Prompted by the story in The Sentinel on Saturday 18th October 2008 about the impending recruitment of Regeneration Managers for the towns of Longton, Stoke and Burslem at salaries of up to £50k, we decided to take a look at the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NSRP). This organisation has not been particularly well publicised, and since it is to play such an enormous role in shaping the future of our towns, we thought that a little digging was in order.

Firstly, the Regeneration Managers:

Each of these three roles will take lead responsibility for the full spectrum of regeneration activity in their designated area. As such they are fantastic opportunities to extend your experience and knowledge across a wide range of initiatives and working with an equally wide range of partners and stakeholders. You’ll enjoy real autonomy in terms of tailoring regeneration activity to best meet the needs of your own locality. You’ll ensure robust governance arrangements are in place and provide the strategic lead for regeneration activity in your area – drawing up a three-year regeneration investment plan for approval. And you’ll lead on the creation of appropriate delivery vehicles, ready to be operational within 3-5 years. These are high profile roles within each community and you’ll act as the main interface between the City Council and community stakeholders. You will identify and attract maximum levels of available funding to the area and ensure it is invested to bring about sustainable social and economic development to the town centre. We expect that you’ll be able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of urban regeneration and have direct experience of at least one area of physical, economic or social regeneration. It’s important that you possess the communication and presentation skills to be an able advocate for initiatives in your area, winning support from the community and from key partners. You should be able to show a track record of identifying and securing external funding and of delivering projects through collaborative working, and strong management of limited resources and external contractors. A resourceful, creative and can-do approach will be key to success. Recruitment Timetable       Closing date     10 November Longlist interviews     5 - 10 December Final panel interviews     17 - 19 December

A few warning flags pop up:

"tailoring regeneration activity to best meet the needs of your own locality" - notice that it says the needs of your own locality, not the needs of the local people.

"drawing up a three-year regeneration investment plan for approval" - by whom?

"you’ll act as the main interface between the City Council and community stakeholders" - in other words, you'll take the flack when no-one higher up listens to what the people want! Just who are community "stakeholders"? And, for the record, what is a stakeholder, other than a piece of PC jargon?

"sustainable social and economic development" - or social engineering? More about this later.

"an able advocate for initiatives in your area, winning support from the community" - sounds like they know already that their policies will not have the support of the locals! Can anybody quantify "support from the community"? 99% opposition by the community can be written as "support from the community". It needs to be "winning the support of the community"!

"strong management of limited resources" - again, more about this later.

"A resourceful, creative and can-do approach will be key to success" - as long as it is doing what the NSRP wants (which is probably diametrically opposed to what the people want). Pity it didn't say anything about consultation and collaboration with the community.

Anyway, that isn't such a bad job ad compared to some of the recent ones coming from the City Council. Same old gripe though - outsiders being paid much more than the indigenous population.

What is the NSRP?

In their own words (nsrpjobs.co.uk/downloads/Business Plan.pdf):

Established in March 2007, NSRP brings together all regeneration activity in North Staffordshire. We’re a unique organisation, developed in partnership with the four local authorities and major regeneration partners. Our remit is expansive and has the potential to bring about a transformation of the region’s fortunes for this generation and those to come. One of the strengths of the partnership is the strong consensus of support from the region’s political leadership, and the shared commitment to NSRP’s key objectives:     * to establish leadership of the regeneration agenda for North Staffordshire;     * to act as the catalyst for transformation and renewal in the area;     * to provide a focus and delivery mechanism for regeneration;     * to set out the strategy for the regeneration and economic up-lift of the area;     * to align partnership activity and support;     * to set a culture for delivery and business, and     * to develop the capacity to deliver large scale, high impact regeneration projects. The Partnership covers a wide geography encompassing the local authority boundaries of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (which includes Leek, Cheadle and Biddulph), Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council (which covers Newcastle, Kidsgrove and Chesterton) and Stoke-on-Trent City Council together with the administrative area covered by Staffordshire County Council.

Who runs the NSRP?

