SME Local CIC’s Post

We have been working closely with the Hounslow community this past year. As part of this engagement, we recently undertook a six-session co-design programme on the future of 980 Great West Road in Brentford (formerly GSK House). Facilitated and delivered in partnership with Neighbourly Lab, Metropolitan Workshop LLP, Haworth Tompkins and McGregor Coxall, we invited a broad and diverse group of people from the local area to lend their lived experience and knowledge to inform and influence the evolution of our proposals. The co-design sessions covered six key themes: - Accessibility and Navigation - Green, Blue, and Play Spaces - Entertainment and Leisure facilities - Women and Girls Safe Spaces - Practical Facilities - Youth Facilities At our Youth Facilities session in November, our Design Director, Michael Clark, reflected on the central role co-design plays in the planning process and evolving designs that speak to the needs and aspirations of residents. Since these sessions, we presented our early plans at our public consultation events earlier this month, gathering further feedback from the community. Next year, we will come back with updates on how we have integrated co-design outcomes into our designs, alongside a further round of consultation to present our advanced designs. We look forward to continuing conversations with the community and the collaborative planning journey with the London Borough of Hounslow. Thank you to all those who have been involved so far!

A home built in 3 days. Being done in Ireland too. We seriously need to ramp up fast build. 500 a year as set by the Department of housing when there’s a 535,000 home undersupply relative to EU average (not even too quartile) means 1000 years to get through the backlog/ undersupply. Hardly ambitious. How about 5 factories in regions with low employment, producing 2,000 homes a year. That’s 10,000 homes. Or, less than 15% of the annual demand to keep housing supply higher than job growth & start to eat into the lowest in EU levels of home ownership in young. For 20,000 of the 1.35m not owning. Love they are also low carbon and low energy. Next myth shattered; ‘it would need 5,000 workers/‘there is no capacity.’ Would require c600 workers for 10,000 homes as Fast build is 15x more productive per home. That’s 120 per regional factory. Unskilled / retrained. Before the soft costs and ground works. We really need to stop pandering to status quo and start embracing what’s already working in other countries as the sooner we get scaling up, the sooner young get homes. Or we’ll see that the lack of ambition just sees young move overseas to where there’s is high demand, better policies and a better likelihood of getting a home for young.

At Doncaster Chamber, we are dedicated to fostering a better business environment in Doncaster and amplifying our members' voices on a range of important issues. Of course, this means listening attentively to our network, just as much as it does speaking on their behalf. With that in mind, it’s been great to hear directly from the business community over the past couple of weeks, at various forums and meetings. Last Friday, for instance, saw the return of our MPs Question Time event in a subtly rebooted format. Having made a conscious decision to move away from the heavily curated questions of the past, we instead handed the reins over to the audience and let them dictate the flow of conversation; a subtle tweak which I think really benefited the quality of the debate. Members shared fascinating insights on topics ranging from Net Zero to the implications of AI and the economic fortunes of our city centre, while also posing some interesting and challenging questions. It was a helpful reminder that ambition and pride in Doncaster does not (and absolutely should not) preclude bluntness and honesty about the city's challenges and shortcomings. On that note, we now have an opportunity for you to share your views on one the subjects that was most evocative at the MPs Question Time. As its name suggests, our new Town and City Centre Survey is a chance for you to articulate what you think needs to be improved with our local urban core and where further investment is needed. Among other things, it will asks you to rate the cleanliness, safety, retail offer and cultural offer in the city centre, while also getting you to identify your top priorities for making it a better place to do business. Of course we need to identify the problems, but we're keen to move beyond that with this piece of work to start identifying the solutions too. With that in mind, we will use then use the insights from your responses to advocate for the interventions you’d like to see from us, the local council, the police force, and other Team Doncaster partners. We know that the future of the City Centre is an issue close to the hearts of many of our members, so don’t miss this opportunity to shape where it’s heading next: https://lnkd.in/eeGNbk7k The more responses we get, the louder our collective voice will be. Collectively we can make the case for positive change. Fabian Braithwaite, Jim Carley, Andy Morley, Jade Dyer, Laura Hemstock, Harrison Abbott, Ian Hoad, Victoria Snowden, Sam Foster, Dominic Gibbs, Luke Fermor, Pippa Mell, Kelvin Fitton, Tariq Shah OBE, Alexandra Walker, Stephen Farr

