Final Report

Annex A - Area Case Studies

ANNEX Ai - HULME AND MOSS SIDE

1. Hulme and Moss Side lie immediately south and west of Manchester city centre and have a population of around 28,000. Within the City of Manchester, the two wards score 1st and 5th respectively on the Government's most recent index of urban deprivation. Key indicators are listed below. There is a high concentration of ethnic minority residents and lone parent households in the area, as well as refugee communities, and the area has experienced high levels of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion for many years.

2. Moss Side has a large Black African-Caribbean population. Old terraced housing stock, much of which is rented, is being renovated by housing associations. The area's reputation for violence associated with the drugs trade has diminished and the place is generally much safer now.

3. In Hulme attractive new houses and flats are being built and this acivity will continue for several years. . Hulme has always had a more mixed population - students and graduates moving in and out bring a more bohemian atmosphere. Statistics show the area has the highest concentration of graduates anywhere in Manchester. The new housing is attracting people from outside the area who want to live near the City Centre: a priority now is to get them to stay by providing family houses and good schools.

4. Important elements in regeneration strategy are a new "high street" incorporating well-known stores, a new market, smaller shops catering to the African-Caribbean and other ethnic minority residents, a Youth "Powerhouse" and a focus on culture, arts and recreation, including plans to establish a new young people's arts centre . Manchester City Football Club, on the borders of Moss Side, is moving to a new site in 2003 and there are plans to use the stadium for rugby (including creating a teamEmployment

Employment

5. The area is well-placed for employment, bordered by the city centre and Manchester's HE institutions. A 12 acre strategic employment site is being created at "Archway" close to Princess Road. Salford Quays and other river/canalside developments are nearby and Manchester Airport is also easily reached by good public transport links. Scottish and Newcastle Breweries and ASDA are the main private sector employers in the area: other local opportunities lie in the public and voluntary sectors. The revitalised High Street should provide more service sector jobs.

6. The brewery has a long-standing local labour agreement with the City Council and a similar arrangement covers the building work through which the housing stock is being redeveloped. Supported by one of the local training and employment agencies, ASDA went out of its way to recruit local people when it set up its new store, working on the assumption (subsequently proved correct) that crime would be less of a problem if local people felt they had a stake in the store.

Educational institutions

7. The area has two local secondary schools, one of which has recently been completely rebuilt after it burned down, and a city-wide Church of England secondary school at the edge of the patch. All are said to have good local reputations. There is a sixth form college but no FE college.

8. There are several Adult Education centres - in Hulme, the 1960s library was refurbished with City Challenge money and also includes a café and a library to draw people in. In Moss Side, the main centre - Greenheys - is an old school building recently refurbished to provide adult education services. Manchester City Council gives substantial support for adult education (the funding for the centres is roughly 45% FEFC, 35% LEA and 20% other). We were told that local residents have little contact with the neighbouring HE institutions, apart from those who have moved into the area because they already have a place to study.

9. Local agencies provide pre-recruitment training and business support. Learning also takes place through a rich variety of community-based activity and voluntary groups, for example the Community Health and Resource Centres (see below).

Previous regeneration activity

10. Hulme City Challenge provided £37.5 million between 1992 and 1997, which was used to change the face of the area through physical redevelopment. The notorious 1960s council flats were replaced with modern private sector and housing association properties designed in consultation with local people and police. Latterly the programme concentrated on securing a sustainable economic base for the area and better provision of e.g. health facilities. Over £100 million in private sector investment was committed to the area.

11. Capital Challenge provided £11 million to extend physical, economic and environmental redevelopment from Hulme into Moss Side.

12. The Moss Side Initiative, using over £12 million from SRB Rounds 1 and 2, has provided a comprehensive social, housing, education, training and jobsearch programme focusing on young people, particularly those who are disaffected. The flagship development, is the recently completed Millennium Powerhouse, a multi-function resource centre providing for leisure, recreation and ICT, health and careers advice, study support, FE, training and business support, meetings and debate.

13. The area is currently benefiting from £5 million funding from the EU URBAN initiative. Three strands of activity cover: launching new economic activity; securing training and employment for local people; and community safety. As the programme ends shortly, there is concern that a lack of matching funding will mean they will be unable to draw down some of this funding. There is also an ERDF/CED Action Plan for the area.

Main agencies

Moss Side and Hulme Partnership - a division of the City Council - takes forward the general regeneration of the area, co-ordinating the programmes outlined above.

Moss Side and Hulme AED is responsible for preparing the economic strategy for the area, bringing together agencies and delivery, and for identifying and addressing gaps in provision for the area in training, employability and business support.

Manchester TEC runs an Education Employment and Training Measures Group for the area which includes local residents among its membership.

