverpool. The EDEAU also tries to improve the City's record in attracting inward investment if substantial job creation is to be achieved in the short to medium term. The need to work more closely and effectively with existing businesses in order to develop more effective and integrated programmes of business support. The EDEAU strives to target funds at areas within the City that are in need of economic Regeneration. The persistence of substantial inequalities within the City and the prevalence of long term unemployment will undermine the achievement of the City Council's economic development objectives. the Government's Welfare to Work programme provides an important opportunity to build up and develop further existing local initiatives and proved progression routs to work for the long term unemployed, young unemployed people and lone parents. Examples of Key Initiatives are :- 1 Employment Links Services 2 Community Based Economic Developments The priority areas for these developments will be Welfare to Work Initiatives and the Intermediate Labour Market Programme. 4 The Regeneration and Partnerships Unit is responsible for winning resources and developing local Partnerships. It's main task is to implement Urban Policies and resources. The RPU also participates in connection with development and policy approach to area based initiatives and identification and development of action programmes and funding bids. The main five areas that the RPU cover are:- 1 Urban Policy and Resources 2 Local Partnerships 3 European URBAN initiatives 4 Officer Partnership Group 5 Special Initiatives 5 The of the Corporate Strategy and Performance Review team are responsible for :- 1 Supporting and developing the Council's corporate and strategic planning process. This includes: · Corporate Strategy Statements · Needs Analysis · Services and Action Plan 2 Supporting and developing the Council's performance review best value processes. This includes: · Citizen's Charter · Benchmarking · Performance Review Sub-Committee scrutinise · Development of Models of Good Practice · Customer Satisfaction Surveys 3 Providing a corporate information service. This includes: * Information for needs analysis and performance review monitoring * Information/research projects in partnership with directorates * Geographic information systems strategy 6 Healthy Cities Unit. The Healthy Cities Unit is responsible for The co-ordination and monitoring/review and the implementation of the city Health Plan and to provide support in reaction to developing specific areas of the Plan. The five key areas are: 1 Heart Disease 2 Cancer 3 Accidents 4 Housing 5 Sexual Health The units aims are: · To involve the wider community of Liverpool in strategic health planning. · To produce and ensure that jointly agreed targets and action plans for the five key areas of the task groups are put into effect and mechanisms established for monitoring and reviewing progress. · To exchange good policy and practice with cities in the UK and Europe. · To complete a range of indications for the World Health Organisation to measure progress in improving the health of the city's residents and creating a healthier environment. The healthy Cities Unit is funded under the Joint Finance arrangements that are reported to the Joint Consultative Committee. The current funding arrangements expire in March, 1998. Accordingly a review of the future of the Unit will commence and be completed in the latter part of 1997. This will be conducted jointly with the Liverpool Health Authority officers and with other relevant City Council Directorates. Resources Team. The resources Team is responsible for the service and support of the whole of the CPU. It's major objective and purposes are:- · Developing and maintaining efficient and effective processes and systems related to financial monitoring and control, grant systems, personnel matters, training and management/staff development programmes. · Supporting the administrative functions of the Unit and to ensure they are in accordance with the Council's values, policies and standing orders/financial regulations. The Central Resources Team provide financial, IT and humane resource services, including support and advice to the front-line cost centre managers. the latter has the day-to-day responsibilities for the delivery of these functions as an integral part of their work programme. The Central Resources Team Manager reports directly to the assistant Chief Executive and facilitates a more effective management overview of the Unit through the provision of relevant and timely information on finance IT and the implementation of management/staff development. 34 Top of the Document What is the Liverpool Economic News? The Liverpool Economic News is information that is formulated and available from the Economic Development and European Affairs Department. The summaries briefly present recant announcements concerning major changes/events effecting the economy. The person who is responsible for this source of news is:- Angela O'Hare, Marketing and Investment Officer, 35 Top of the Document What are the Agencies ? There are 4 main agencies followed by 20 smaller ones. The four main ones are: 1 Merseyside TEC 2 Business Link 3 Employment Links 4 Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) Who are Merseyside TEC and Business links? The role of the Merseyside Training Enterprise Council (TEC) is to develop the skills and business of Merseyside so that it is an internationally competitive region. They help with grants training and business advice. They are the main agency over all the other agencies. · Merseyside TEC Ltd went live on the 24 June 1991 and was joined by Business Link in Autumn 1993. Together they refer to themselves as TECLINK. · TECLINK employs just over 200 staff across all of it's sites. · TECLINK is located at 7 sites within the Boroughs of Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton. These being :- 1 Merseyside TEC Ltd, Head office, 3rd Floor, Tithebarn House, Tithbarn St, Liverpool L2 2NZ. 2 Business Link Merseyside, Hub Office, No 1 Old Hall St, Liverpool L3 9TN. 3 Business Link Merseyside, 8 Chapel St, Liverpool L3 9TR. 4 Business Link Merseyside, Business resource Centre, Admin Rd, Knowsley Industrial Park North, Liverpool L33 7TX. 5 Business Link Merseyside, Mersey House, 140 Speke Rd, Garston, Liverpool L 19 2BH. 6 Business Link Merseyside, Pinnacle House, Trinity Rd, Bootle L20 7JG. 7 Business Link Merseyside, Gorden House, 10 Portland St, Southport PR8 1PU. TECLINK comprises of many departments, including education and training ( Training for work, Modern Apprenticeships, National Traineeships, Education and Lifelong Learning), Marketing, Policy/ Strategy/ Community Liaison and Europe, Quality/ Purchasing, Services to Employers, (Business Link, Business Support and investors in people), Humane Resources, Finance, Internal Audit, and secretariat. Most of TECLINK's core training and development programs are part funded by Objective One. (e.g. Training for Work, National Traineeship, Modern Apprenticeship, Investors in People, and Education initiatives ect). The Objective One funding element enables them to fund developmental pilot projects, and make vocational training available to a much wider audience, through either bigger programmes (offering access to greater numbers of people) or by expanding provision into other occupational sectors. Departments Each department in the TECLINK organisation contributes to the annual Business Plan. This is a public statement of intent which identifies key activity and new