The NSRP’s Board is made up of representatives of our key partners and is currently chaired by the Elected Mayor for Stoke-on-Trent, Mark Meredith. The full list of board members is as follows:     * Mark Meredith - Elected Mayor of Stoke–on-Trent, (Chairman)     * Peter Bounds - Community Representative,     * Mo Choudry - WaterWorld,     * Jon Cotgreave - Groundwork,     * Tom Fanning - Midland Expressway,     * Cllr Adrian Knapper - Stoke-on-Trent City Council,     * Peter Jones - Housing Corporation,     * Simon Morris - Keele University,     * Cllr Sybil Ralphs - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council     * Paul Spooner - English Partnerships,     * Ken Stepney - JCB,     * Graham Unwin - Stoke Primary Care Trust,     * Cllr John Wakefield - Staffordshire County Council,     * Anne Williams - Learning and Skills Council     * Simon Woodings - Beswicks Solicitors,     * Karen Yeomans - Advantage West Midlands.

We all know of Messrs. Meredith, Choudry and Knapper. The other names are not so familiar. One in particular aroused our interest - the Community Representative, Peter Bounds. So who is Mr Bounds? A local person, well versed in Stoke-on-Trent, its history and people? It seems not. Peter Bounds chairs NSRP's Development Group. "He has had a distinguished career in the public sector, culminating as Chief Executive for Liverpool City Council. He has previously chaired Liverpool City Challenge, Liverpool City of Learning, Speke Garston Partnership, and, from its creation in 2002, of Renew North Staffordshire". Renew, at least in the Burslem Park Regeneration Area, has a proven record of not listening to the views of the local population, and of ploughing on with their grandiose plans regardless of any detrimental effects on the community. According to this plan, Renew "investments are packaged to have the maximum visual impact ..." which is exactly what the residents of Park Estate told Renew officers that they did NOT want, and is exactly what they got! Some Community Representative!

Other biographies found in the Business Plan:

Mo Chaudry Mo is a local entrepreneur. He owns and runs Waterworld, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area, in addition to he also owns and manages a number of commercial properties in the City. Jon Cotgreave Jon Cotgreave is Executive Director of Groundwork Stoke-on-Trent. Jon has spent time in Romania supporting regeneration projects and more recently Ukraine, helping to build private and public sector partnerships. Tom Fanning Tom Fanning was appointed CEO of Midland Expressway Limited, the private sector company appointed to build and operate the M6 Toll. Previously Chief Executive with the Odyssey Trust, he has also held directorships with Commercial Union and the Burton Group. Peter Jones Peter currently leads the investment team for the Housing Corporation in the West Midlands, and sits on the West Midlands Regional Housing Executive. Adrian Knapper Adrian is an Elected Labour & Co-operative Party City Councillor who represents the Berryhill and Hanley East Ward. Adrian works for a local Estate Agent and has vast experience of public duty appointments previously being a non-executive director of the NHS North Stoke PCT. He is the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration. Simon Morris Simon Morris is Secretary and Registrar of Keele University, a post he took up in October 1997. He is the Head of the University Administration and Secretary to the University Council and Senate. Sybil Ralphs Cllr Ralphs is the leader of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Paul Spooner Paul Spooner, a qualified town planner joined English Partnerships (EP) in January 2004. Paul is responsible for delivering the Government’s national regeneration priorities in the North West and West Midlands and for coordinating EP’s National Programmes. Stoke and Staffordshire is a national priority for EP. Ken Stepney Ken Stepney is the head of Learning and Development at JCB. He is chairman of Stafford Board Princes Trust and Director of Regional Council Princes Trust. Ken is also the governor of Burton College. Graham Unwin Graham is the Chief Executive of Stoke on Trent PCT. An accountant by background, Stoke on Trent PCT serves a population of 276,000 and employs approximately 2,000 staff. John Wakefield John is the Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Communities. In his professional career, John was a lecturer at Staffordshire University teaching courses on urban planning and housing policy. Anne Williams CBE Chair of the Learning and Skills Council, Staffordshire, Anne is Managing Director and owner of The Upper House, a country house hotel in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. She is a Vice Chair of the West Midlands Regional Assembly, Business Sector. Simon Woodings Simon is the Senior Partner of Beswicks, a law firm with over one hundred employees in the Stoke-On-Trent area. His specialism is corporate law and advising businesses on growth, structure acquisition and disposal. Simon is also a non executive director of Argus Fire Protection Company Limited. Karen Yeomans Karen, a Chartered Surveyor is the Corporate Director - Operations for the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands. Karen previously worked at the South East of England Development Agency, and within the NHS.

