CONTENTS
Page
SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
2
SECTION 2
A SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF THE CITY PRIDE ECONOMY
6
SECTION 3
CITY PRIDE ECONOMIC VISION
15
SECTION 4
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
5.1
Driver One – Building Better Businesses
18
5.2
Driver Two – Attracting And Sustaining Investors
21
5.3
Driver Three – Creating A World Class Workforce
24
5.4
Driver Four – Delivering Local Economic Benefit
27
5.5
Driver Five – Ensuring The Best Transition To Working
Life For All Our Young People
30
Driver Six – Developing Our Physical Infrastructure To
Drive Economic Improvement
32
5.6
SECTION 5
BENCHMARKING STRATEGY
ANNEXE 1
PROCESS AND CONTEXT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN 37
Page 1
35
SECTION ONE – INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
This is the economic development plan for the Manchester City Pride area, encompassing the four
local authority areas of Manchester, Salford, Tameside and Trafford. It has been prepared by the four
City Pride authorities, working in partnership together through Manchester Enterprises, the newlyestablished economic development agency for the area, to provide the strategic context for each local
authority’s economic development statement/strategy. The plan also provides the framework for local
partner activities, including those of Manchester Enterprises and its Operating Companies. The Local
Government Act 2000 gives local authorities the power to promote the economic, social and
environmental well being of their areas and places a duty on those areas which exercise this power to
prepare a Community Strategy. This plan provides the strategic context and the basis for the
economic component of these strategies.
Purpose and Vision
The first prospectus for the Manchester City Pride area was presented to Government in 1994. There
followed a comprehensive review of this in 1997, which culminated in the production of a second City
Pride prospectus, “Partnerships for a Successful Future”. The prospectus sets out a 10-year vision
and framework for the City Pride area, focusing on four key themes: Sustainable Communities; the
Regional Centre; International Competitiveness and Local Benefit and the 2002 Commonwealth
Games. It is the vision contained within the City Pride prospectus which unites the four local authority
districts:
"By the year 2005 Manchester and neighbouring areas of Salford, Tameside and Trafford will
be unchallenged as:

a European regional capital, a centre for investment growth not regional aid;

an international City of outstanding commercial, cultural and creative potential;

an area distinguished by the quality of life enjoyed by its residents, and by a high
percentage of those residents which are enabled (socially and economically) to enjoy
this lifestyle;

an area where all residents have the opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, the
investment and development of their City and therefore live in truly sustainable
communities.
This plan provides a clearly articulated statement of how local partners will continue to work together
to drive forward a coherent approach towards achieving the economic elements of our City Pride
vision. Our mission is to achieve this through partnership working, strong local accountability and by
listening to our stakeholders and customers.
Context
Annexe 1 shows the process and context for developing and delivering for the City Pride Economic
Development Plan.
The plan is influenced by and takes account of a number of sources:

Primarily from the City Pride vision above and from the detailed analysis of the City Pride
economy as summarised in the following section. These two, taken together, give us a clear
picture of the problems and opportunities which face the City Pride area.
Page 2

National policy frameworks, including, amongst others, the Urban White Paper, the creation of the
new Small Business Service, the national Learning and Skills Council, the Connexions Strategy
and the national agendas for neighbourhood renewal, social inclusion and welfare to work. The
City Pride Economic Development Plan seeks not only to reflect these national priorities for action,
but also to identify significant local issues which warrant recognition by national policy-makers.

The Regional Strategy – City Pride Partners support the four key themes of “England’s North
West: A Strategy Towards 2020”: Investing in Business and Ideas; Investing in People and
Communities; Investing in Infrastructure and Investing in Image and Environment. The City
Region of Manchester is recognised as a high priority area for the actions of the Regional Strategy
and particular emphasis is given to the regeneration challenge presented by East Manchester. It
is vital that the economic plan developed for City Pride and the Regional Strategy are properly
aligned and mutually supportive. Importantly, the Regional Strategy recognises that two of the
primary drivers of the regional economy – Manchester Airport and the regional centre, with its
concentration of higher education institutions – are located within the City Pride area. Regional
Planning Guidance and the proposals for Land Reclamation also provide the context for this plan,
along with the Regional Strategies for Innovation, Sustainability and the North West Skills
Strategy, “Right Angle on Skills”.

European policy and programmes, particularly in relation to the European Structural Funds, both
the Single Programming Document for the North West Objective 2 Programme and the Regional
Development Plan for Objective 3

Local strategies, most importantly the emerging Community Strategies, and the strategies
developed for area-based regeneration, education; lifelong learning; early years; crime; housing;
health and social care; joint investment plans; environment and transport. These strategies are
the subject of extensive local consultation and it is essential that the plan developed for the whole
City Pride area takes full account of local priorities, needs and views.
Following on from the detailed analysis and set within the local, regional and national policy context,
the plan has been structured in the following way:

Economic Vision – a summary statement of our aims in terms of how we want the local economic
picture to look in three years’ time and beyond

Economic Drivers – a clear statement of our view of the key issues which are driving the local
economy

Strategic Objectives - a top level identification of what needs to be achieved in relation to each of
these issues.

Priorities for action – a description of what we are doing and what we intend to do, in practical
terms, to address the issues and problems of our area

Key developments and initiatives – a description of those activities which the partnership has
decided to initiate in order to address specific and urgent issues

Key performance indicators – these identify how we will measure the impact of what we are doing
on the local economy and the individuals and businesses within it. Regular measurement of these
and comparisons regionally, nationally and with other areas facing similar issues will help us to
ensure that we are on the right track.

Economic Development roles and responsibilities – we have clearly identified who, within the City
Pride partnership, is responsible for driving and delivering the plan in each of the key areas.
Our Achievements to Date
The Manchester City Pride partnership was established in 1994 as a direct response to the national
City Pride agenda. It has since developed into a mature and robust partnership, working together in a
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practical and coherent way to focus on the key economic development issues which affect the
Manchester sub-region.
The strength of the partnership was clearly demonstrated by the establishment of MIDAS – the
Manchester Investment and Development Agency - in 1997. The new institution has taken local
partnership working on inward investment to a level not evidenced elsewhere in the UK. MIDAS was
established to provide a highly effective and coherent service for companies moving into or within the
area. The agency ensures that companies have access to all the assistance that is available from the
City Pride partners, including assistance with premises, access to grants and support for companies to
recruit and train their workforce.
The agency has made significant improvements to the
competitiveness of the area in the attraction of investment and development.
In 1997, the partnership established a Business Support Strategy Group, which had responsibility for
ensuring that there was coherence in the delivery of support services to businesses across the area.
This group then took forward the development and successful implementation of a £40m European
Objective 2 Action Plan across the City Pride area. Following on from this, there has been further
rationalisation and integration of business support services, culminating in the merging of activities
previously undertaken by the Training and Enterprise Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the
Greater Manchester Business Innovation Centre into one seamless set of services, delivered by
Chamber Business Enterprises. In consultation with local partners, this new joint venture company,
owned by Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Manchester Enterprises, has
successfully bid to deliver the Small Business Service in the City Pride and Stockport area from April
2001.
The area also boasts the largest intermediate labour market activity in the UK. This project provides
waged temporary employment for up to 12 months for some 550 clients, predominantly from amongst
the most disadvantaged of the New Deal’s 18-25 group. The project is attracting national attention
because of its successful record in enabling clients to secure permanent employment.
Through strong local regeneration partnerships, the area has also developed a network of
employment centres, helping disadvantaged clients to acquire the basic and employability skills
needed to secure sustainable work and providing information, advice, guidance and support for
individuals to access the employment opportunities created by investment activities.
There is also a strong track record of workforce development. The area has one of the largest Modern
Apprenticeships programmes in the country, with over 3,000 employed status trainees. The partners
have also developed their understanding of, and ability to respond to, the emerging and continuing
skills shortages faced by the area, alongside the skills needs arising from local economic
developments.
In 1999, following extensive local consultation and commitment from the Local Authorities and the
Private Sector, City Pride partners signed a statement of intent to establish the Manchester
Enterprises group as the local agency dedicated to the continuing economic development of the City
Pride area, through business support, training and jobs. This was in response to the enormous
changes proposed for national and local arrangements in the fields of post-16 education and training,
youth support and business development. The establishment of Manchester Enterprises is a symbol
of partners in the local area having the confidence to respond positively and creatively to the
significant changes that the Government has made. In 2000, Manchester Enterprises was established
using the vehicle of the existing Training and Enterprise (TEC) company. The company is a not-forprofit company limited by guarantee and is a holding company for a group of operating companies,
which include the Employment and Regeneration Partnership, Skills Solution, MIDAS and the Careers
Partnership. The Board of Manchester Enterprises is led by a Private Sector Chair and comprises the
four Local Authority Leaders or Deputy Leaders, Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
the Chairs of the individual operating companies.
The city region has undergone a renaissance in recent years, which has transformed it into a truly
international area with a varied and exciting cultural base. A diverse mix of new development has
been stimulated with substantial growth in the residential, hotel and leisure markets, complemented by
new investment in business and commerce. Whilst it is difficult to quantify the total amount of
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investment in the area, there are a number of key projects which clearly have had, or will have, a
significant impact on local economic development:

2002 Commonwealth Games – a £250 million project which includes a new stadium, swimming
complex, indoor tennis centre and the National Squash Centre

Sporting and Cultural Facilities – including the Bridgewater Hall, MEN Arena, International
Convention Centre and Urbis Centre – matching the best UK and European cities. These and
other facilities are generating economic activity, attracting visitors and improving the profile of the
city and region and contributing to the re-building of communities

M60 Orbital Motorway Completion – recently completed in October 2000, this £120 million
project has made the City Pride area even more accessible

The Lowry Centre and Lowry Galleria – the National Millennium Project for the Arts, a £175
million project completed in April 2000. A major visual and performing arts venue with an
additional cinema, leisure facilities, retail outlets, hotel and office development now under
construction.

Salford Quays - £400 million has been invested in the transformation of the Manchester and
Salford docks into an attractive waterside development for offices, residential accommodation and
leisure use. A further million square feet of office space and other developments complementing
the new Lowry Centre are planned

Metrolink – the popular and pioneering rapid light transport system carries 14 million passengers
per year. The system now serves the City Centre and Salford Quays – the latter section along
with a link to Eccles opened in Summer 2000. A further £500 million of UK Government funding
was confirmed in March 2000 for the extension of the Metrolink network which will bring almost
50% of the residents of Greater Manchester within two miles of a Metrolink line

The Trafford Centre - £600 million private sector investment into one of the largest out-of-town
indoor shopping centres in the UK that opened in 1998. It includes the UK’s largest cinema and
restaurant complex, the only Selfridges department store outside London and 1 million square feet
of retail space.

Manchester International Airport - £400 million has been invested into extending the facilities at
Manchester Airport with additional terminals and the new runway opening in February 2001. This
will enable passenger numbers at the Airport to increase from its current total of 17.5 million to
over 30 million in 2005 and over 40 million in 2015.

The City Centre Renewal Programme – this has received local and national acclaim. The
strength of local partnerships meant that it was possible to put in place the Task Force to re-plan,
not just re-build, the city. Over £750m of private investment will be delivered as a result of the
renewal programme
Page 5
SECTION THREE - A SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF THE CITY PRIDE ECONOMY
To develop our economic development plan for the City Pride area, it is essential that we have a clear
and comprehensive overview of the area itself; its strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities
presented to build on the strengths and address the weaknesses. We also need to be cognisant of
the developments that may threaten our area and to find ways to ensure that these are tackled in a
coherent way. The City Pride area encompasses the four local authority districts at the core of the
Greater Manchester conurbation. The City Pride geography was initially guided by national
Government and has provided a successful, workable basis under which to progress operational
arrangements. It should be recognised, however, that this area sits within a wider conurbation with
stronger natural economic boundaries. These are likely to be strengthened over time with the
completion of key transport infrastructure, notably the extension of the Metrolink system and the M60
orbital motorway and the consequent influence on employment patterns and development.
Overview of the City Pride Economy
The City Pride area stretches from Blackley in the north, to Woodhouse Park in the south, through to
Cadishead in the west, and across to Stalybridge in the east. Encompassing the boundaries of
Manchester, Salford, Tameside and Trafford local authority districts, the area covers approximately
160 square miles. (Figure 1)
According to the Registrar General’s most recent mid-year estimates (1998), the population of the City
Pride area is just short of 1.1 million (1,096,400). At the time of the last Census of Population in 1991
the area had a working age population of 630,000 and an economically active population of 485,000.
77% of the working age population were therefore economically active. 7.3% of the population in the
City Pride area are from ethnic minorities. This is higher than the North West (3.6%) and the UK
(5.5%). A key feature of the City Pride area is its growth as a regional capital in employment terms
with a large in-flow of workers on a daily basis. Evidence from the Census of Population shows that in
1991 around 250,000 people who worked in the City Pride area travel to work from outside of the
area. Overall unemployment in the City Pride area stands at 3.3% (Nov 2000), ranging from 4.4% in
Manchester to 2.3% in Trafford. This compares to a rate of 3.2% in the North West and 3.4% in the
UK.
Local economies are increasingly affected by global issues, though the effects of global economic
change and the responsibility for addressing the challenges and opportunities these bring rests
primarily with local agencies. The City Pride economy shows encouraging signs of economic growth.
GDP growth rates are predicted to rise to 2.1% in the current year and remain steady at around 2.5%
up to 2009. The City Pride economy is worth £11.3 billion, accounting for just under a quarter of North
West GDP. The local area has benefited from relatively high investment levels (3.3%) over the last
ten years, compared to the UK (0.2%) and North West (2%), rates which will be maintained in the
coming ten years (3.6%).
The position of the City Pride economy is strengthened by its greatest asset – its people. The area
has a large and highly skilled labour pool with its current estimated workforce of 520,000 employed
across the entire industrial and commercial spectrum: manufacturing; transport and distribution;
financial, professional and technical services; retailing; government and health. Figures from the
Annual Employment Survey (1998) show a concentration of business units in two key sectors:
distribution, hotels and restaurants, accounting for a third of all businesses in the area; and banking,
finance and insurance (28%). Employment is distributed more evenly across the sectors: public sector
(25%); financial sector (22%); distribution, hotels and restaurants (22%); and in manufacturing (15%).
Value added forecasts show growth in a number of high technology sectors which will become
increasingly important in terms of wealth and employment creation.
Page 6
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Figure 1: City Pride area by ward
The next section examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the area as a
whole and is followed by key sector analysis and a brief profile of the business structure and
associated issues encountered in each of the four local authority districts.
Strengths
As outlined above, the economy of the City Pride area is its key strength with steady GDP growth
forecast in the next 10 years, sustained investment levels and a strong industrial and commercial
base. The area benefits from a high number of successful major employers including 30 businesses
employing more than 1000 people and 343 companies with between 200 and 999 employees. There
is a strong financial services sector with the area home to 60 merchant, overseas and clearing banks,
plus numerous independent and specialist finance houses. Customer Contact Centre employment is
a major feature of the area with NTL (Cable and Wireless), Direct Line Insurance, J D Williams, Shell,
Capital Bank, and British Airways all present.
Information and communication technologies
employers, together with fast moving consumer goods companies, are also key local employers
including Kellogg’s, Kerry Foods, Sharp, IBM, ICL/Fujitsu and Brother. There is also significant local
growth and investment in e-business and related sectors. The manufacturing sector, although in
decline, still employs a significant number of people in the area – Alstom, British Aerospace, Proctor
and Gamble, Rhodia plc, Siemens and new high technology companies such as Photronics, Telecity,
KMS and 360º Online all have sites in the City Pride area. Several of these major employers are
based in Trafford Park, demonstrating the site’s importance in terms of the number of businesses
located there and number of jobs provided – estimated at over 44,000. This is combined with a strong
small business base (34,384 businesses in the 1-10 employees sizeband, accounting for 81% of all
business units in the area) which is regularly boosted by new starts. The prospect for employment,
including self-employment, is good with forecast growth rates of 4% in the next ten years taking the
total to just under 25,000.
The City Pride economy will be further strengthened with new jobs being created in high technology
and business services sectors combined with investment at key sites spread across the area. There is
significant infrastructure to support this, including the only international Internet Exchange in the UK,
outside London, Telecity on Manchester Science Park. Value added forecasts (measuring output
Page 7
within an industry) for the coming ten years show impressive potential growth rates in several key
sectors: computing services; communications; electronics; air transport; professional services.
Investment sites include those in Manchester (the Regional Centre, North Manchester Business Park,
Sharston, Roundthorn, Manchester Business Park and Birley Fields), Salford (Barton and
Ashtonfields, Chapel Street and Salford Quays), Tameside (Ashton Moss and potentially, Waterside
Park) and in Trafford (Trafford Interchange and Davenport Green). The other major strengths of the
area - its position economically at the centre of the North West and the knowledge base of its higher
education institutions – offer great potential to support the attraction of investment and the growth of
indigenous businesses.
The City Pride area benefits from a well developed and expanding transport and communications
infrastructure. The recent completion of the £130 million Metrolink extension to Eccles has been
followed by a further £500 million expansion plan approved by Central Government earlier this year.
Major expansion projects currently underway at Manchester Airport include a £50 million ground
transport interchange and the construction of a second runway which strengthen the reputation of the
area in offering world class transport links. These features combined with the recent completion of
Manchester’s orbital motorway, the M60, strengthen the City Pride area’s capacity to satisfy the
national and international communication requirements of all businesses.
Manchester is a major UK and European cultural city. It is recognised worldwide both as a historic city
- one of the world's first industrial cities - and as a vibrant centre for popular culture. Investment in
sports facilities for the Commonwealth Games will provide an impressive range of facilities and the
capacity to host world class events across many sports. In culture the city has particular strengths in
its museums, theatres and in music . This cultural infrastructure represents a major opportunity for
growth in tourism and is a significant influence on inward investment decisions. It also offers an
opportunity to enable the growth of a local cultural sector economy which both underpins this
infrastructure and provides a creative base of ideas which benefit the regional economy and forge the
region's unique identity in a competitive global environment. The city must, however, develop an
inclusive culture which reflects the diversity of the population and which offers opportunities for
participation for the whole community.
These critical economic strengths of the City Pride area are supported by encouraging trends in
training. Progress towards the National Learning Targets for Adults is good, with the City Pride area
performing better than the North West region and nationally. Greater volumes of Apprenticeship, the
presence of numerous Higher Education Institutions, comprising the largest single campus in the UK
with over 70,000 students across the City Pride area, and a higher volume of managerial and
professional occupations in the workforce are all contributory factors to this performance.
Higher Education Institutions have also been particularly effective when working in partnership with
local businesses. A key feature of this activity has been their increasing role in the creation of wealth
and employment in the area. This has been achieved through work to provide incubator facilities for
example, particularly in the high technology sector at Campus Ventures and by projects such as
Innovation City, a private/public marketing initiative promoting creativity and entrepreneurship.
Significant local progress also continues to be made in the numbers of employers training for specific
jobs. In addition, 65.1% of organisations employing more than 200 people have been recognised as
Investors in People at December 2000 and 36.7% of organisations employing more than 50 people
have been recognised as Investors in People in the City Pride area.
Weaknesses
One of the main weaknesses of the City Pride area is the decline of employment in traditional
industries. Although this is not an issue exclusive to the City Pride area, a decline in employment in
key primary and manufacturing has been seen in sectors on which the local economy has traditionally
relied. An over-representation of some declining sectors within the local economy, most notably
textiles, gas and water supply compounds the problem.
Issues of business survival and barriers to expansion also affect the area. Despite the area’s
relatively high proportion of successful larger employers and its high start up rates, business survival is
a major concern. The area has experienced rates lower than those seen nationally, for example, of
Page 8
those companies established locally in 1990 only 37% survived for four years compared with 41% in
the North West and 42% nationally. There also appears to be a lack of a detailed understanding of
why this is the case locally. Expansion appears to be curtailed by a lack of available capital in the
area with a low level of venture capital available to local entry level businesses.
In addition, despite the investment sites and incubator facilities previously mentioned, there is limited
availability of high quality development land and incubator space. In general terms these features of
the area contribute to an image problem of the City Pride area in overseas markets which clearly
poses a threat to attracting new international business to locate locally.
Despite recent improvements, the area continues to suffer relatively poor levels of educational
attainment. Although this is often restricted to specific localities within the area, typically those where
social and economic deprivation is the highest, the problem remains an on-going feature of the City
Pride area. This trend is demonstrated when GCSE attainment is considered. Performance at GCSE
level, particularly in Manchester and Salford, has been consistently and significantly below the national
average. The percentage of pupils achieving 5 GCSEs at grades A-C in 2000 was 30.3 in Manchester,
35.5% in Salford and 42.1% in Tameside, compared with and England average of 49.2%. Only in
Trafford (56.4%) does the figure exceed national performance. Despite pockets of low attainment
within each of the four local authority districts, it is encouraging to see steady improvement in
achievement. Manchester and Salford have seen performance improve over the period 1995-2000 by
8 percentage points, compared to a national increase of 6 percentage points.
Performance towards to the achievement of National Learning Targets is mixed. Progress towards
adult targets is better than at regional or national level, however performance towards the targets for
young people is below the national average for the City Pride area as a whole. Although the majority
of young people stay in education or training post-16, this is still low. Basic skills levels within the
local community are also of concern. 18% of City Pride residents aged between 16-60 years had low
or very low levels of numeracy (15% nationally), whilst the corresponding figure for literacy levels was
39% in 1998 (33% nationally). The problem is particularly acute in Manchester and Salford.
Unemployment in recent months has seen a return to national levels previously enjoyed twenty years
ago. Although the City Pride unemployment rate has mirrored this trend, there remain pockets of high
unemployment concentrated in age and gender groups and in local areas in the inner-city wards of
Manchester and Salford, in some wards of Tameside and Trafford and also in isolated housing-estates
across the City Pride area. In the worst affected wards, the overall unemployment rate can be over
three times the current national rate of 3.7% (June 2000). Male unemployment in these areas is much
greater than national rates as is that of ethnic minorities. Areas such as Ardwick, Moss Side and
Hulme have current male unemployment rates in excess of 20% (23.2, 22.7 and 23.7 respectively).
Ethnic minority unemployment is difficult to calculate due to the nature in which information is
collected, but evidence from the Labour Force Survey December 1999 to February 2000 shows that in
Greater Manchester the unemployment rate for non-whites is three times that of whites (21.1%
compared to 6.0%). The non-white unemployment rate for Greater Manchester is 4.4 percent points
greater than the North West rate and 8.9 percentage points greater than the GB rate. Non-white
unemployment in Greater Manchester accounts for 90% of all ethnic minority unemployment in the
North West.
The consequences of each of these localised factors: low education attainment; higher than average
incidence of low basic skills; higher unemployment rates by group and locality provide clear evidence
of multiple deprivation affecting individuals in the City Pride area and substantial spatial concentration
of deprivation. Economic exclusion is manifesting itself in several ways including long-term
unemployment, work-free households and withdrawal from the labour market. The disproportionate
nature of social exclusion means that specific groups and communities are adversely affected. This
picture is confirmed by the recently updated Indices of Deprivation published by the DETR. The
Indices use six measures including employment, income and education, skills and training. Also
calculated is an overall Extent of Deprivation Ranking, which shows that Manchester is ranked the 4 th
most deprived local authority district in England. The aim of this measure is to portray how
widespread high levels of deprivation are in a district based on the proportion of a district’s population
living in wards within the most deprived 10% of wards in the country. The ranking has Salford as the
27th most deprived out of a total of 354 local authority districts in England, with Tameside at 102 nd and
Trafford at 109th (1998). When the Overall Index of Multiple Deprivation is considered, ‘hotspots’ of
Page 9
deprivation across the City Pride area become apparent. Benchill ward in Manchester is the most
deprived out of the 8414 in England, with an additional 9 Manchester wards in the worst 1% nationally.
Salford’s most deprived ward is Broughton (126th), Tameside’s is Ashton St Peter’s (306th) and
Trafford’s is Clifford (297th). Overall, 40 of the 91 City Pride wards feature in the most deprived 10% of
wards in England.
Opportunities
The biggest opportunities in the City Pride area relate mainly to the area’s enterprise climate and
competitive advantage. Evidence from the recently released report ‘Index of City Competitiveness: An
Urban Perspective’, shows that Trafford is the highest ranked borough in the UK. The report issued
by the University of Wales, Cardiff, is based on the theory that competitiveness indicates capabilities
of a sub-national economy to attract and maintain firms with steadily rising market shares, whilst
increasing the standards of living for those involved. The survey demonstrates that the City Pride area
is the strongest performing of the UK’s metropolitan areas, with Trafford being one of only two of all
the 36 metropolitan boroughs which performs above the UK average. The other parts of the City Pride
area follow closely behind. This evidence reinforces the area’s reputation for attracting and sustaining
businesses in the new knowledge industries.
The DfEE’s Local Environmental Indicators attempt to establish the enterprise climate in TEC areas.
This is done by dividing the number of newly VAT registered firms by the number of economically
active residents in Social Class I and II (these are known to be the major influence on small firms’
formation). The City Pride area has the third highest rating in the country and is above the North West
and national average.
Increasing evidence points to the City Pride’s strong competitive advantage as a location for inward
investment and business growth. The key opportunities will come in ensuring that the supply of labour
allows businesses to take advantage of the opportunities that result from the area’s strategic and
competitive strengths. The DfEE’s Local Environment Index includes rankings of TEC areas for a
range of infrastructural and locational factors. The City Pride area, not surprisingly, appears in the
upper quartile for a range of indicators including accessibility by road, access to airports, mix of
housing and number of hotel bedrooms . A study by Manchester Business School found that
Manchester’s potential for inward investment was above that of all UK cities outside London. The
establishment of the Manchester Investment and Development Agency Service (MIDAS) in 1997 has
provided a focus for developing that potential.
The local area has some clear areas of competitive advantage that need to be exploited to generate
wealth and employment opportunities. These include several major local infrastructure projects
including the completion of both the second runway at Manchester Airport and M60 circular motorway
between Denton and Middleton. There are also the considerable infrastructure developments
associated with the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Redevelopment of the City Centre continues with
numerous retail, hotel, residential and office projects including linked activity within areas such as the
Northern Quarter and Castlefield, resulting in employment growth with the expansion of cultural
businesses. Alongside this, there are major developments at Salford Quays and the building of the
Imperial war Museum nearby. These developments have contributed to an increase in tourism and
led to the area’s improving popularity as a visitor centre.
Changes to business processes and growth of the information and communication technologies (ICT)
sector has presented the City Pride area as an existing ICT and services sector economy/location,
with opportunities to build on these trends. Existing and new companies are investing in the area
including a number of significant spin out companies from the university sector, developing a host of
opportunities from e-commerce to the development of new software packages. The area has
therefore seen increased levels of software, multi-media, e-commerce, customer contact centres and
shared service centre companies locating in the area. In addition, and perhaps surprisingly, whilst
manufacturing employment is in decline, there has been growth in specialist manufacturing sectors
including rubber, plastics and recycling.
The opportunities presented by these structural activities are enhanced by encouraging developments
in the labour market, including increased self-employment, and by urban regeneration throughout City
Pride in areas of deprivation.
Page 10
Threats
The local area has a higher than average proportion of large businesses. Although this can often
mean a quite stable labour market, one of the most significant threats to the economy of the City Pride
area would be the closure of a large local employer or a significant down-sizing as a result of
efficiency savings. In times of economic prosperity, large companies are likely to recruit on a large
scale, but during down-turns in the economy, they can just as easily make large-scale redundancies.
Global economic pressures increasingly influence the investment and expansion decisions of large
employers, particularly multi-nationals.
Increasing trends of globalisation are reflected throughout local economies and could threaten the
economic prosperity of the City Pride area. Several key trends reflected locally include an increasing
need for labour market flexibility; increasing emphasis on skills and qualifications; jobless growth – a
growing economy with limited employment growth; increasing influence of technology on employment
patterns; the emergence of industries which can easily re-locate to areas where conditions are more
favourable; and an increasing reliance on foreign-direct investment where local jobs can be affected
by economic conditions elsewhere in the world. In addition, potential local shortages of both skills and
labour could undermine investment, growth and business confidence in the area.
The impact on exporters of the strong pound also poses threats for companies in the local area. In
addition, despite the area’s financial infrastructure which compares favourably with other regional
capitals, the level of venture capital that is available to local businesses is relatively low. As a result of
this, a lack of investment, in technology for example, may threaten the ability of local companies to
exploit the competitive opportunities of the area. Investment decisions of this nature may affect the
availability of resources for workforce development.
Key Business Sectors
In employment terms there are three key sectors within the City Pride economy: the public sector
employing 138,000 people (25%); the financial sector with 121,000 employees (22%); and the
distribution sector which includes retailers, hotels and restaurants, also employing 121,000 people
(22%). This is followed by the manufacturing sector which still has a workforce of 82,000 people in the
area accounting for 15% of all of those employed.
Forecasts by employment growth and decline show an interesting picture by sub-sectors. In the
sectors with the highest percentage growth in employment, professional services (including banking,
finance, insurance, accountancy etc.) is forecast to experience a 43% increase in its workforce
between 1999–2009. This is followed by the manufactured fuels sector (37%) and instruments (31%).
Declining sub sectors reflect the general decline in the overall manufacturing sector. Metal goods
(-22%), paper, printing and publishing (-21%) and food (-14%) are those areas in which the highest
decline is expected.
In addition to employment growth forecasts, analysis of growth sectors can be made in terms of valueadded growth (a measure of output). Figure 2 forecasts the contribution that each sector is expected
to make to the local economy in the next ten years using both of these measures of growth. Those
sectors in the top left-hand box are growing in terms of value added and employment typified by the
continued phenomenal growth in professional and business services. Most interesting are those
sectors experiencing value added growth and employment decline. This tends to suggest greater
competitiveness as a result of increased productivity and/or the adoption of new processes or
technology.
Two of the biggest growth industries in the City Pride area recently have been those in the ICT sector
and Customer Contact Centres cutting across all sectors. These sectors have been the focus of
significant inward investment creating new employment opportunities within the area.
The City Pride area is recognised as an emerging centre for information technology development
generally, and Internet/new media in particular, in the North of England. Several major employers are
based in the area, including: Brother, Siemens, Sharp, ICL/Fujitsu, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Cap Gemini,
Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Celestica, Sema, Bull Information Systems and Andersen Consulting. The
Page 11
area has the highest concentration of related industries outside of the South East of England. In total
there are over 1,000 businesses in this sector locally and 30,000 people employed in the software and
computing services industry in the City Pride area and surrounding region. The industry is well
serviced by the concentration of local universities, with a regular flow of graduates each year in
engineering, computing, industrial design and other technology related disciplines.
The City Pride area has over 60 Customer Contact Centres and it is estimated that these centres
employ 10,000 people and are likely to continue to grow as a source of employment in the future.
Operations include national and international companies of varying sizes employing 100 staff through
to several with over 500 staff. Companies including AA, British Airways, NTL (Cable & Wireless),
Direct Line and the Co-operative Bank all have operations in the City Pride area. Survey evidence
shows that the City Pride area offers several locational advantages to Customer Contact Centre
operators which include a large population and a skilled, flexible and qualified workforce; competitive
wage rates; ease of recruitment; availability of quality office space and proximity to clients. Customer
Contact Centre operations are becoming increasingly European and even globally focused and
therefore require multi lingual skills. The City Pride area has a strong multi lingual base benefiting
particularly from a higher concentration of language graduates and overseas students. A report by
Buck Consultants, a leading locations consultancy in the sector, confirmed in March 1998 that the City
Pride area was one the top 10 European locations for multi-lingual customer contact centres.
Figure 2: Annual percentage change employment versus value added 1999-2009
Employment
Value Added
Growth
Growth
Stable
Decline
Professional Services
Manufactured Fuels
Instruments
Pharmaceuticals
Other Business Services
Education
Air Transport
Hotels & Catering
Rail Transport
Computing Services
Health & Social Work
Other Mining
Other Land Transport
Waste Treatment
Communications
Agriculture
Distribution nes
Motor Vehicles
Insurance
Banking & Finance
Electrical Engineering
Chemicals nes
Food
Aerospace
Electronics
Gas Supply
Drink
Other Transport Equipment
Stable
Decline
Other Service Activities
Manufacturing nes & Recycling
Retailing
Oil & Gas
Wood & Wood Products
Mechanical Engineering
Other Transport Services
Construction
Non-Metallic Mineral Products
Public Admin & Defence
Electricity
Textiles
Water Transport
Rubber & Plastics
Tobacco
Paper, Printing & Publishing
Metals Goods
Clothing & Leather
Basic Metals
Coal
Water Supply
Source: Cambridge Econometrics / Institute of Employment Research – Local Economic Forecasting Model
Local Area Analysis
Manchester
The city of Manchester is the regional capital, covering an area of 45 square miles and a population of
404,900. Its population is highly diverse, with 12.6% of residents being part of an ethnic minority.
Page 12
The city exhibits the greatest concentration of economic activity in the region and is home for the three
principal economic drivers:



