Investing in Communities
The examples of projects detailed below bring to life the work of the GCP and demonstrate how the GCP is making a difference to the development of the Greater Cambridge area. The GCP’s added value to the projects may be by direct financial contribution, strategic leadership, ensuring a fit with the sub regional economic strategy (SRES), facilitating collaboration or general promotion.
This section relates to the fourth goal of the SRES:
| Goal | Description | Delivery Coordination Group |
| 4 | Benefiting all across the sub-region | GCP Investing in Communities sub-group |
The delivery coordination group for each SRES goals is detailed above whilst the individual delivery partner responsible for the specific project is detailed in the examples below.
- What is Investing in Communities?
- The IiC vision for Cambridgeshire
- How does the GCP add value?
- What issues does IiC address in Cambridgeshire?
- How are we tackling deprivation and barriers?
- New programmes of activity starting 2007
- Who is involved in IiC in Cambridgeshire?
- Cambridgeshire Rural Forum
- Who do I contact for more information?
What is Investing in Communities?
Investing in Communities (IiC) is a long-term social inclusion programme. Its aim is to improve and coordinate public, private and community sector
responses to tackling long-term inequality, exclusion and social deprivation. In turn this will bring benefit, opportunity and regeneration to disadvantaged
communities. It was launched across the East of England in 2003 and relates to Goal 4 of the sub-regional economic strategy (SRES).
Download the sub-regional economic strategy
The GCP is responsible for delivery of the programme throughout Cambridgeshire. (The IiC programme covers Cambridgeshire county rather than the Greater Cambridge area.)
The IiC vision for Cambridgeshire
“To ensure that the most deprived communities can achieve their full potential and therefore contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable growth across
Cambridgeshire and beyond.”
To achieve this, IiC Cambridgeshire addresses the key issues that create economic and social deprivation which prevent people from achieving their full potential.
How does the GCP add value?
The GCP adds value to projects in a variety of ways such as helping to secure funding, providing strategic leadership, facilitating collaboration, sharing
good practice or general promotion. The case studies illustrate some of the scope of the programme and demonstrate the difference that is being made in our
local communities.
What issues does IiC address in Cambridgeshire?
Cambridgeshire is a rapidly growing and economically successful county with a population growth of over 20% since 1981. It has excellent transport links,
high levels of employment and earnings are above the regional average. Overall, levels of multiple deprivation are low and Cambridgeshire is the least
deprived county within the East of England.
However, pockets of deprivation do exist, with some individuals facing barriers that prevent them from accessing opportunities and becoming economically independent. For example:
- Pockets of deprivation can be found in:
- North and East Cambridge (Arbury, Kings Hedges and Abbey)
- Huntingdonshire (Huntingdon: Oxmoor and St Neots: Eynesbury/Romsey)
- East Cambridgeshire (Littleport)
- Fenland (Wisbech and its surrounding areas)
- Disadvantaged rural communities
- In the Waterlees ward in Wisbech, more than one in five of all adults (22%) are without work
- 98,000 people across the county – nearly a quarter of all adults – have no qualifications; this figures rises to 38% in Fenland district
- 16,400 people receive Incapacity Benefit (8.8% of the region’s total) and this figure is growing
- Travellers form the largest ethnic minority group (estimated at up to 5,500 people) and face severe skills issues
- Pakistani, Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi groups are significantly more likely to be unemployed than other groups
- Migrant workers and their families are recognised as a rapidly growing ‘community’ in Cambridgeshire with a range of challenging needs.
Download the IiC Programme Evidence Report
How are we tackling deprivation and barriers?
EEDA approved £1.4m of IiC funding for Cambridgeshire for 2006-07 that was used to:
- Raise the aspirations of individuals to gain skills and employment
- Promote and encourage enterprise and social enterprise
- Empower communities by encouraging learning
- Promote partnership development at community and agency levels.
This investment, along with money from other partners, is being used to support a range of activities that include:
- The Retain & Regain work support programme led by Richmond Fellowship Training; it helps individuals with mild and moderate mental health problems return to work or access employment
- Developing Gypsy and Traveller skills programme by providing tailored packages of training and support through outreach services
- Supporting the development of social enterprise by raising awareness within public authorities of the contribution that social enterprises can make to the local economy; also by supporting social enterprises with the development of business skills and ensuring that they can access public procurement and contract opportunities.
A full list of projects backed by GCP support including details, status reports and contact details can be accessed from the menu on the right.
Download the Summary IiC Progress reports July 2007
New programmes of activity starting 2007
In January 2007 EEDA approved £9m for the Cambridgeshire IiC programme over the next four years, 2007-2011. This money will continue to help tackle the
barriers identified by targeting funding towards the most deprived areas and groups by:
- Providing opportunities for individuals to improve and enhance their skills; this will include assistance for young people going from school to further education, employment or training; and developing skills for economically inactive adults
- Assisting the most disadvantaged to enhance their employability
- Encouraging enterprise through work with disadvantaged groups and in the most deprived communities.
Specific activities planned include:
- Reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by developing vocational skills centres in at least ten community colleges across the county, and extending the outreach services provided by Romsey Mill in Cambridge to support young people
- Increasing the number of adults gaining qualifications and employment by developing learning communities; these will initially be in Wisbech and Ramsey, then rolled out to St Neots, Littleport and Chatteris
- Improving skill levels and employment or self-employment rates of women from the Bangladeshi community in Cambridge by making it easier to access support
- Encouraging enterprise and sustainable self-employment by supporting enterprise counselling, coaching and advice to individuals in target communities, notably in Wisbech, Huntingdon (Oxmoor) and Cambridge (Abbey, Arbury and Kings Hedges) and in disadvantaged rural communities
- Increasing the number of disabled people in employment by raising awareness of disability issues among employers and supporting disabled people into work.
All of these activities are being supported by a range of partners including the Learning and Skills Council, Jobcentre Plus, Cambridgeshire County and District Councils and Business Link East, together with a broad range of community and voluntary organisations.
To read more detail about the programme, download the IiC Business Plan 2007-11 for Cambridgeshire.
Who is involved in IiC in Cambridgeshire?
Under the management of the GCP, programme direction and delivery is overseen by the IiC Strategic Board. This is a partnership involving representatives
from Cambridgeshire County and District Councils, local networks, business support organisations and voluntary and community groups.
There is a separate Operating Group representing the delivery partners. This group provides opportunities for sharing good practice and monitoring delivery. Monitoring and evaluation is a critical part of the programme management and, over time, will enable more coherent and comprehensive impact assessments to be undertaken and the benefits to be qualified.
It is important to stress that Cambridgeshire is, overall, a very rural county. The Rural Development Officer and Cambridgeshire Rural Forum continue to be
engaged with the IiC Programme to ensure that it reflects rural interests.
Download the Cambridgeshire Rural Strategy 2006-2010.
Cambridgeshire Rural Forum
The Cambridgeshire Rural Forum brings together local rural stakeholders to act as a voice for the county's rural communities, and to promote their well-being
through its activities. The Forum is made up of representatives from a range of regional and county-level public, voluntary and community sector organisations
with a stake in rural communities. To find out more about the Forum, please visit the Cambridgeshire ACRE
website: http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/services/ruralissues.htm.
Who do I contact for more information?
Mike Carter, IiC Manager, Cambridgeshire
Tel: 01223 714083
Mob: 07768 775256
Email: michael.carter@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