Community Health and Resources Centres Ltd (CHRC) is a charitable company providing:

    i) a hub for many small local voluntary groups (many of which include an element of learning in the services they provide) at the Zion Centre;

    ii) primary healthcare and health education at the Kath Locke Centre;

    iii) culturally-diverse childcare including training for workers; and

    iv) complementary treatments and counselling

Moss Side and Hulme Economic Forum hosts and chairs Firmstart, providing managed work space and skills and enterprise support

Community Development Trust delivers pre-recruitment training through Moss Side and Hulme AED

Moss Side and Hulme Women's Action Forum (MOSHWAF) delivers business support and skills training mostly to women from ethnic minorities. Women are generally felt to be more active than men in community activity, education and support for young people.

Main issues emerging

14. Findings largely support the analysis in the PAT consultation paper Problems in increasing skill levels in deprived neighbourhoods, and key players in the area confirm that the paper accurately and comprehensively reflects their views. The "headline" issues from the PAT's visits are:

  • the need for consistency of funding - long-term, mainstream (not project), not matched, not from lots of different pots with different criteria, monitoring procedures, forms, timescales etc. Community-based providers need a long lead time to win trust / make links / embed in community which is the key to their success;

  • several people emphasised that what many people need is a space to try things out / fail and try again / sort their lives out - but short-term, output-driven funding regimes do not allow for this. The benefit regime does not help. A holistic approach is vital - people cannot focus on learning if they e.g. have no home / income / reliable childcare

  • The benefits issue is central. It is especially worrying for people on Disability Living Allowance - clients are terrified that if they go for anything remotely like vocational training the Benefits Agency will declare them fit for work before they are ready, but this makes it impossible for people to move on. It is not just the issue of a drop in income but the fear of not being able to get back on the same benefit if they "fail" or have a relapse.

  • Over-reliance on outputs / targets / quantitative measures as means of allocating funding works against the "gentle slope", pre-pre-vocational provision that draws in reluctant learners. The system should value (and fund) the learning process / experience as well as outcome. Some argue the need for a certain level of core funding to ensure longevity of community-based resources and avoid uncertainty among staff and clients (and time spent chasing funding every year).

  • Hard quantitative measures are also often unsuitable for judging quality and effectiveness. Success criteria could be negotiated with each project / group. Or a process should be reintroduced which involves qualitative judgements made by experienced people - such as peer measuring, like OFSTED.

  • The contract culture in education and training works against proper partnership / co-operation / organisations concentrating on their strengths. At present, there is no structural reason or body to promote collaboration, and consequently no planning / co-ordination, and a danger of duplication and gaps. People are hopeful that Learning Partnerships may sort this out, though that initiative is still in its early stages.

Examples of good practice

  • Manchester TEC has combined New Deal, Single Regneration Budget, TEC and Local Authority funding to support an Intermediate Labour Market model which has become Option 3 and 4 of the New Deal for Young People. The programme provides12 months paid employment within the voluntary and environmental sectors, training in a vocational qualification and personal development.

  • The introduction of the programme, with 8 different payment types and 58 funding triggers, has considerably added to the administration involved for all organisations. The Community Health and Resource Centre which has a contract for 15 jobs feels the negative effects of the situation. However, they have actively engaged in the ILM programme.

  • The Zion Centre is part of Community Health and Resource Centres Ltd. It provides much-needed premises and support to many small local voluntary groups (one of these - a mental health support group - involves its clients in running the café at the centre). A familiar and accessible presence in the area, the Centre provides the sort of non-threatening, informal opportunities that seem to be effective in drawing marginalised people into engagement and activity at a pace that suits them. Lots of "volunteers" start by just hanging around the Centre or using services - then gradually start doing things to help out as they begin to feel comfortable and develop a sense of ownership and belonging. Their identification is with the place and people and joining in with what goes on, rather than deliberately choosing a particular activity.

Relevant local research

Hulme City Challenge - Did It Work? (European Institute for Urban Affairs, Liverpool JMU, 1998)

An Independent Review of the Training, Education and Employment Needs and Opportunities for the Residents of Moss Side and Hulme (MPCS Consultants, 1998)

European URBAN Community Initiative: Moss Side and Hulme Approved Local Action Plan 1997-1999 (Moss Side and Hulme URBAN Partnership group, 1998)

Organisations and Individuals Consulted

Moss Side and Hulme Partnership
Moss Side and Hulme Economic Agency
Manchester TEC
Employment Service (Alexandra Park)
Government Office for the North West
Manchester Adult Education Service
Greenheys Adult Education Centre
Hulme Adult Education Centre
City College
Community Health and Resource Centres Limited at Zion Centre
HARP mental health project
Phobic Society
African-Caribbean Mental Heath Project
Waberi project at Saltshaker
Manchester Foyer
ASDA
Mushroom
Anglo-American Coach Industries Limited

Data

Adult population 28,000
Ethnic minorities 33.9%
Unemployment rate 17.1%
Long-Term Unemployment 33.3%
Households receiving benefit 60%
Households without a car 73.3%
School leavers with 5+ GCSEs at grades A-C 3.7%
School leavers with no qualifications 54%
Lone parent households 13.9%
Under-16 pregnancies per 1000 conceptions 47.3
Burglary per 1000 households 104.6
Robbery per 1000 population 15.5

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