Priority Action Groups
Learning, Skills and Employment Initiative (LS &E)
The Community Strategy vision for Gloucester City is that "Over the next 10 years, we aim to create a fair, just and thriving community in Gloucester where no one is seriously disadvantaged". The Learning Skills & Employment Initiative is a new venture to help make that happen. Rooted in the urban regeneration that is under way in Gloucester city Centre, it aims to match the learning, skills and employment needs of local residents to employer opportunity and needs, in order to enrich the economy and community.
Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company (GHURC) aims to "bring life back to historic areas of Gloucester, reflecting their special character whilst creating a new, prosperous, attractive, safe and sustainable urban centre for the 21st century." The LS & E intiative is working alongside to support the innovative programme of physical development with an equally innovative approach to improving learning, skills and employment for the people and communities of Gloucester.
The Brokerage Model
LS & E is developing ways for employers, learning providers and residents within the regeneration areas to be brought more closely together through a 3-way 'brokerage' service that benefits them all.
The brokerage pilot stage began in June 2006 with the appointment of a Project Manager and launched as Gloucester Joblink. Working with a sister pilot programme sponsored by the JobCentrePlus DAF funding the aim is to match local residents successfully to the employment opportunities that arise from regeneration, providing appropriate advice, guidance and skills development. Many organisations are already active in this arena, including local community partnerships, providers of guidance and of learning, and national organisations such as Jobcentre Plus. Joblink will work with them to develop a more 'joined-up' approach.
The Vision for Local Residents and Communities
The local communities to be affected most directly by the regeneration will be the Westgate and Barton & Tredworth wards, though the impact will be wider. LS & E and its partners want to see the following happen in those areas:
- More local education and training opportunities
- More local residents (of all ages) taking up opportunities to learn
- Clear and accessible information about regeneration-linked jobs
- Advice and guidance available to all local residents
- Easier ways for local residents to apply for jobs
- Increased local employment and/or high quality jobs
The Vision for Employers
Some 1000 employers stand to be affected by the GHURC Regeneration Project. The companies involved in the construction phase will be followed by others in areas such as retail, hotel and catering and office based work. In the longer term, the "high value" employment sectors envisaged in the GHURC plan will give exciting opportunties for local residents who have enthusiasm and skills. LS & E and its partners want to see the following happen:
- Early warning of employer skills needs
- Responses by providers of education and training, to make suitable programmes available
- An information brokerage service to help employers look locally for skill and experience that will help their organisation develop
- Recruitment costs minimised by using the brokerage service
- Redeployment and transport cost minimised through local employment
- A strong relationship be
The Vision for Gloucester City Centre Economy
LS & E and its partners want to see the following happen:
- The LS & E service developing so that it can be marketed as an advantage for companies seeking to relocate in Gloucester City Centre
- A model for learning, skills and employment that improves local skills levels, job take-up and economic and community impact.
The Role of Learning Providers
The LS & E brokerage will focus on identifying skills gaps and ensuring that learning programmes to help fill them are available and accessible. This has implications for the full range of local education and training providers, including schools, universities, colleges and others (eg those from the voluntary/community and private training companies).
Making It Happen
In 2007/8, LS & E is being funded by GHURC, RDA, JobCentrePlus, Community Counts and the Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities Fund to:
- Work with employers
- Work with community partners
- Work with learning providers
- Look for ways to 'join-up' thinking and add value
- Pilot learning programmes
- Pilot a brokerage service
- Develop a business plan for LS & E
Where Can You Find Out More?
For further information please contact:
Joblink Project Manager
Patricia Gibbs, patricia.gibbs@gloucester.gov.uk
Neighbourhood Working Group Minutes
(Now Stronger Communities Group)
The Gloucester Pride Action Group is currently non-operational pending the outcome of the Gloucester City Marketing Review.
The Gloucester Pride Action Group's vision is to encourage a sense of pride in our city.
We want people to share the responsibility of the appearance of the city, and help to make it a safer, cleaner and more pleasant place to live in, work in and visit.
Making things happen in the city...
Neighbourhood Pride Fund
The Neighbourhood Pride Fund has been set up by Gloucester City Council, and will be awarded in grants of up to £1,000 to resident or community groups. The recent success of Liveability has proved that the people of Gloucester are keen to get involved in improving the city and the neighbourhoods in which they live.
