E-briefing 20 - June 2007
E-briefing Issue 20: June 2007
Editorial
Hello, and welcome to the June 2007 edition of the Regional Intelligence Unit’s (RIU) e-briefing. The RIU's aim is to improve access to information and intelligence for the region's public and private sectors.
This briefing will highlight recent activities of the NWDA Research Team, latest additions to the Extranet and of data release dates for the coming months.
Since the last e-briefing the Research Team has updated and re-designed the Extranet to deliver a more modern, eye catching and easy to read website with improved navigation. The Extranet provides access to information, datasets and research outputs together with examples of our work
As part of the Extranet re-design we are currently in the process of creating a mapping tool that will enable the use of consistent, concise and up-to-date geographic information that can be thematically mapped down to output area.
Kind Regards
Vanessa Smallman, Editor
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NWDA Research Team Update
Research Panel - The Research Consultancy Panel is a Framework Agreement which has been put in place to meet consultancy requirements in relation to the collection, collation, analysis and interpretation of data of relevance to policy or practice, to increase understanding about current and future trends, needs and good practice.
Research projects that have been commissioned are as follows:-
Foresighting - this study will produce a series of research papers or think pieces, looking at key areas of the RES and future policy development to stimulate debate and understanding of these issues to enhance the production of economic policy for the NWDA and Region. These papers will give an assessment of trends and determine future directions for critical issues facing the region and how these will affect the regions economy. In general, each paper will be orientated towards providing information to support planning and decision making by public and private sector bodies. Research papers are due by November 2007.
Rising to the Enterprise Challenge – provision of a sub set document outlining the level of enterprise culture activity targeted at pre pre and pre start up businesses taking place throughout the North West and being delivered by public and private sector funds. Recommendations are to be made to the NWDA for an enterprise framework that will provide a co-ordinated approach to creating an enterprise culture with the NW and the report is due July/August 2007.
Leadership and Management - there is a strategic drive in the Northwest for improved and effective world-class leadership and management skills to improve business performance, productivity and innovation. Recommendations are to be made to the NWDA for the most appropriate baseline information/data on capturing leadership and management skills in the NW and which performance indicators could be chosen to monitor progress on the development of leadership, management and corporate responsibility skills and the report is due July 2007.
Access to Finance for SMEs - the original survey, the “UK survey of SME Finance 2004”, was produced by a unique consortium of SME representative organisations, government, banks and other finance providers, which was specially formed for the purpose. They appointed Warwick Business School to conduct the survey and produce a report looking specifically at SMEs and their availability of finance. The sort of information we will acquire from this survey includes the characteristics of SMEs, their owners and what sort of finance they use; the problems faced by SMEs and their use of external advice; the ethnicity and gender breakdowns of SMEs; and the frequency of rejection and discouragement from applying for external finance and the consequences thereof. The report is due during 2008.
Impact of Public procurement in the NW - the objective of this research is to identify the contribution public procurement makes within the region. This study will identify the current pattern of procurement associated with public expenditure within the region and to investigate its impacts upon supply chains within the region. The two key elements of this research comprise the assessment of the impacts of public expenditure on the regional economy and efficiency of procurement processes across the public sector. The report is due at the end of 2007.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) - Last year the NWDA Regional Intelligence Unit paid to boost the GEM survey for the Northwest Region. The GEM findings from the Northwest boost were presented by Rebecca Harding from GEM England at an event on 19th June 2007. 37 people attended the event and participated in an interactive question and answer session that followed the presentation as GEM England are keen to receive feedback that can be fed into the final Northwest report to make it more relevant to the region.
A copy of Rebecca's presentation together with further information about the GEM Survey, the Northwest highlight report and the UK Report for 2006 can be downloaded here. The full Northwest report will be available in due course. We will be accepting further comments on the GEM presentation until Wednesday 27th June 2007. Should you have any comments that you wish to feed into the Northwest GEM report please email nwriu@nwda.co.uk or telephone Emma Charnock on 01925 400290.
Other NWDA Research Team activities include:-
Demographics of the Northwest 1991 – 2029 - The NWDA Research Team is currently undertaking analysis on the demographics of the Northwest looking back to 1991 and forward to 2029. The analysis will cover a variety of aspects from the general structure of the population to households, ethnic mix and migration. The work has been undertaken to provide a comprehensive review of the Northwest’s demography and will describe the current position together with trends to support policy and decision makers.
RES Priority Sectors - The 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) states six priority sectors: Biomedical, Energy & Environmental Technologies, Advanced Engineering & Materials, Food & Drink, Digital & Creative and Business & Professional Services. No one agreed definition of these sectors exists which makes it difficult to provide any data to support the sectors.
The NWDA Research Team is undertaking a project to define the six priority sectors according to Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and to provide robust data to inform each sector. It is hoped that data will be provided on the number of companies or employees within each sector and the value of its GVA, and that the data will be cut to at least sub-regional level.