Bilston has a history of doing things its own way. Legacies of making, social organising and innovation have cultivated a unique local energy — not least the first UK town to index happiness. With new central government funding coming into the town over the next decade, residents must be empowered to draw on this legacy to seed new cultural growth in Bilston. We’ve been working to produce a Cultural Infrastructure Micro-Plan to set a trajectory for culture rooted in local values. We’ve worked with the West Midlands Combined Authority and City of Wolverhampton Council – supported by collaborators PRD and Stockdale – and connected with local stakeholders who will take forwards opportunities. Current momentum to strengthen Bilston’s offer as a place for culture is strong and over £45 million is destined for Bilston across the next ten years. This micro-plan for Bilston’s cultural development recommends four priority projects. These projects align closely with Bilston’s cultural requirements and aim to leverage existing and emerging cultural initiatives, such as those led by the Gazebo Theatre, the new Urban Room, Bilston Market regeneration efforts, and the grassroots music scene. We recognise it is important to ensure opportunities for culture lock in Bilston’s values — the things like happiness, cohesion, and healthy communities that have always been important to people in this place. Understanding which town centre assets can play a role in this mission, and imagining how Bilston’s creative residents can activate them, will be key first steps in embedding culture in the town. Read more about how the Cultural Infrastructure Micro-Plan will do this: https://lnkd.in/eR2hzH2z #culture #creativity #westmidlands #bilston #towns #gazebotheatre #urbanroom

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 - 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 ⭐ The Working Well: Support to Succeed programme in Greater #Manchester is designed to help reduce inequality and social isolation in various neighbourhoods across the region. The programme aims to help those who are economically inactive by providing free wellbeing, confidence and skills support, as well as providing access to opportunities to help them become more active residents, with the confidence and aspirations to achieve their goals. One participant who recently received our support as part of the programme is Stewart. His keyworker, Karen Mears, tells us about the support he received while on the programme, which included helping him to find accommodation and providing him with a bicycle. You can read his full story here: https://lnkd.in/e--x2bHP The Growth Company Greater Manchester Combined Authority Keely Marie Jukes Kate Fisk

"There are families in this area where I had probably assessed the parents when they were kids. It just goes round and round. And we’re trying to break that cycle." What if public services collaborated to serve their communities? Cradle to Career created a multidisciplinary team at Wirral Council to work together towards the community's goals - based together in a local centre. It's meant faster interventions, more trust and better outcomes. Its success could form the model for a revival of Total Place-style place-based budgets. Find out more about the programme 🔗 https://lnkd.in/etNDfgAz #LocalGov #PublicServices #SocialServices #PublicServiceTransformation #Liverpool #TotalPlace

#Bradford as #UKCityofCulture for 2025 plays an important role in the broader regeneration vision for Bradford district. Additionally, the designation will create thousands of new jobs for residents of the city, across various industries. Therefore, this will boost the local economy in the area. For investors, this means they can benefit from capital appreciation, as often a strong local economy coincides with a growing property market. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/etp3NCcW Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

‘Informative’ and ‘encouraging’ are the two words I use to summarise the National Housing Federation’s and Chartered Institute of Housing’s pioneering Housing Community Summit conference here in Liverpool. So many ideas, thoughts and debates backed by sheer passion to tackle the social housing industry’s numerous challenges. All the plenaries were full, which speaks volumes. Myself, as many others, came here on a ‘fact finding’ mission to this new conference to determine “is this relevant to me and my organisation?” and “is this something I should be involved in from hereon?” and the answer is a resounding “Yes!” As a contractor specialising in helping our social housing clients and their customers to keep their properties safe and decent, it’s evident that collaboration right across the sector is key now more than ever. As I sit here waiting to board the train from Liverpool to London; I am filled with numerous new ideas and thoughts around how best we can continue to positively tackle those challenges. #enthused #tacklingsocialhousingchallenges #sametimenextyear

🤝 Collaboration in Action: Tackling ASB in Leicester Square 🤝 Partnerships are key to creating safer spaces for all, and last week was a shining example of this commitment. Together with Westminster City Council and The Metropolitan Police, we carried out a focused operation in Leicester Square targeting anti-social behaviour caused by Pedicabs in the West End. 🚨 The Results Speak for Themselves: ➡ 7 arrests, including one Pedicab rider wanted by Immigration. ➡ Over 25 riders engaged for traffic offences and stop searches conducted. ➡ Education provided on upcoming legislation, ensuring safer practices for the future. This dedicated operation highlights the power of teamwork in addressing pressing issues and ensuring Leicester Square remains a welcoming space for everyone. Heart of London Business Alliance Russell Easterbrook #PartnershipsForSafety #LeicesterSquare #ASBWeek #TacklingCrimeTogether #MyLocalBobby #CommunitySafety

Thank you to Professional Liverpool and Kindred LCR for inviting us to sit on their panel Partnering With The Social Economy last week 🙏🏽 We had a great discussion around how private sector businesses can engage with the social economy and create positive change in our community. This is an important topic for us, and we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to both PL and Kindred for seeing so much value in our point of view. #LiverpoolCommunity #SocialEconomy #SocialEconomyLiverpool #LiverpoolLocal #CommunityFirstLiverpool #LiverpoolTogether #LiverpoolSocialImpact #LiverpoolVolunteer #SupportLocalLiverpool  #LiverpoolMutualAid #LiverpoolSocialEnterprises  #LpoolSocialEconomy #LiverpoolInAction #CommunityWealthLiverpool #PeoplePoweredLiverpool #InclusiveLiverpool #LiverpoolCooperatives #LiverpoolSolidarity #BuildingLiverpoolCommunities #GrassrootsLiverpool #LiverpoolForAll