Local businesses will also be given the opportunity to work in partnership, by providing match funding or in kind donations such as volunteers or materials. For further information about the fund click here and go to the community page.
If you are a local business and are interested in getting involved please contact Sheila McDaid on 01452 396976 or email: sheila.mcdaid@gloucester.gov.uk.
...the changing face of Gloucester
Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company -GHURCThe GHURC was sanctioned by Central Government in February 2004. Gloucester uniquely, is the only Urban Regeneration Company to have the word "Heritage in its name". Gloucester has been shaped by its history and has a rich inheritance of national importance that provides the foundation and inspiration for the GHURC.
View the GHURC website.
"In Town Without My Car" September 22nd
A series of initiatives were carried out by Vision 21 to promote other modes of transport in Gloucester:
By working with Gloucester City Council and Gloucester County Council a free "Park & Ride" service was provided, with extra buses to ensure that people were not kept waiting.
ce was held at the North Warehouse, Gloucester Docsk on Friday 23rd September. Approximately 40 local employers attended and were able to obtain free advice on a range of travel related subjects from transport experts and bus and train companies.
4 city centre primary schools attended a "Travel Pay" at GL1 on Friday 23rd September. More than 800 youngsters took part in the interactive play entitled "What If It Rains"? which looks at various means of getting to school.
More than 120 people have signed up to the free car-sharing scheme and have been awarded a free £5 Farmers Market voucher.
Liveability- Making Gloucester a Cleaner, Safer, Greener City
Gloucester City Council was one of 27 successful local authorities to receive a grant from the Government's Liveability Fund. Gloucester City Council was awarded £2.6 million. Liveability means revitalising the way people feel about where they live. The Liveability Fund was created for improving public open spaces.
New Tourism Web Address For Gloucester
Visitors to Gloucester will now find it easier to find out what is going on across the city with the launch of a new web address. The "Visit Gloucester" page will allow visitors to log on and find out such things as"where to eat" or "where to stay" or even view film of the city's docks. www.gloucester.gov.uk/VisitGloucester/
Clean up Gloucester Campaign Tuesday October 4th 2005
For the second year running the Gloucester City Council Clean Up Gloucester Campaign was a great success. More than 100 volunteers supported by businesses and local organisations worked together concentrating their efforts on the "gateways" to the city. The campaign achieved extensive publicity in the local press and on local radio for all those who took part. For further information on the Clean Up Gloucester campaign go to www.gloucester.gov.uk then go to the A-Z section and look under C.
Volunteers who took part in the clean up day are being featured in a series of posters. Three posters have been produced which show some of them at work and provides information on how to report problems to the council. The posters will be on display at council offices and around the city, and will also be supplied to community groups and businesses.
Action Earth Clean up Weekend
June 4th and 5th 2005 saw community groups in the city centre coming together to take part in the National Action Earth Weekend. Residents from St Michael's Square Community Group and the Brunswick Square, Albion St and Norfolk St Residents Association wanted to work together and also engage young people, which included volunteers from Parallel Options and the Albion St Sea Cadets. Together they tackled:
- Cleaning and sweeping gutters
- Gardening jobs for the Elderly
- Painting doors and railings
- Cleaning u local grot spots
The young people from Parallel Options had such a good time that they wanted to make it a regular event and are already planning the event for next year. The clean up weekend also had a knock on affect with advice being offered to the young people of the Gloucester Youth Housing Project in Berkeley St who are wanting to take on board a similar role in their community.
CSV Make A Difference Day 2004
More than 150 people came together to give their time to spruce up Gloucester bus station area. This included a large team from Barclays Bank, BBC Radio Gloucestershire's CSV action desk, Gloucester City Council and the local community. Together they painted, planted, cleaned and tidied the area and members of the Chequers Bridge Youth Team painted 2 huge murals depicting the diverse life of people living in Gloucester.
The Clean Up Gloucester Campaign
On Monday, 15th November 2004, The Clean Up Gloucester Campaign took place. This involved local Councillors and members of staff. Targets for the clean up included Kings Square and the pedestrian area in Eastgate St.
Community Cohesion Action Group (CCAG)
This group has completed its initial work and is currently dormant.