Economic Forecasting Forum - The Research Team are continuing their work to compare the underlying data and assumptions of the different economic forecasting models so that there is greater understanding of the comparability of outputs from different models.
Local Authority RES Maps - The Research Team have produced a suite of maps against the RES at Local Authority level.
Regional Economic Forecasting Panel - The Northwest Regional Economic Forecasting Panel was set up in 2003 as a service to business and to others concerned with the development of the Northwest as a thriving regional economy. The Panel meets four times a year and annually produces two forecasts looking out over the next three years, which are mainly as a service to business, regular assessments of the state of the regional economy and a third forecast looking forward over a period of 20 years which builds upon these assessments.
The Panel's new long-term forecast which is based on an analysis of developments in the regional economy over the past 15 years has been published. Please click here to access the previous reports.
The Panel’s new short-term business forecast looking at the prospect of economic growth in the region over the next three years will be published shortly.
RES Review – After the first year of the implementation of RES 2006 a ‘Baseline Update Report 2007 : Progress One Year On’ has been produced. The report looks at the progress which has been made and follows the same format as the Baseline Report giving updates on the agreed range of indicators/impact measures for each RES factor and progress with milestones for each RES action. The report is due to be published shortly.
Economic Impact of Rugby League in England's Northwest - The final report, commissioned by the NWDA and the RFL (Rugby Football League) was the final stage of the Economic Impact Assessment of Rugby League in England’s North West. The project aimed to measure Rugby League’s economic value to the North West at a regional and local level and measure the impact of the Super League Grand Final (SLGF), held in Manchester in October 2006.
Regional Accounts Analysis - Following the release, by the Office for National Statistics, of Regional, Sub-regional and Local Gross Value Added estimates for the period 1989-2005 in December 2006 the NWDA Research Team has produced an analysis at a NUTS 1, 2, 3 and sectoral level.
Moving Towards Full Employment in the North West - The Department for Work and Pensions published the ‘Moving Towards Full Employment in the North West’ paper to mark the visit to the region of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton, on 18 May 2007 to see the impact of the Government’s Welfare Reform measures. The NWDA Research Team has produced a summary of this paper.
CBI RDA Regional Survey of UK Economic Trends - During March and April 2007 Experian Business Strategies conducted the 9th UK Survey of Regional Economic Trends, on behalf of the CBI, for all of the English Regional Development Agencies and Scottish Enterprise. The NWDA Research Team has produced a summary of the comprehensive report which captures business performance, identifies key constraints on their growth and predicts business optimism for the future, both at a national and regional level.
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Latest Additions to the RIU Extranet
Changing Regional Economies ReportsChanging Regional Economies reports were released by ONS in May 2007 for each English region. The reports present regional statistics and trends over time, looking within and comparing between regions. Data is presented for population, GVA, Gross Disposable Household Income, Productivity, Labour Market and House Prices.
The Nothwest Report can be downloaded from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?id=1795. Reports for other English regions are available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nscl.asp?ID=5871&RT=512&PG=1
State of the English Cities: Report and Database (SOCD)
State of the English Cities is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of England's cities and towns.
It focuses on 56 major towns and cities in England (see enlarged map) and covers five main themes: demographics, social cohesion, economic competitiveness & performance, liveability, governance & the impact of policy.
The State of the Cities Database (SOCD) contains the updated data that underpins the analysis contained in the report.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127498
E-skills Bulletin Q4 2006
In this issue, e-skills presents their usual collection of labour market data whilst the focus page presents a more detailed look at the world of IT User Support Technicians working in the ICT industry/UK businesses more generally.
The e-skills Bulletin is the definitive source of information about changes in the demand/supply of ICT labour and skills in the UK.
www.e-skills.com/Research-and-policy/bulletin/1056
New Ward Profiles for Cumbria
The Information and Intelligence Team have recently produced new ward profiles for all wards in Cumbria. These have been set up to include a much greater range of information, and in such a way that they can be updated as and when new information is available. For this reason they have been uploaded onto the website in Excel spreadsheet format. Simply click the district you are interested in, and then select the relevant tab for each ward. The profiles can be accessed by using the following internet site:
http://www.cumbriaobservatory.org.uk/Summaries/ward.asp
If you do not have access to Excel then individual profiles can be sent in pdf format – please contact Paula Kennerley (paula.kennerley@cumbriacc.gov.uk) to arrange this. Also please do not hesitate to contact Paula if you have any comments, questions or feedback.
Cheshire Population Report 2007 - The Change Continues
The Research and Intelligence Unit (Cheshire County Council) has recently published the latest Population Report.
Its title, The Change Continues, reflects the fact that many of the messages in the updated forecasts (summarised in the report) continue the trends outlined in the previous report, The Changing Face of Cheshire.
Changes to the population in Cheshire include:
- Increase in the overall population (to about 709,000 in 2021)
- Continued decline in the number of children (aged 0-15)
- Increase in the number of older people (aged 65+)
The full report can be found on the website at www.cheshire.gov.uk/RandI/poprep/
Detailed information from local statistics can be found at www.cheshire.gov.uk/localstatistics which is soon to be re-launched as LiLAC or you can print out detailed tables from www.cheshire.gov.uk/RandI/poprep/.
North West Economic Profile
The NWDA Research Team has updated the Northwest Economic Profile which provides an overview of the Northwest Economy together with key facts on GVA, employment, earnings, entrepreneurship and migration.
RLN Language Survey 2006
In 2006, the RLNs in the North of England undertook an online survey of the general population within the regions, to identify languages spoken in the North of England and the numbers of people who speak them. The final report is now available.
Northwest Pocket Databook
The NWDA Research Team has compiled the Northwest Pocket Databook. The Databook is split into two sections. The first section contains information on the Northwest, its sub-regions and local authorities whilst the second section presents information on the Northwest and other regions
Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005-06
This statistical first release gives provisional information for 2005-06 on key stage national curriculum assessments, GCSE and equivalent attainment and post-16 achievements of young people in England. The information is broken down by gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs and English as a first language.
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Forthcoming Data Releases
Here are a series of forthcoming data releases:
Jul 2007 - Destinations of leavers from higher education (HE), UK - 2005-06, Statistical First Release, DfES (prepared and published by HESA in consultation with DfES)
Jul 2007 - Local area labour market statistical indicators, Internet Only, ONS
Jul 2007 - The Blue Book – 2007, Internet Only, ONS
18 Jul 2007 - Agents' Summary of Business Conditions, Bank of England
26 Jul 2007 - Police service strength, England and Wales - 31 Mar 2007, Internet Only, Home Office
26 Jul 2007 - UK energy in brief – 2007, Internet Only, DTI
31 Jul 2007 - Annual Business Inquiry: provisional regional results 2005, First Release, ONS
Aug 2007 - National Travel Survey – 2006, Statistical Report, Department for Transport
Aug 2007 - GP practice vacancies survey – 2007, Internet Only, Information Centre for Health and Social Care
8 Aug 2007 – Inflation Report – Aug 2007, Bank of England
22 Aug 2007 - Mid year population estimates 2006: UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, First Release, ONS
22 Aug 2007 - Revised mid 2002-2005 population estimates, News Release, ONS
29 Aug 2007 - Work and worklessness among households, First Release, ONS
Sep 2007 - Higher education statistics for the UK - 2005/06 Volume, DfES
27 Sep 2007 - Revised sub-national population projections, Internet Only, ONS
27 Sep 2007 - Energy trends and quarterly energy prices, Internet Only, DTI
Monthly Releases
House Price Index (experimental statistics), Statistical Report, DCLG
Economic and labour market review (web version), Internet Only, ONS
Labour market statistics: National and North West, First Release, ONS
Average weekly earnings, Internet Only, ONS
Energy trends, Internet Only, DTI
Monthly digest of statistics, Monthly Volume, ONS
Monthly population in custody, Internet Only, Home Office
Quarterly Releases
Jul 2007 - Productivity, First Release, Office for National Statistics
Sep 2007 - Public transport statistics, Statistical Report, Department for Transport
Sep 2007 - Quarterly population estimates, England and Wales, Internet Only, ONS
Sep 2007 - Quarterly national accounts, First Release, ONS
Sep 2007 - Consumer trends, Internet Only, ONS
The Office for National Statistics Release Calendar can be used to look for past and future releases from across Government and can be searched on release title, Government department, theme, date or a combination of those previously mentioned.
NOMIS Release Dates
Jul 2007 - Annual Population Survey (Oct 2005 - Sep 2006)
18 Jul 2007 - Claimant Count - age and duration, seasonally adjusted, with rates and proportions (14 Jun 2007)
18 Jul 2007 - Jobcentre Vacancies - notified by industry and occupation (8 Jun 2007)
Aug 2007 - Department for Working Pensions (DWP) Benefits (Feb 2007)
15 Aug 2007 - Claimant Count - age and duration, seasonally adjusted, with rates and proportions (12 Jul 2007)
15 Aug 2007 - Jobcentre Vacancies - notified by industry and occupation (6 Jul 2007)
Sep 2007 – Midyear Population Estimates (2007)
12 Sep 2007 - Claimant Count - age and duration, seasonally adjusted, with rates and proportions (9 Aug 2007)
12 Sep 2007 - Jobcentre Vacancies - notified by industry and occupation (3 Aug 2007)
12 Sep 2007 - Employee Job Estimates - seasonally adjusted and industry - unadjusted (Jun 2007)
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As part of our on-going aim to improve our communication with members we would like to invite network members to provide us with feedback, please email any comments and recommendations you may have to
nwriu@nwda.co.uk or call 01925 400291.
For full contact details of all team members please click
here.
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