Plymouth's ambitious plan to create more than 2,000 jobs
An ambitious proposal to create more than 2,000 jobs in two years is being launched by Plymouth City Council.
Plymouth's Plan for Jobs will see the creation of 19 projects that will encourage city organisations to pump energy, motivation and substantial funding into the local economy to stimulate growth and jobs. A task force involving key organisations including the Council, the University as well as Plymouth Community Homes and private business have been working since July to put together the plan which aims to:
* Create jobs for local people by unlocking or speeding up major development projects, including housing
* Help the city's unemployed gain skills and experience to help them get work as well as retain talented graduates
* Proactively sell the city, its businesses, its products and its people
* Unlock access to finance and provide support to enable jobs growth
* Use the Council's assets, influence and buying power to increase jobs by using local supply chains and local goods where possible.
A report outlining the projects in the Plan for Jobs and its overall aim is to be discussed at Cabinet on 15 January.
Council leader Tudor Evans, whose portfolio includes growth, said: "Anyone who has been unemployed or has someone in their family who is out of work knows the impact it can have on every aspect of a person's life and those around them. Confidence goes out the window, their health and mental wellbeing suffers, they have no money.
"We could sit back and blame the economic conditions, which would be true. We could confidently say that this is the Government's fault, but that does nothing to help Plymouth and its people.
"This, more than anything else we do, is showing how we are a cooperative council, how we will work with our partners across the city to do all we can for our community."
The plan is in addition to the city's existing Local Economic Strategy and focuses on what can be achieved within a relatively short time. It has been developed following the leader's 'call to arms' to address unemployment by creating new jobs.
A number of the projects are Council led, including working to unlock land and major projects, paving the way for construction jobs as well as more long-term work opportunities.
As a major employer, purchaser of products and services and community leader, the Council will be working more to ensure it buys more locally. It will also shortly unveil plans to strengthen its economic development function so that the Council can increase efforts to attract inward investors as well as visitors to the city.
And in the next month the Council will announce a multi-million pound capital investment fund that will help fund key projects and support the city's wider economic ambitions.
Plymouth's economy has faced unprecedented challenges as a result of a serious downturn in the national and European economies and high levels of global economic instability caused by banking crises and instability in the Eurozone.
Austerity measures introduced in the UK since 2010 have had particular impact on the public sector and therefore a requirement for state spending reductions which, together with rising prices and real wage deflation across the population, have led to high levels of unemployment.
Unemployment has become a particular scourge of young people with record levels of young people being without work.
The city's claimant count rose sharply following the onset of the 2008/9 recession and as a result of a prolonged period of flat growth and weak demand, has since remained elevated: there were 6,300 claimants in October 2012 (3.6% of the resident working age population), twice the number recorded in October 2007.
Further analysis of the data reveals more worrying trends in long-term unemployment and the number of young claimants (predominantly aged 18-24): the number of individuals claiming for over a year has more than doubled since mid-2012 and now stands at 1,700 (28% of all claimants) whilst 34% of total claimants in the city are aged 18-24 compared to 28% nationally.
The Plan for Jobs has been produced by a Jobs Task Force led and chaired by the Leader of the Council Tudor Evans. Members are:
• Professor Julian Beer, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Economic and Regional Development, Plymouth University
• James Brent, Chair and Chief Executive of the Akkeron Group
• Simon Chamberlain, Principal of Ultimate Succession and Non-Executive Chair of the Tamar Science Park Board
• Ian Brokenshire, Senior Partner at KMPG Plymouth, Vice Chair of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and member of the Plymouth Area Business Council
• Phil Davies, Principal of City College Plymouth
• Peter Flukes, Chief Executive of Wolseley Trust
• Bev Hurley, Chief Executive of YTKO (including Outset Plymouth)
• Roger Pipe, General Manager of Millfields Trust
• Judith Reynolds, Board of Governors at Plymouth University / Social Enterprise Development Agency
• Clive Turner, Chief Executive of Plymouth Community Homes
Michelle Virgo, Managing Director of Zebra and Chair of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network
The 19 projects are:
West End Accelerated Development: a new partnership of public and private sector landowners to regenerate the city's West End, including the Theatre Royal, Pavilions and Civic Centre.
Pavilions and Home Park: a blueprint for supporting the local economy, working with education institutions including City College and Plymouth University to create job opportunities for those furthest from the labour market, including young people.
Get Plymouth Building: The Council will proactively accelerate housing provision in the city through bringing forward new sites, promoting self-build and using new funding mechanisms.
Bickleigh Low Carbon Housing & Green Business Hubs: low carbon housing and green incubators at Bickleigh to establish Plymouth as a national centre for mass produced zero carbon homes.
Urban Enterprise Business Hubs: a series of managed business hubs to support the growth of start-ups, capitalising on the success of the Urban Enterprise programme.
Proactive Planning for Jobs: a more proactive approach to planning to secure additional apprenticeships and the increased use of local labour agreements.
1,000 Club: identify 1,000 companies in the Plymouth area to commit to providing a range of jobs, apprenticeships, graduate internships and work experience.
Apprenticeships Training Agency: City College Plymouth to create the city's first multi-sector Apprenticeship Training Agency.
Plymouth Making Waves: a city wide art project to help attract visitors to the city and provide apprenticeship work opportunities.
Increasing Inward Investment: more resources to attract new employers into the city with the addition of three new inward investment professionals. An aim to increase visitor numbers to the city by 20% and visitor spend by 25% by 2020.
Plymouth University and Western Morning News Growth Fund: Grants for Plymouth businesses will be administered through the Plymouth University and Western Morning News Growth Fund. These will be given out to small businesses to create sustainable jobs.
Fredericks Foundation loans: to support Fredericks Foundation to act as a lender of last resort for people and businesses that have been unable to secure enterprise finance from mainstream lenders such as high street banks.
Outset Finance: The Council will continue to support Understanding Finance for Business to help businesses become investment ready and find appropriate sources of funding to create jobs and growth.
Growth Acceleration & Investment Network (GAIN): Further development of the Growth Acceleration Investment Network (GAIN) will combine city assets and business support expertise to create new jobs and will help to rebalance the Plymouth economy.
Digital Plymouth: the Council will work with partners to keep Plymouth ahead of the digital curve.
Business Engagement: more resource will be deployed to provide advice to city businesses, with signposting to support providers and assistance for businesses to realise their development and expansion plans.
Pursuing Public Finances for Jobs: A specialist economy focused funding officer will be employed by Plymouth City Council to help the city get more public funding to support job creation.
PCC Procurement: "Use the Council's assets, influence and buying power to increase jobs by using local supply chains and local goods where possible"
Plymouth "Building for Jobs" Capital Investment Fund: The Council will create a new public sector "Building for Jobs" capital investment fund, aimed at unlocking stalled development and public infrastructure that will create new jobs and lever in further public and private sector capital funding for the city.