The Gloucester Partnership has identified community cohesion as a key priority: there is a specific target in the Community Strategy, and it is an issue that cuts across all the ambitions within the strategy including employment, housing, cultural initiatives, crime, health and mental well-being.
In addition to this the Partnerships' values around social inclusion issues working towards an equal and inclusive society, realising the potential of people and communities and ensuring anti-discriminatory practices inform everything we do - are closely linked to the cross-cutting community cohesion theme.
The Partnership is committed to developing a set of principles that members can use as a framework for influencing decision making. To this end they have supported the Community Cohesion Action Group in their development of a Community Cohesion Proofing Tool.
See a copy of the Community Cohesion Proofing Tool
The Community Cohesion Proofing Tool is being used by partners. Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service. Peter Thorp, the Cultural Change Manager said:
"The arrival of the Gloucester Partnership's proofing tool has come at an ideal time as we are re-writing our Comprehensive Equalities Policy 'Beyond Obligations' and carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on our policies to ensure no adverse impact could occur to the communities from our service. The proofing tool will be an important method of developing a Community Cohesion ethos within the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service"
View more information on the Community Cohesion Proofing Tool
Gloucester Challenging Attitudes Partnership (GCAP) continues to take the lead on this area of work on behalf of Gloucester Partnership, and provide administrative support for CCAG.
CCAG work with Community Counts Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder on the developing of this years delivery plan and were able to influence the profiling of community cohesion issues.
The NMB will pilot a new neighbourhood mediation service develop from the original group trained using community cohesion funding. NMB have also agreed to support locally focused multi-cultutal community arts events and in particular the relaunching of the Barton Fayre.
- Membership
- BBC Radio Gloucestershire
- Gloucestershire County Council
- Gay & Lesbian Friend Helpline
- The Trust Centre
- Podsmead Neighbourhood Project
- Barton & Tredworth Developments
- White City Community Project
- Gloucester Disability Equality Forum
- Gloucestershire Lifestyles
- Roshni Women's Centre
- Community Counts
- Gloucestershire Housing Association
If you would like further information about the work of Community Cohesion Action Group, please contact Brenda Yearwood on 01452 396286 or email: brenda.yearwood@gloucester.gov.uk
Children & Young People's Action Group CYPAG
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 20th March 2006, and View the notes of the CYPAG workshop.
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 15th November 2006 click here
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 19th September 2006 click here
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 9th May 2006 click here
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 29th March 2006 click here
View the notes of the CYPAG meeting of 20th February 2006 click here
View the notes from the CYPAG meeting of 11th January 2006 click here
Gloucester Youth Movement (GYM) - Youth Showcase Event - Thursday 27th April 2006
Young people had kept telling GYM that there was nothing for them to do in Gloucester, so GYM decided to organise a youth showcase. Hundreds of people attended the event which included dance perfomances and martial arts displays. Lots of positive comments were received.
Click here for further information about the event
View the GYM website
Between October and December 2005, a survey was carried out to highlight young people's perception of hotspots and experience as victims of crime and anti-social behaviour in Gloucester. view the results of this survey
View the action plan for 2004-5 (file size 57.5KB)
Past Achievements
In 2003/2004 CYPAG has:
- agreed an action plan for its joint work
- agreed an inter-agency play policy statement
- co-ordinated joint information and databases on youth activity
- hosted a Local Action Day on Young People's Play
- helped to raise over £100K for local youth shelters and play facilities
- set up a series of informal evening meetings with young people around the city
- supported Validate, anti-bullying, alternative curriculum & transition scheme
Other Information
Click Here for a copy of the countywide play policy
The Gloucester Partnership /Gloucester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership have produced a position statement on play and leisure opportunities for children and young people living in Gloucester
Key messages from consultation with children and young people
See a summary of the main messages resulting from consultation with children and young people January 2004-July 2004
The Gloucester Partnership (Executive & CYPAG) held a meeting to discuss Jim McElligot's presentation on the secondary school review, but there were too few partners present to offer a collective response (some partners having made their own submissions). To accesss the views of two young people with recent experience of being at school in Gloucester which are offered as a youth involvemment contribution to the review.
Westgate Priority Action Group - WPAG
Copy of the minutes of the Westgate Priority Action Group meeting 01/12/04
Copy of the minutes of the Westgate Priority Action Group meeting 22/9/05