The City Centre which provides employment for 120,000 people alone
Manchester airport, with expansion plans to 40 million passengers by 2015
The campus of Higher Education Institutions
The city has been the focus for very significant investment and development over the last decade and
there are signs of progress towards economic objectives. However, in common with many other urban
centres in the UK, the city has an unacceptable number of residents who are unemployed, poor and
not sharing the benefits of an improving local economy. Manchester is home to many of the
conurbation’s most disadvantaged and deprived communities and the DETR’s updated Index of Local
Deprivation shows that almost 78% of Manchester residents are living in the most deprived 10% of
wards nationally. There is significant geographical concentration of disadvantage – most notably in
East Manchester, where a major regeneration initiative is underway with national and regional public
and private partners.
It is home to many the North West’s regional and administrative functions, including its financial and
business services and is the focus for businesses which serve local, regional and international
markets. The business structure reflects the area’s status as a regional financial capital and major
retail and distribution location. Banking and finance companies account for 30.1% of the total,
compared with 27.0% nationally and the distribution sector 35.3% compared with 31.7%. Employees
in the education sector are also over-represented in the Manchester area, with 9.8% of all employees
working in this sector compared to 7.6% nationally. 27 countries have their consular or trade offices in
the City.
The city has a particular opportunity and competitive advantage in a number of sectors and will give
these particular encouragement, notably, creative industries, new technologies, research and
education.
Manchester is a regional capital and a major European city. This plan should contribute to developing
Manchester’s role as an international city, regional centre and cultural champion, contributing to an
inclusive, accessible, integrated and learning city. Through the development of a cultural strategy, it is
intended to develop the profile of the city, its distinctiveness and “cultural experience”. The city has
the largest theatre sector in the UK outside London and a wealth of art galleries and libraries. One of
the country’s finest classical concert venues – the £43 million, 2,400 seat Bridgewater Hall – is located
in the City and is home to the Halle orchestra. Hosting the Commonwealth Games has enabled the
development of further world class facilities in the city, notably the City Centre Aquatics Centre and
Sports City, which is the centrepiece of the regeneration strategy for East Manchester.
Salford
The city of Salford consists of a predominantly urban area, encompassing the district centres of
Eccles, Swinton and Walkden, which covers an area of some 37 square miles with a population of
229,300. The Metrolink Tram system has recently opened up Eccles and Salford Quays to
Manchester City Centre and the city is also well served by the motorway network, with direct access to
the M602, M62 and M61 motorways. The city is recognised for its positive approach to sustainable
regeneration and the ability of all partners to work together in developing major initiatives, including
Single Regeneration Budget partnerships, New Deal for Communities, SureStart and Health and
Education Action Zones. This approach has also has led to notable successes at Salford Quays, the
former Enterprise Zone, and the construction of the Lowry Centre.
Major private sector employers in Salford include Colgate Palmolive, BUPA, Freshbake and Henri
Lloyd Ltd. However, public sector employment in the area is considerably over-represented; 24.1% of
national employment is in public sector organisations whereas the corresponding figure in Salford is
33.6%.
Salford is the fourth most deprived local authority in the North West, in the DETR’s updated Index of
Local Deprivation. Parts of the city are amongst the most socially and economically deprived in the
Page 13
region, with some indicators of poor health, such as death rates, approaching twice the national
average.
Tameside
The borough of Tameside was created in 1974 and takes its name from the River Tame which links
the nine towns which constitute the borough: Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden,
Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale (comprising the villages of Broadbottom, Hollingworth and Mottram),
Mossley and Stalybridge. Seven miles due east of Manchester, the borough has a population of
216,400 people residing in 40 square miles.
When business units are considered, distribution differs across industrial sectors most significantly in
the Tameside area. Nationally, 8.9% of businesses are in the manufacturing sector compared with
9.3% in the City Pride area. However, in Tameside, the proportion of manufacturing businesses is
15.2%, which is clearly considerably higher than that seen nationally. This is of particular concern
when the corresponding employment proportion is considered. Manufacturing accounts for a third
(33.2%) of all employment in Tameside. The over-representation of manufacturing employment in the
area could have serious implications for Tameside, if, as expected, employment in the sector
continues to decrease steadily in the long term.
Tameside has seen a significant amount of both inward and indigenous investment in the last year.
Tameside Park has created almost half a million square feet of new industrial floorspace in Dukinfield,
whilst the Ashton Moss development, covering 35 hectares, is set to benefit from a £100m investment
programme. The opening of the final section of the M60 motorway in 2000 has given a further boost
to investment enquiries in the borough. Tameside has experienced an increase in land and property
enquiries in excess of 40% since the M60 completion was successfully promoted to property agents.
Trafford
The borough of Trafford consists of three towns - Altrincham, Sale and Stretford – and the former
urban districts of Bowdon, Hale and Urmston, plus the parishes of Carrington, Warburton, Dunham
Massey and Partington. There are 212,731 residents living in 40 square miles. Trafford is the home of
both Manchester United Football Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club (“Old Trafford”).
The M60 runs through the heart of Trafford linking with the M62 Trans-Pennine motorway and the M56
through to the M6 south to Birmingham and London and north to Scotland. Altrincham Interchange is
the starting point for the Metrolink 'Supertram' system which runs through the middle of Trafford via
Timperley, Sale, Stretford and Old Trafford to Manchester and then on to Bury.
Business units and employment in Banking and Finance in Trafford are higher than that seen
nationally at 34.6% (GB 27%) and 26.5% (GB 18.8%) respectively. Despite the concentration of the
financial sector in Trafford, manufacturing is still of great importance in the locality, particularly in the
Trafford Park area. Trafford Park was established in 1896 as the world’s first purpose built industrial
estate. In 1987 it was made an Urban Development Area and attracted £1.5 billion of private sector
investment and almost 900 companies, leading to the creation of 23,000 jobs. This brings the total
number of companies in Trafford Park to more than 1360 employing some 43,500 people.
Page 14
SECTION THREE – CITY PRIDE ECONOMIC VISION
The principal focus of this plan is on areas of economic need and market failure. It is our intention to
ensure that resources are deployed on activities which can truly make a difference to the people and
businesses of the City Pride area by building on our strengths, addressing our weaknesses and
working to create the links between need and opportunity.
Vision
We have considered what success would look like for the partnership and we intend to develop the
area, its businesses and people as:

A good place to do business, with a thriving and well networked business community which
supports the economy and the wider community – businesses which want to, and have the
capacity to succeed

An investment location with a national and international image as an attractive place to invest,
work and live

A workforce which is highly skilled and well motivated and can truly meet the skill needs of the
economy

A place where there are far less disparities in employment and everyone who wants to can
participate in economic success

A place where all our young people can make a successful transition from education, through
structured training to long term employment, whether that transition happens at age 16, 17, 18 or
21.