We have no argument whatsoever with Mr Chaudry or about his right to sit on this board, but, ethically, why did he allow the following to appear later in the Draft Plan: "North Staffordshire is a tourism destination due to its proximity to the Peak District National Park, Alton Towers and Trentham Gardens, together with playing host to many visitor attractions such as WaterWorld". Hopefully this will be altered in the final version to dispel any hint of conflict of interest.

Groundwork is, in its own words, "a leading environmental regeneration charity making sustainable development a reality in communities which are in need of investment and support". Groundwork styles itself as a Social Enterprise. However, our experience of Groundwork is that it is nothing of the sort, but is a quango run on huge funding grants, with highly-paid, top-heavy management, that processes many referrals from the Job Centre for their income. We do not consider this to be a Community or Social Enterprise, nor that it has the interests of the Community at its monolithic heart. We are positive, again from experience, that it has no desire to work with genuine Community Organisations, but would rather set itself up in competition and hog the funding.

An impressive bunch indeed. But does anyone of that lot genuinely have the interests of the Communities of Stoke-on-Trent at heart? We shall see.

What does the NSRP want to do?

Our work has four key strands: Building on the Urban Core – breathing new life back into our urban centres through improved infrastructure, developing the built environment and attracting business investment to the area to create 7,000+ jobs. Business and Knowledge – developing business opportunities and removing barriers to entrepreneurialism and commercial success, fully exploiting the significant higher and further education resources in our area. Communities - providing attractive, sustainable neighbourhoods where people want to live, where they can access employment as well as high quality public and private services. Image and Place Making – creating a cohesive and compelling brand that promotes North Staffordshire as a place to live, to visit or do business.

No argument whatsoever with those sentiments.

But later in the document, under the heading Urban Centres:

It is recognised that each of the towns in North Staffordshire have a distinction of function and place which can add more to the economic up-lift of the economy. To achieve this it is proposed to create focussed regeneration activity in Burslem, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke which will initially concentrate on defining the role that each of these towns can make and prioritising the nature and scale of investment that will be required. It is recognised that some of these towns have a stronger track record of regeneration activity than others and this will be reflected in the scale and pace of development. For example, in Burslem there are a number of projects such as the Wedgwood Institute, the Town Heritage Initiative and Ceramica which are already active. For each town centre, the NSRP will set up a regeneration company to take forward regeneration activity. A senior officer and a project support officer from the NSRP dedicated to each town centre will be appointed. There will be exploration of the possible transfer of assets from the public sector to allow the community group to generate income so as to manage regeneration activity for the area in the longer term.

"To achieve this it is proposed to create focussed regeneration activity in Burslem, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke which will initially concentrate on defining the role that each of these towns can make and prioritising the nature and scale of investment that will be required" - how are the roles of these towns going to be defined? Will the local communities have any input whatsoever?  Past records of regeneration initiatives suggest not.

"For example, in Burslem there are a number of projects such as the Wedgwood Institute, the Town Heritage Initiative and Ceramica which are already active" - ?????? Hate to tell you this, but the Wedgwood Institute just closed precisely because NOTHING had been done!

"allow the community group" - what community group? Has one been set up without actually telling the Community? Wouldn't surprise us!

Capital requirements for the regeneration of Burslem, Longton, Tunstall and Stoke are listed as being £13,408,000. Three and a third million quid and change each. