Neil McInroy Chief Executive Centre for Local Economic Strategies The innovation and added value of grass roots employment initiatives Future Directions 20 th November 2013

What i CLES? Independent charity Economic development but with social fairness and within limits of environment Publishers: Established 1986 Planners, geographers, local government, environmental scientists, economists Hybrid; research, consultancy, members Leading UK member org for research into Economic development About CLES

Grass roots (VCS) economic contribution 900,000 groups with income of £38.3bn (2010/11) Employs 732,000 people (68% women) Controls £229bn assets

Value that volunteers place on volunteering is equivalent of £13,500 a year or £70bn Value that people place on ‘living in a society where they feel they can trust’ people is about £15,900 per year. The cost of unpaid caring about £23,600 per year, grossing to £142bn in the UK Wellbeing and civil society, Estimating the value of volunteering using subjective wellbeing data by Daniel Fujiwara, Paul Oroyemi and Ewen McKinnon (DWP 2013 ) 12.pdfhttps:// 12.pdf The ‘unvalued’ contribution

Good economies have three interdependent economies…

A good economy Exchange and wealth creation through commercial activity Solidarity/reciprocity in society Equality/Redistribution through the state Reciprocity is a fundamental economic principle

Our thinking around local economic development Mainstream Economic development Local system approaches Generic understanding of employment pathways Bespoke understanding of community and individual Wealth will create jobs ‘Rising ride will lift all boats’, ‘trickle down’ Building up local individual and community capacity & asset building ‘torrent down’ Economic wealth creates social progress Social progress as an input to economic success Corporate modes of local engagement Intrinsic local involvement & engagement Two routes to better employment

What more can be done: Role of LEP’s? Must have bespoke ideas which link with place and people characteristics Get in charge of and localise skills agenda (resources) Acknowledge volunteering and social capital inputs Get to know and stimulate Green innovation, Life innovation (health and well being), Local regeneration

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