An area with a pleasing, functional and effective infrastructure and environment.
Strategic Drivers
Our analysis of the local economy and of regional and national policy priorities has led to the
identification of the following key themes or drivers:

Driver One – Building Better Businesses

Driver Two – Attracting And Sustaining Investors

Driver Three – Creating A World Class Workforce

Driver Four – Delivering Local Economic Benefit

Driver Five – Ensuring The Best Transition to Working Life For All Our Young People

Driver Six – Developing Our Physical Infrastructure To Drive Economic Improvement
It is our view that focusing individually on each of these drivers would not achieve the economic
impact we desire. We believe that by integrating all of these drivers within this plan and improving our
clarity of purpose, the actions delivered by local organisations within the City Pride partnership under
these themes will be mutually reinforcing and will make a significant contribution to the achievement of
our overall economic vision.
Page 15
Fundamental Principles
There are a number of fundamental principles which underpin the way in which this plan will be
delivered:
Working Together for Economic Development and Regeneration
We intend to ensure that our work is carried out in partnership with others to maximise the local impact
of economic development and regeneration initiatives, building local capacity and influencing national
policy. We need to continue to build on our approach, improving “joined up” activities at local level
through a coherent approach across and between all local partners, ensuring that there is
complementarity and synergy between these activities.
Sustainable Development
We are determined to ensure that the work which has already begun will be further enhanced and
developed so as to ensure that economic, environmental and social strategies are delivered in a way
which maximises local benefit and is sustainable in the longer-term. There is a strong recognition
amongst City Pride partners that this can only be achieved by tackling exclusion and underachievement and equipping communities and individuals to enable them to participate fully.
Opportunities for All
We will be promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities in everything we do. Our aim is to
achieve a situation where all individuals in the City Pride area have the opportunity to participate and
to achieve to the maximum of their ability in employment, training and business opportunities
regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, place of residence or social circumstances. We must
ensure that the individual comes first and that they can achieve equality of access to and outcomes
from the employment and training of their choice. Services delivered by partner organisations must
recognise individual rights, provide excellent customer service standards and be targeted effectively
towards priority groups. Key performance indicators and service delivery outcomes will be closely
monitored against equal opportunities indicators relating to gender, age, ethnicity and disability,
wherever possible.
Developing and Exploiting the Information Society for the Benefit of the Local Economy
We will be building on the City Pride area’s continuing success as a growth centre for the ICT, Internet
and e-business sectors and working to ensure that access to the new information and communication
technologies is made available to all sections of the community in the most inclusive and sustainable
ways possible. The City Pride area has some essential advantages which offer opportunities to
ensure that real local benefit can be gained from the Information Society to support both the
competitiveness of the local economy and promote social inclusion. As the area is increasingly
attracting investment from the Internet, e-commerce and new media sectors, and now has the only
international Internet Exchange in the UK outside of London, this is having a positive impact on the
way the city region is being perceived in the global market place. The challenge now is to ensure that
this can feed through into generating the required levels of employment growth in order to create a
critical mass and achieve long-term sustainability. We will develop new pathways into employment in
order to connect opportunities and needs within the Information Society. At the same time, City Pride
partners will provide local support for the new strategies being developed at regional, national and
European level for the implementation of Information Society initiatives.
Page 16
Primary Economic Indicators of City Pride Wealth and Job Creation
The following table shows the primary economic indicators which will be monitored closely to identify
the extent to which the economic vision for the City Pride area is being achieved.
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
CITY PRIDE
BASELINE
DECEMBER
2000
EI 1
E1 2
EI 3
EI 4
EI 5
EI 6
EI 7
GDP per capita
Employment level
Employment rate
Unemployment rate
Long term unemployment rate
Economic activity rate
Square metres of industrial and commercial floor
space
Average price per square foot of commercial
floor space
Occupation levels of industrial and commercial
floor space
TBA
104.2%*
71.5%
3.6%
38%**
76%
TBA
EI 8
EI 9
TBA
TBA
* total employment as a % of 1991 level
** long term unemployment as a % of total unemployment
Page 17
CITY
PRIDE
TARGET
2001/02
CITY
PRIDE
TARGET
2002/03
CITY
PRIDE
TARGET
2003/4
SECTION FOUR – STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
This section sets out the mission, strategic objectives, priorities for action and major developments
and initiatives (where appropriate) under each of the key strategic drivers identified by our analysis of
the City Pride economy, alongside a framework for measuring performance and clearly identified roles
and responsibilities for delivery.
Driver One – Building Better Businesses
Mission
To build business efficiency, competitiveness, survival and growth
Strategic Objectives

To support business start ups so as to improve their success and growth

To provide business support services to micro businesses to improve their ambition, success and
capability to grow

To account manage a long-term relationship with a large number of established businesses such
that they improve their performance, competitiveness, growth and exports through the use of
business services

To target specific services on businesses in defined sectors and clusters

To encourage employment of the whole workforce

To harness innovation and technology for business benefit and to encourage collaboration and the
sharing of expertise
Priorities for Action

Increasing the volume and success of start ups with significant growth potential

Supporting individuals who are unemployed, socially excluded or from regeneration areas, to start
a business or become self employed

Providing support services to any start up business to improve their chances of success

Providing support services to micro businesses to improve their success, ambition, capability and
capacity to grow

Working through regeneration partnerships, the voluntary sector and other local partners to
develop the social economy through sustainable community enterprise activity, including for
example, credit unions

Growing the volume of businesses in an account managed relationship

Encouraging account managed businesses to network, act strategically and adopt best practice

Targeting specific services on businesses in the following sectors:



Environmental Technologies
Life Sciences (Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals)
Medical Equipment





Finance and Professional Services
Tourism
ICT
Customer Service Centres
Creative and Media
Page 18
as part of the regional
effort




Construction
Manufacturing
Niche Retailing
Providing services via a brokerage model to assist businesses with:












Strategic and business planning
International trade and identifying opportunities to develop and improve export
performance
Understanding the opportunities and threats of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) and adopting the use of new technologies such as e-business
Environmental responsibilities
Accessing finance
Sales and marketing
Purchasing
Quality assurance and continuous improvement activity, through for example, the
adoption of the EFQM Excellence Model, supply chain initiatives, competitive
benchmarking, process improvement techniques etc.
Innovation, technology, design and product development
Process improvement
Change management and culture change
Coping with legislation and regulation

Prioritising the level of service offered to SMEs, co-operatives, new businesses and would-be
entrepreneurs in regeneration areas, tailoring support to address their particular needs, including
developing innovative approaches to enable very small and community-based businesses to
access finance for growth, such as the community finance initiative, and ensuring that those areas
that are most in need of assistance are supported

Developing and improving the network of commercial partners, Higher Education, community
agencies, Local Authorities, enterprise agencies and Chamber Business Enterprises to ensure
high levels of referrals and support for start up and small businesses

Improving linkages between business and higher education and other research institutions to
improve the economic exploitation of new developments in innovation and technology
Major Developments and Initiatives

Local Venture Capital Scheme/Industrial Bank for the North West
There is a market gap for seedcorn and equity finance, particularly at the £5,000 to £250,000 level.
The potential for developing and delivering a revolving loan fund will be investigated and evaluated

Salford Loan Fund
This is a recently established fund, which provides finance to small and medium sized enterprises and
community businesses. We believe that this has the potential to be extended the approach across the
wider area, focusing specifically on providing financial support to community enterprises.
Page 19
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D1.1
SBS penetration of businesses in the City Pride
and Stockport area
SBS penetration of businesses in key
regeneration areas
Number of account managed companies
Percentage of SBS user companies showing an
increase in employment, export turnover, total
assets or profitability before interest and tax
Proportion of the workforce who are self
employed
New businesses started through SBS
New businesses created surviving 2 years
(measure on community business/community
finance to be added in)
NEW
D1.2
D1.3
D1.4
D1.5
D1.6
D1.7
D1.8
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
NEW
TBA
NEW
6.5%
NEW
NEW
NEW
Roles and Responsibilities
The lead responsibility for delivering the objectives of this driver rests with Chamber Business
Enterprises, the joint venture company owned by Manchester Enterprises and Manchester Chamber
of Commerce and Industry.
Other local partners who have a role in this area and who will work closely with Chamber Business
Enterprises include:





Local authorities – these are the key partners in this driver and they have a role that focuses
primarily on determining the strategy for business improvement. Local authorities contribute vital
resources to support regeneration, start-up and grant-based activity and provide services and
advice to businesses in statutory and other areas, such as environmental health, planning, trading
standards, waste collection and recycling and physical infrastructure.
Local stakeholders and suppliers who have a role in consulting with Chamber Business
Enterprises on service delivery strategy, undertaking joint development activity and two-way
referrals, representing specific interest groups and providing expertise. This includes local
development agencies, not-for-profit, community and voluntary umbrella bodies, further and higher
education institutions, associates and consultant service providers
Commercial partners, such as accountants, banks and solicitors
Enterprise agencies who deliver a range of services to start ups and micro-businesses at the local
level
Other business membership and support agencies and forums, in particular those who represent
local business customers, such as Chambers of Commerce, sector groups, local business groups
and trade associations
At a strategic level, local partners will work with:




The National Small Business Service who will contract with Chamber Business Enterprises for the
delivery of SBS services in our area and ensure that service standards are met
The North West Development Agency who determine regional priorities for business support and
ensure that these are being pursued at local level
The Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council
Trade Partners UK
Page 20
Driver Two – Attracting And Sustaining Investors
Mission
To encourage high levels of inward and indigenous investment for the benefit of the local economy
and community
Strategic Objectives

To attract and retain successful businesses, particularly those in key growth sectors

To pursue strategies that will help overcome barriers to investment

To work in partnership to increase the take up of employment opportunities, created by investors,
by residents of the area
Priorities for Action

Generating economic activity through the attraction of inward and indigenous investment, focusing
on priority sectors

Making the City Pride area recognised and respected as a major investment location

Providing a dynamic and fully co-ordinated investment service with the highest quality of service,
information and support, building on the account management approach

Maximising the economic benefits for the North West region arising from the hosting of the 2002
Commonwealth Games in Manchester

Working with partners to overcome potential barriers to investment, including the provision of a
skilled workforce, appropriate sites and premises, improvements in business security, provision of
venture capital and tackling accessibility, particularly in the city centre

Securing the translation of economic activity to the benefit of the local community, especially
unemployed people

Developing complementary and coherent services across partner organisations in order to offer a
competitive package of support to inward and indigenous investors
Major Developments and Initiatives

Incubation Partnership
A key development under Driver 2 will be expanding the Incubation Partnership into a regional body
that still meets the needs of the City Pride area through the provision of incubators and support
services to assist the creation of new companies from both the Higher Education base and elsewhere.
This programme will create 11 incubators across the region within a two-year timescale
Alongside this, runs the North America Links programme, which in its pilot phase in 2000/2001 is
proving extremely successful in helping both trade and investment in hi-tech areas. This partnership
initiative will be stepped up in 2001/2002 and will build, in particular, on the International Finance and
Enterprise week to be held in May 2001.

