Monthly Archives: December 2008

The Indications are Good…

Hackney’s National Indicator Delivery plans

Following the introduction of the new local performance framework, included as part of the Local Government White Paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ in October, Renaisi has been commissioned by the London Borough of Hackney to establish a project management framework for the delivery of the eight national indicators assigned to the Regeneration and Planning directorate.

The indicators include ‘Tackling Fuel Poverty’, ‘Flood and Coastal Risk Management’, ‘Improved Local Biodiversity’, ‘Previously Developed Land that has been Vacant or Derelict for more than 5 years’, ‘Net additional Homes Provided’, ‘Supply of Ready to Develop Housing Sites’, ‘Per Capita Reduction in Carbon Emissions’, and ‘Adapting to Climate Change’.

Between now and March 2009, Renaisi will be delivering successful systems for reporting these indicators. A tool kit will be produced for each indicator to ensure that knowledge is transferred and embedded within the Council.

Croydon Community Profiling

Renaisi, in partnership with the Institute of Community Cohesion (ICoCo), has been commissioned to complete a community profiling exercise for the London Borough of Croydon, to be completed by February 2009.

Croydon Council and the local strategic partnership Croydon Together, are keen to comprehensively understand the characteristics and needs of their local communities, with particular emphasis on community cohesion. Cohesion is a priority for the borough as Croydon is facing one of the highest rises in its ethnic minority population over the next 20 years compared to the rest of London.

The community profiling project will initially involve an in-depth analysis of the Index of Multiple Deprivation and Experian Mosaic, alongside a range of socio-economic and demographic statistics. This will be set alongside a mapping of community assets and activity to produce insightful perspectives on Croydon’s areas.

The interim conclusions will be supplemented by a series of selected Stakeholder Focus Groups that will road test the evidence and its implications. The final results will be expressed in an accessible profile format, supplemented by GIS mapping, and be publicly available via the Council website.

For more information, please contact Michael Toyer
E. m.toyer@renaisi.com

Healthy Living in Waltham Forest

In order to deliver the recently agreed Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) and Local Area Agreement (LAA) targets, Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust, on behalf of the Local Strategic Partnership, commissioned Renaisi to map the full range of public and third sector activity that is contributing to delivering their health priorities.

Renaisi is collating the relevant delivery activity though research into action plans and interviews with key delivery managers. The information collected will support partnership discussions on the best way to join up activity across different organisations and develop a sensible performance management framework for the group.

As part of this, Renaisi led a successful partnership workshop on understanding the linkages between the partnership objectives, SCS commitments and LAA targets.

A wealth of information has now been collected – over 100 streams of activity – and is currently being analysed for reporting back to the partnership group by mid-December.

For more information, please contact Michael Toyer
E. m.toyer@renaisi.com

Hackney’s 2012 Legacy Plans

Ensuring Hackney’s involvement as a Host Borough

Renaisi principal consultant Nicky Doherty is working with Hackney’s Olympic and Paralympic Unit to co-ordinate Hackney’s involvement in three key 2012 Legacy plans:

1. Strategic Regeneration Framework

The Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) will articulate an over-arching vision and strategic objectives of the 5 Host Boroughs to reflect, guide and inform the spatial and socio-economic delivery plans across the boroughs.  The SRF is intended to be a high-level, long-term and flexible document.  It will articulate a series of common issues, common principles and a common purpose to facilitate working in partnership across the five host boroughs.

2. Legacy Masterplan Framework

The Legacy Masterplan Framework (LMF) is the spatial plan for the Olympic Park area and will form an integral part of the Strategic Regeneration Framework when it is published in summer 2009.

3. Multi-Area Agreement

The Multi-Area Agreement is a cross-boundary local area agreement designed to help tackle issues that are best dealt with jointly with other local authorities on a sub regional or regional basis.  LB Hackney will be part of three MAAs being put together by the Five Borough Unit.

Nicky’s role involves ensuring that all Hackney’s representatives, on upwards of 20 themed groups involved in putting these plans together, are supported to contribute to the process to the best of their ability and capacity.  She has established a Forum for Hackney representatives that will meet monthly to ensure that communication between theme groups is opened up and that synergy and conflicts between various theme groups are identified and either built on or resolved.  The Hackney Forum will also make sure that the strategic aims of the borough being discussed at a political level are fed through the Forum and into the various theme groups.

Nicky says “Integrating the three documents and development processes will be crucial if there is to be a plan that is legible to investors and the communities that live in Hackney.  It is really important that Hackney contributes as much as it can to these processes and is not isolated from the other four Olympic boroughs when high level ambitions are being discussed that will affect our borough.”

For more information please contact Nicky Doherty

E. n.doherty@renaisi.com