Site Visits: Morning of 20th November 2019
A site visit for delegates to a project supporting inclusive growth in Greater Manchester is part of day 2 of the conference programme (Wednesday 20th November). Some of these will involve travel for which we are organising transport to and from the conference venue.
We therefore ask if you can please contact the Conference team to confirm your first and second choice of site visit as soon as you can, preferably by Monday 11th November. Many thanks!
Site Visit 1: Manchester
This visit covers Manchester City Council and the Town Hall. Manchester City Council has recently developed a Local Industrial Strategy which has inclusive growth at its heart, and has a strong track record of using social value to deliver inclusive growth objectives. This visit will be an opportunity to hear more about the State of the City, Manchester's Local Industrial Strategy, and their approach and track record in delivering social value through our commissioning and procurement. The Town Hall project is an exemplar in terms of building in social value from the outset of a large capital project and this is an opportunity to have a short tour of the Grade 1* listed building which is closed to the public until 2024. Please note the visit to the Town Hall project requires construction clothing (hard hats and boots) – please let us know your shoe size if you would like to attend this visit.
Site Visit 2: Wythenshawe
This visit will be to Wythenshawe Park Horticultural Centre – one of the sites of Real Food Wythenshawe, a cross-sector initiative linking health and wellbeing with employment and education opportunities. Real Food Wythenshawe work with housing associations, the health sector, voluntary and community organisations and the local college to improve the lives of Wythenshawe’s residents. We’ll also hear about other economic opportunities provided by big developments and new companies in Wythenshawe, and how inclusive growth is approached by Manchester Airports Group and BW3 (Business Working with Wythenshawe).
Site Visit 3: Rochdale
We will visit Lower Falinge, one of Rochdale’s major regeneration neighbourhoods and the site of plans for a healthier, better-connected community with improved housing and public spaces. We will hear from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing at their offices and meet some of the staff and tenants involved in the exciting New Pioneers project, a partnership with the RSA. We’ll also meet representatives from Rochdale Stronger together and hear about their work on growing their local economy, focussing on buying local, local employment, and collaboration with Rochdale’s anchor institutions.
Site Visit 4: Collyhurst
We’ll visit Collyhurst in North Manchester and meet the team at YES Manchester. The Collyhurst site is their third YES (Your Employment Services) premises and it offers support to the local community in the form of recruitment, training, volunteering, business and enterprise advice, and support and advice with finance. We’ll find out about Collyhurst as a space of regeneration, which was awarded £1million Big Local lottery funding in 2012, and will soon be part of the ‘Manchester Northern Gateway’ area: one of the UK’s largest residential masterplans.
Site Visit 5: Wigan
Here we will visit Abram Ward Community Co-operative, the home of ‘Made in Wigan’, a social enterprise and co-operative hub which has been one of the biggest successes of Wigan’s Community Investment Fund. Made in Wigan supports members of the community to turn their skills and interests into products or services that fulfil local needs. The Community Investment fund is a result of the ‘Wigan Deal’, the asset-based approach which represents an informal agreement between the council and everyone who lives and works in the area to work together and create a better borough. We will hear from Wigan Council representatives about the ‘Deal’ and their efforts to encourage inclusive growth as part of this.
Site Visit 6: Greater Manchester Combined Authority (and Social Care Partnership)
We will visit the offices of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership to hear about cross-borough co-operation and initiatives to support Inclusive Growth. The GM-wide programmes face the challenge of reducing inequalities both between GM and the rest of the country, as well as within and between the ten boroughs that make up Greater Manchester. We will hear about experiences of Devolution and some of the ambitions and challenges this joined-up leadership faces in the near future.