Innovation City
This is an umbrella brand which highlights the innovation characteristics of the area, with the
objectives of:
 Making the Manchester area renowned nationally and internationally as a centre for innovation
and entrepreneurship

Raising awareness of Manchester’s creative strengths amongst regional and national opinion
formers, helping to overcome negative perceptions

Attracting inward investment by hi-tech and growing companies, research operations and
funding support operations
Page 21


Assisting the promotion of specific innovations, such as the Manchester Science Enterprise
Centre, Incubation Partnership, Innovation Forum etc. to companies, potential entrepreneurs
and others
Business Security
The implementation of business security initiatives, such as those in Salford and Trafford Park, will be
supported and their effectiveness evaluated

Wardens Initiative
The potential for developing a wardens initiative for industrial sites and business premises will be
investigated and evaluated

Local Employment
The special programme undertaken with Centrica will be evaluated, for lessons to be used in other
programmes of support
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D2.1
D2.2
D2.3
D2.4
D2.5
D2.6
Investment value
Companies investing
Square metres occupied
Jobs created
Jobs safeguarded
(New measure to be developed on local
economic benefit generated through employment
creation by inward and indigenous investors)
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
Roles and Responsibilities
The lead responsibility for delivering the objectives of this driver rests with MIDAS, the Manchester
Investment and Development Agency Service, an operating company within the Manchester
Enterprises Group.
Other local partners who have a role in this area and who will work closely with MIDAS include:







Local authorities, who have a role in site and property provision, planning, tackling road
congestion, grant support etc. Local authorities also maintain a networked access point to the
MIDAS database and ensure that local information is captured and acted upon.
Chamber Business Enterprises, leading in particular on sector-based support to companies
Regeneration Area partnerships who promote and encourage investment projects
Other operating companies within the Manchester Enterprises Group, in particular Employment
and Regeneration Partnership, who will seek to match unemployed people with the employment
opportunities created by inward and indigenous investors, and Skills Solution, who will work with
investing companies to meet recruitment and skills training needs
Higher education institutions, who are key partners in the development of incubator units, the
transfer of technology and expertise, the creation of spin-out companies and other developments,
such as the Manchester Science Enterprise Centre.
Private sector partners such as science park and business space developers and their agents,
location consultants used by major companies and recruitment specialists
Other business membership and support agencies and forums, such as Pro-Manchester,
Marketing Manchester, Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Manchester Airport,
M2002 and Greater Manchester Police.
At a strategic level, MIDAS and the local partners will work with:
Page 22




Invest UK – the national body which promotes inward investment into the UK. Local market and
sector priorities are organised with these operating at the national level, mainly through the North
West Development Agency and consulates
Trade Partners UK – the national body which promotes international trade. MIDAS has a direct
integrated strategy focused on the major Commonwealth markets
The North West Development Agency – MIDAS is a member of the Inward Investment Council
and the International Trade Forum, co-ordinated by the NWDA. There are also joint collaborative
marketing programmes in certain markets and sectors with the NWDA, along with other subregional partners and regional agencies
Others, such as UK embassies of overseas target markets, other inward investment agencies,
specialist sector representative bodies, North West Business Leadership Team, North West CBI,
Government Office North West, Bank of England and other mainstream agencies
Page 23
Driver Three – Creating A World Class Workforce
Mission
To develop and enhance the skills of the local workforce relevant to the current and forecast needs of
the local economy and individual employers.
Strategic Objectives

To ensure that employers train and develop staff for their current job/role

To encourage employers to train and develop their staff to full occupational competence

To encourage employers to develop their staff beyond occupational competence for wider skills
and progression

To improve management skills and knowledge

To encourage effective recruitment, selection and employment practices which include the whole
local workforce

To identify and act on skill shortages and the skills required for emerging growth sectors/
developments

To increase individual demand for learning and to promote mechanisms that allow individuals to
develop transferable skills
Priorities for Action

Addressing current and projected skills gaps in our area – focusing on Levels 3 and 4 for upskilling
and on Levels 1 and 2 for labour supply in order to link unemployed City Pride residents in a much
more proactive way to emerging job opportunities

Ensuring that we identify and meet gaps in growth sectors, including upskilling and re-skilling
existing employees looking to move into new growth areas

Ensuring that employer demand for skilled people can be met from within the local area by making
a clear connection between the emerging needs of the labour market and the provision of local
training and education – finding a mechanism that ensures that we are highly responsive to
emerging demands and are quick to act on them. This will be developed by the Small Business
Service company, Chamber Business Enterprises, working closely with the Greater Manchester
Learning and Skills Council, to ensure that the real needs of our local economy are met

Helping people and employers recognise and cope with the demands of an increasingly dynamic
and flexible labour market and shifts in the demographics of labour supply

Encouraging and supporting employers to provide good quality, effective training to meet their
business needs, focusing on priority sectors and cross sector occupations

Encouraging employers to train beyond the immediate needs of their business in order to produce
a highly skilled local workforce which is competent in the whole occupation, not just the immediate
job. Supporting the implementation of a training infrastructure within companies so that they can
implement National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for the workforce is the key approach to
achieving this

Encouraging employers to develop their staff in ways which facilitate career progression and wider
lifelong learning. Supporting the creation of Employer Learning Centres has been the major thrust
of activity to date, but the introduction of learndirect and Individual Learning Accounts will
introduce new opportunities

Maximising the role of National Traineeships and Modern Apprenticeships in raising skills and
qualification levels across the City Pride area – improving local participation rates and
achievement levels and ensuring that all members of our community have equal access

Increasing the take up of appropriate higher education opportunities amongst local people and
ensuring that these opportunities are geared to the real needs of the labour market
Page 24

Developing progression routes from education (at all levels) into work-based training so as to
ensure that learning is continued both by those who complete their education and those who do
not

Encouraging collaboration between and amongst colleges, other training providers and employers
to address key local skill needs

Promoting graduate retention in the local area by encouraging businesses to take up graduates
from our four Higher Education Institutions

Ensuring that the key skills required for the emerging information society and the knowledge
based economy are being developed effectively through the commitment to improving access to
ICT skills across all training provision

Providing mechanisms that allow individuals to develop transferable skills and increasing
individual demand for learning and ensuring that we can meet it

Valuing and nurturing creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Widening access through innovative and flexible delivery

Developing and implementing a strategy to improve IIP commitment and achievement amongst
local employers
Major Developments and Initiatives

Recruitment/Employment Agency
Manchester Enterprises will be developing the agency as a basis for addressing sectoral recruitment
and skill needs more effectively

Skillshow 2002
Assuming confirmation is received that this will take place in Manchester in November 2002 (the
position will be known in February 2001), there will need to be significant planning to maximise
benefits through integration into the mainstream skills agenda. The NWDA is strongly supportive and
involved as the regional, as well as the local, benefits are important

Vocational Centres of Excellence
Working with the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council to identify and develop local and
regional centres of excellence in vocational/occupational areas

Further Development of Graduate Apprenticeships
It is intended that the pilot work which has been developed by Salford University and Manchester
Enterprises to develop a Graduate Apprenticeship initiative will be extended elsewhere

Learndirect/University for Industry
It is expected that the activity to develop learning centres across the City Pride area to deliver
learndirect (Ufi) ICT-based learning opportunities, especially to non-traditional learners, will be
expanded considerably during 2001 and beyond.
Page 25
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D3.1
Percentage of companies committed to or
recognised as Investors in People
D3.2
Percentage of workforce employed in an IIP
committed or recognised organisation
Number of employers involved in apprenticeship
Proportion of 19 year olds with level 2
qualification
Proportion of 21 year olds with level 3
qualification
Proportion of adults with level 3 qualification
Proportion of adults with level 4 qualification
Reduction in non-learners
200+ = 65.1%*
50+ = 36.7%*
TBA
D3.3
D3.4
D3.5
D3.6
D3.7
D3.8
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Not yet
measured
* against national targets of 65.1% and 35% respectively
Roles and Responsibilities
As this driver relates to the employed workforce, the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council
is the lead strategic body. However, the lead responsibility in practice within the local partnership is
Chamber Business Enterprises, who will drive local delivery organisations to meet the local skills
agenda, including:




Local employers
Training providers
Colleges of Further Education
Local authorities
In addition, Manchester Enterprises will co-ordinate delivery across other group companies and
functions, including the City Pride and Stockport University for Industry hub and Skills Solution and, at
a strategic level, will seek to influence higher education.
At a strategic level, Chamber Business Enterprises and Manchester Enterprises will work very closely
in partnership with:






The Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council, who will initially contract for the delivery of
all post-16 provision and later, through the implementation of European Objective 3 co-financing
arrangements
The Strategic Lifelong Learning Partnership, who will seek to influence the plans and funds of the
Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council in relation to the identified needs of the City Pride
area
Lifelong Learning Partnerships in each local authority area
The North West Development Agency in order to ensure that the priorities of the regional skills
strategy are addressed
Government Office for the North West, through the implementation of projects under the Regional
Development Plan for European Objective 3 funds
Ufi North West
Page 26
Driver Four – Delivering Local Economic Benefit
Mission
To tackle exclusion and under-achievement and equip communities and individuals to enable them to
participate fully and to promote sustainable employment and self employment opportunities throughout
the City Pride area.
Strategic Objectives

