Tag: value for money
The Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) was established by Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions in 2008. It replaced the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the DWP Deprived Areas Fund in allocating to 65 local authorities to help them and their partners tackle concentrations of worklessness.We were members of a team led by the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, alongside Cambridge Econometrics and the University’s Centre for Housing and Planning Research.
The brief was to provide a baseline and interim evaluation consists of three parts: (a) a top line analysis of labour market conditions in WNF areas; (b) an early assessment of how strategies and approaches to tackle worklessness were being developed in WNF areas; and (c) recommendations for future evaluation of WNF. The research involved a literature review, an online survey of all WNF areas, and depth interviews in 20. Download the Report 
(2,286 KB).
A further output was an assessment of the feasibility of a national evaluation of Working Neighbourhoods Fund. Action on this was negated by the change of government in 2010.
Derrick Johnstone was subsequently asked by CLG as a Local Improvement Advisor to lead a review of progress being made on the implementation of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in preparations for the 2010 Spending Review.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=245
Project scoping work needed to analyse the impacts, financial costs and benefits of neighbourhood management initiatives in Barnsley, to provide evidence for decision makers considering the introduction of neighbourhood management approaches in other areas. The project sought to generate better shared understanding of available data and gaps in evidence, and what needs to be done to address these. It built on initial business case work undertaken by the Kendray Neighbourhood Management pathfinder, and looked to integrate current evaluation thinking with developments in pursuit of the local government efficiency agenda. (Neighbourhood Renewal Adviser assignment for Barnsley Council and the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber)Download:
The assignment informed the subsequent development of a new Neighbourhoods and Community Engagement Framework, which mainstreamed the work of the Kendray neighbourhood management pathfinder.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=189
This project sought to inform work in Barnsley to analyse the impacts, costs and benefits of neighbourhood management, focusing especially on financial aspects of ‘cost benefit’. It broke new ground, and contributed to related work as part of the National Neighbourhood Management Evaluation. The level of interest in the work was such that the Government Office Yorkshire and the Humber (who commissioned the original assignment with Barnsley Council and the Kendray Initiative) asked us to produce a case study and guide for wider use. The project also featured as part of the National Neighbourhood Management Network autumn conference 2008.Download:
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Neighbourhood Management Cost Benefit guide (
452KB)
* Kendray
case study (
141KB)
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report to the Kendray Initiative (
460KB)
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presentation, with Ian Smith, Kendray Neighbourhood Manager, to the National Neighbourhood Management Network conference, October 2008 (
714KB)
The assignment subsequently informed the development of a new Neighbourhoods and Community Engagement Framework, which mainstreamed the work of the Kendray neighbourhood management pathfinder.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=222
Educe were members of the team which provided support for local authorities and their partners in Local Strategic Partnerships in the West Midlands in 2007/09: the Learning to Deliver (L2D) programme. This was an initiative of the Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands, funded to help strengthen delivery of Local Area Agreements.
Part of role was to act as an improvement adviser with West Midlands LSPs, as well as supporting work specifically on economic development and worklessness aspects of the L2D programme as a whole. The latter led to our role in relation to the West Midlands regional worklessness network (see separate details).
The other aspect of our contribution to L2D was the production of briefings and guidance material on key topics for LSPs. These included:
- current awareness digest for LSPs and LAAs (each issue features developments in policy and practice relevant to people playing key roles in driving change and improvement) – final issue, November 2009 ( pdf 339KB)
- Five Steps to Better Outcomes ( pdf 583KB) a guide to delivery planning, assisting local partners in making a success of Local Area Agreements, working out how best to achieve community outcomes.
and briefings on:
Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=137
452KB)