To upskill local unemployed people in accordance with labour market needs

To increase the numbers of people from key regeneration areas entering and sustaining
employment

To achieve overall improvement in, and convergence towards, national levels of unemployment,
particularly long-term unemployment

To achieve overall improvement in, and convergence towards, national economic activity rates

To achieve overall improvement in, and convergence towards, national employment rates

To achieve overall improvement in, and convergence toward, national average earnings

To improve local levels of literacy and numeracy

To promote social inclusion and equal opportunities in all we do so that all individuals in the City
Pride area have the chance to participate and achieve to the maximum of their ability
Priorities for Action

Ensuring that unemployed people and people living in deprived areas derive benefit from local
investment and economic development, for example, by being able to access long-term,
sustainable, well-paid employment opportunities – ensuring that the linkage is made between the
opportunities created and those localities and individuals most in need

Working with successful businesses and inward investors to help them recruit and train local
people

Improving the supply of local unemployed people with relevant skills to gain employment with
inward and indigenous investors

Contributing to the development and delivery of local partnership activity that has an impact on
educational attainment, quality of housing, safety, security and health etc. at local level, based in
regeneration areas and helping those most at a disadvantage in the labour market

Developing a culture of lifelong learning order to meet the future skill needs demanded by our
local economy - poor academic achievement is a cause of, and is caused by, social exclusion, and
training and learning opportunities must be designed to have a positive effect on tackling exclusion

Addressing issues surrounding the “benefits trap” by using/creating intermediate labour market
and other models

Addressing the significant local problem of poor levels of basic literacy and numeracy

Promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities in everything we do in order to achieve a
situation where all individuals in the City Pride area have the opportunity to participate and to
achieve to the maximum of their ability in employment, training and business opportunities
regardless of age, gender, disability, place of residence or social circumstances.

Proactively addressing social exclusion so that people can participate in their local communities
and can go on to participate fully in the economy

Exploiting the new opportunities opened up by the Urban White Paper, the Neighbourhood
Renewal Fund and associated developments
Page 27

Working with and through community enterprises to promote entrepreneurship and use these
initiatives and the intermediate labour market projects to generate local employment, and develop
employability through socially valuable work experience

Liaising and working closely with community groups and organisations representing specific
groups at a disadvantage in the labour market, for example, developing joint strategies and
implementation plans on specific issues and building capacity to respond to these

Linking the area’s strength in culture as a contribution to social inclusion, building confidence and
self esteem and enabling individuals and communities to participate in and contribute to the
culture of the area
Major Developments and Initiatives

Employment Bond
Developing an Employment Bond for the City Pride area as the basis for supporting a variety of
employment-creating initiatives

New Deal
Capitalising on the opportunities presented by the re-engineering and extension of the New Deal

Preparing for the opportunity of working with the Learning and Skills Council
Accessing LSC funding to develop a programme of Level 3 and 4 training for unemployed people to
meet local skill needs
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D4.1
D4.2
Index of Multiple Deprivation
Unemployment rates in regeneration areas (to be
listed)
Long term unemployment rates in regeneration
areas (to be listed)
Employment rates in regeneration areas (to be
listed)
See IMD table
TBA
D4.3
D4.4
D4.5
Economic activity rates in regeneration areas (to
be listed)
D4.6
Literacy and numeracy levels
D4.7
Wage levels as a percentage of the national
average
Reduction on non learners (as D3.8)
D4.8
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
TBA
From 2001
census
onwards
From 2001
census
onwards
Methodology to
be defined
98.77%
Not yet
measured
Roles and Responsibilities
The lead responsibility for achieving the objectives of this driver rests with the four local authorities.
This responsibility will be delivered through local partners, including:

The Employment and Regeneration Partnership, an Operating Company within the Manchester
Enterprises Group which will deliver:
 Engagement activity with the objective of increasing the take-up of services, particularly
amongst people least likely to access them

Providing advice and guidance to Guidance Council Standards to support choices and
decisions and ultimately secure employment for unemployed individuals.
Page 28

Preparation for work, including foundation training and work based learning through the
intermediate labour market

Meeting employers’ recruitment needs through services, determined by employer need (rather
than public funding streams), delivered predominantly through a single access point for
employers in the form of a joint Recruitment Agency. A service where the primary product on
offer to employers is people prepared and ready for work.






Supporting the retention of work for those people who have been successful in securing
employment and more effectively servicing employers as customers with services which
develop their existing and new workforce
Local Area Regeneration and other Regeneration Partnerships including: Manchester Citywide
EET Programme, North Manchester Regeneration, East Manchester Regeneration Area, Moss
Side and Hulme and A6/Stockport Road, Wythenshawe, Progress Trust, Salford City Wide,
Cheetham and Broughton, Little Hulton and Farnworth, Ashton Renewal, Tame Valley, Hattersley,
Old Trafford and Partington, whose primary responsibility is to develop a package of support
which is specifically tailored to the needs of their communities
Local Community Groups and Voluntary Organisations
Private sector partners, such as sponsoring employers in the intermediate labour market, New
Deal Employer Coalition, MCCI and sectoral groups, including the Hospitality Forum
Trade Unions
Sub-contractors, such as Groundwork Trust
At a strategic level, the local authorities and the local delivery partners will work closely with:




The North West Development Agency, who will contract for the delivery of local benefit activity
though the Single Regeneration Budget and other funds
The Employment Service, who will contract for the delivery of New Deal and Work Based Learning
Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council, initially in order to address specific skill
shortages that can be met through pre-recruitment training of the unemployed and other similar
initiatives and later, through the implementation of European Objective 3 co-financing
arrangements
Government Office for the North West, through the implementation of projects under the Regional
Development Plan for European Objective 3 funds
Page 29
Driver Five – Ensuring The Best Transition To Working Life For All Our Young
People
Mission
To maximise the participation and achievement in education and training of all young people aged 14
to 24.
Strategic Objectives

To achieve incremental improvement in attendance in each school such that the overall
attendance in the area exceeds the national average and goes on to equal the best performing
areas

To achieve incremental improvement in the attainment of 5 GSCEs Grades A–C or the equivalent
in each school such that the overall achievement exceeds the national average and goes on to
equal the best performing areas

To ensure that no young person leaves the 11-16 education system without a recognised
qualification

To maximise participation and achievement rates post-16 and minimise unemployment

To increase completion and participation rates of participants from post-16 education and training

To increase focus on those young people who are disaffected and engage them through
innovative approaches which identify their skills, abilities, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit and
link into all aspects of their lives
Priorities for Action

Implementing an agreed syllabus of Careers Education and Guidance across the 14-16 curriculum
and ensuring that all young people, their teachers and parents have access to comprehensive and
contemporary information on the labour market, growth sectors and employment opportunities and
to increase informed choice.

Increasing the number of young people continuing in education and training at 16 and developing
work-related skills and qualifications - ensuring access to Level 3 and beyond to all who can
benefit and offering the widest possible individual choice

Identifying and developing strategies to remove barriers to training and education opportunities
and to increase participation rates for under-represented groups and motivating and helping
disaffected and socially excluded young people to make the transition into the labour market

Facilitating and fully exploiting links between business and education at all levels to increase the
quantity and quality of employers involved in the development and delivery of the curriculum.

Working with businesses to ensure that they are committed to making an investment in their
young recruits and to eliminate jobs without training to a nationally recognised standard

Ensuring the development of core skills and personal effectiveness within the existing curriculum
and designing mechanisms for recognition and accreditation

Influencing the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council in order to ensure that all
provision meets labour market needs
Major Developments and Initiatives

Connexions
The Connexions Service will be launched in Greater Manchester in 2002. Manchester Enterprises,
through Careers Partnership, is represented on the Steering Group. Early in 2001 the legal entity for
the new service will be determined. Careers Partnership will continue to deliver its contract with DfEE
but will, in parallel, be supporting the development of the Connexions Service throughout 2001/2.
Page 30
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D5.1
D5.2
School attendance
Proportion of 16 year olds getting 5 higher grade
GCSEs
Proportion of 16 year olds getting at least 1
GCSE
Proportion of 19 year olds with level 2
qualification (as D3.4)
Proportion of 21 year olds with level 3
qualification (as D3.5)
Proportion of school leavers moving into
structured learning at 16
Number of employers active in Education
Business activity
TBA
TBA
D5.3
D5.4
D5.5
D5.6
D5.7
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Roles and Responsibilities
Successful delivery of this driver depends crucially on the work of schools and LEAs to provide an
appropriate educational experience for all pupils of statutory school age and on the LSC to
commission appropriate post-16 learning opportunities. Lead responsibility within the City Pride area
largely rests with the Careers Partnership and the Manchester City Pride Education Business
Partnership. These organisations can support schools and post-16 providers in their work with young
people and can ensure that young people are assisted to make informed choices and to secure
appropriate opportunities.
Other local partners who have a role in this area and who will work closely with Careers Partnership
and the Manchester City Pride Education Business Partnership include:








Local authorities/LEAs
Further Education Colleges
Providers of work-based training, including Skills Solution and private training organisations
Education Business Partnerships in Salford and Tameside
Community Groups and Voluntary Organisations
Schools
Local employers
Education Action Zones
At a strategic level, local partners will work with:




The National Connexions Service, who will contract for the delivery of a holistic range of services
to young people
The Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council, who will contract for the delivery of all post16 provision and for local education business links activity
The Strategic Lifelong Learning Partnership, who will seek to influence the plans and funds of the
Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council in relation to the identified needs of the City Pride
area
The Local Learning Partnerships for each local authority area
Page 31
Driver Six – Developing Our Physical Infrastructure To Drive Economic
Improvement
Mission
To invest in infrastructure that promotes and supports the economic development of the City Pride
area. In order to achieve this mission, City Pride partners, and local authorities in particular, have a
central role to play in the identification and delivery of the business environment. As the potential
mobility of business increases it is even more important for the City Pride area to remain a competitive
business location, a location where companies want to invest.
The land use and transportation policies, which cover the area on different levels, should promote
integrated developments. Land use policy and the proposed locations for future strategic investments
should promote urban renaissance and renewal. Investments should contribute to the achievement of
sustainable patterns of development and transport.
The role of Manchester city centre as regional capital and an economic driver for the whole region
should be enhanced further by future investments in infrastructure. East Manchester is recognised as
a regional and national regeneration priority and a draft regeneration framework for the area has been
published for consultation. The regeneration of East Manchester is a priority action for City Pride
partners.
Strategic Objectives

To continue to improve and integrate means of local transport, with an emphasis on public
transport

To encourage the continuing, sustainable growth and development of Manchester airport as the
key economic driver for the North West economy

To ensure that appropriate sites and premises are available for both business start-ups and to
accommodate the growth of both inward locating and indigenous companies

To continue the programme of general environmental improvements ensuring that derelict and
under-utilised land is brought back into use

To continue to support the development of the infrastructure which is required to sustain growth in
the Information and Communication Technology, Internet and new media sectors and to ensure
that accessibility to advanced applications and services is enhanced, especially for SMEs and the
wider community, in order to facilitate effective communication, learning, trading, meeting and
interaction

To harness and maximise the potential for local economic benefit of new and proposed facilities
and attractions, such as the Commonwealth Games facilities, the Lowry Centre, the Imperial War
Museum etc.
Priorities for Action

Delivering the Metrolink System Expansion - the capacity and performance of the local public
transport network is becoming an increasingly important factor in companies’ investment
decisions. Companies are attracted to, and attracted to stay within the City Pride area due to the
size of the labour market. Completion of the M60 and the recently announced expansion of the
Metrolink system will further this strength, however, other actions including investment in the road
network, bus priority measures and improvement to car parking provision in the city centre are key
areas for future investment.

Delivering the airport expansion programme - the continued expansion of the airport is the region’s
key generator of wealth

Establishing site improvement programmes - the City Pride area has an enormous legacy of used,
often contaminated land. This is real priority for the City Pride economic plan to address. The
Page 32
problem needs to be tackled to enable areas at the core of the conurbation where the problem is
most concentrated to compete on even terms for mobile investment and lessen the detrimental
effect which these sites have on the overall environment of the City Pride area. Priorities for
action have been established within local authority areas. The NWDA have begun a review of this
issue (Autumn 2000). Local authorities are dependent on external funding from regional national
and European sources for much of this activity.

Promoting the development of new and improved business space - there is an ongoing lack of
adequate accommodation for new business and the expansion of established SME’s in the City
Pride area. Particular actions are intended to support specialist business accommodation,
managed workspace, incubator units, business centres and technology parks. Companies are
increasingly aware of the efficiency of space occupied rather than total cost.

Developing infrastructure to support communication, meeting and interaction - Manchester has a
comparative advantage above other metropolitan areas in the extent of its communications
particularly cable networks. The International Convention Centre will radically improve the area's
capacity and performance as a meeting place for business. We must continue to build the
required advanced digital infrastructure that will enable the City Pride area to be a world leader in
e-commerce and new media.

Undertaking general environmental improvements – these are important to business location and
retention and are driven largely through area based regeneration initiatives often concentrated on
major road corridors. The stock of older buildings adds much to the uniqueness and attraction of
the area. The practice of re-using and adapting such buildings should continue, wherever
possible.

Developing new facilities and attractions - the City Pride area has benefited from the development
of a number of new high profile facilities over recent years notably the Bridgewater Hall, MEN
Arena, Velodrome and Lowry Centre. Others are in the pipeline, including the Imperial War
Museum of the North, City Art Gallery Extension and the new facilities being developed to host the
Commonwealth Games. These will raise the profile of the area considerably and attract visitors
from within the region, the UK and beyond. Careful consideration is being given to the
sustainability and impact.
Major Developments and Initiatives

Strategic Sites
A set of City Pride priorities meeting market and quality criteria will be agreed. The pursuit of new
science and technical business parks will continue.

East Manchester Regeneration Area
Key development projects include:




Ancoats urban village
Ashton Canal corridor
Cardroom Millennium Estate
North Manchester Business Park
Page 33
Key Performance Indicators
INDICATOR
NUMBER
INDICATOR DESCRIPTION
BASELINE
JANUARY
2001
D6.1
D6.2
D6.3
Investment in East Manchester
Jobs created in East Manchester
Hectares of brownfield land developed for
employment use
Number of key employment sites developed
Square metres of business premises improved
Square metres of new workspace
ICT infrastructure measure to be added e.g.
cabling
Jobs created in key employment sites
NEW
NEW
TBA
D6.4
D6.5
D6.6
D6.7
D6.8
TARGET
2001/02
TARGET
2002/03
TARGET
2003/4
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Roles and Responsibilities
The primary responsibility for the initiation of these activities rests with local authorities, delivered with
a host of public and private funding and development partners.
Page 34
SECTION FIVE – BENCHMARKING STRATEGY
In order to evaluate the impact and added value of this plan, and in line with the principles of Best
Value, we will track a range of key performance indicators against performance elsewhere, as follows:
Indicator
Number
EI 1
Indicator Description
Benchmarks To Be Used
GDP per capita
EI 2
Employment level
EI 3
Employment rate
EI 4
Unemployment rate
EI 5
Long term unemployment rate
EI 6
Economic activity rate
EI 8
Average price per square foot of commercial floor space
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Other UK Cities
NW
UK
D1.1
D1.3
D1.4
SBS penetration of businesses in the area
Percentage of SBS user companies showing an
increase in employment, export turnover, total assets or
profitability before interest and tax
Proportion of the workforce who are self employed
D1.5
D1.6
D1.7
New businesses started through SBS
New businesses created surviving 2 years
Measure on community business/community finance
D3.1
Percentage of companies committed to or recognised as
Investors in People
D3.2
Percentage of workforce employed in an IIP committed
or recognised organisation
D3.4
Proportion of 19 year olds with level 2 qualification
D3.5
Proportion of 21 year olds with level 3 qualification
D3.6
Proportion of adults with level 3 qualification
D3.7
Proportion of adults with level 4 qualification
D3.8
Reduction in non-learners**
D4.1
Index of multiple deprivation
Page 35
Frequency of
Comparison
Annual
Quarterly
Quarterly
Quarterly
Quarterly
Quarterly
Annual
Other SBS areas
Other SBS areas
Annual
Annual
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Other SBS areas
Other SBS areas
Other SBS areas
Quarterly
NW
UK
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Annual
National
Not yet known
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Indicator
Number
D4.2
Indicator Description
Benchmarks To Be Used
Unemployment rate in regeneration areas (designated
wards)
D4.3
Long-term unemployment rates in regeneration areas
(designated wards)
Within City Pride
NW
UK
Within City Pride
NW
UK
D4.4
Employment rates in regeneration areas (designated
wards)
Within City Pride
NW
UK
D4.5
Economic activity rates in regeneration areas
(designated wards)
Within City Pride
NW
UK
D4.7
Wage levels
D4.8
Reduction in non-learners (as D3.8)**
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
D5.2
Proportion of 16 year olds getting 5 higher grade GCSEs
D5.3
Proportion of 16 year olds getting at least 1 GCSE
D5.4
Proportion of 19 year olds with level 2 qualification (as
D3.4)
D5.5
Proportion of 21 year olds with level 3 qualification (as
D3.5)
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
Core Cities*
NW
UK
* Core cities are: Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield, Bristol and Liverpool
** National methodology for measuring reduction in non-learners yet to be agreed
Page 36
Frequency of
Comparison
Quarterly
Quarterly
following the
release of 2001
Census of
Population data
Quarterly
following the
release of 2001
Census of
Population data
Quarterly
following the
release of 2001
Census of
Population data
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annual
Annexe 1 - Process and context for economic development plan
NATIONAL POLICY
FRAMEWORKS e.g.








ACTION
SMALL BUSINESS SERVICE
LEARNING AND SKILLS
COUNCIL
CONNEXIONS
WELFARE TO WORK
SOCIAL INCLUSION
NEIGHBOURHOOD
RENEWAL
INVEST IN UK
BRITISH TRADE
INTERNATIONAL
ECONOMIC
ASSESSMENT
CITY PRIDE
VISION
DETAILED ANALYSIS
OF THE ECONOMY OF
THE CITY PRIDE AREA
IN AN INTERNATIONAL,
NATIONAL AND
REGIONAL CONTEXT
CUSTOMER
SURVEYS
CITY PRIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
NORTH WEST REGIONAL
STRATEGIES
REGIONAL STRATEGY

BUSINESS AND IDEAS

PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

INFRASTRUCTURE

IMAGE AND ENVIRONMENT




REGIONAL PLANNING
GUIDANCE
INNOVATION
SUSTAINABILITY
SKILLS
ECONOMIC DRIVERS

BUILDING BETTER BUSINESSES

ATTRACTING AND SUSTAINING INVESTORS

CREATING A WORLD CLASS WORKFORCE

DELIVERING LOCAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT

ENSURING THE BEST TRANSITION TO WORKING LIFE FOR ALL OUR YOUNG PEOPLE

DEVELOPING OUR PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO DRIVE ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT
PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
LOCAL STRATEGIES










LOCAL AUTHORITY
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
STATEMENTS AND
ACTION PLANS
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES


MANCHESTER
ENTERPRISES
STRATEGY AND
BUSINESS PLANS
FOR:

CHAMBER
BUSINESS
ENTERPRISES

MIDAS

EMPLOYMENT
AND
REGENERATION
PARTNERSHIP

SKILLS
SOLUTION

CAREERS
PARTNERSHIP

MANCHESTER
CITY PRIDE EBP

IT BASE
COMMUNITY PLANS
AREA BASED
REGENERATION
EDUCATION
LIFELONG LEARNING
EARLY YEARS
CRIME
HOUSING
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
JOINT INVESTMENT PLANS
ENVIRONMENT
TRANSPORT
CULTURAL STRATEGY
LOCAL
PARTNER/COMMUNITY/
BUSINESS CONSULTATION
CONSULTATION WITH CITY PRIDE PARTNERS
OTHER LOCAL
PARTNER ACTIONS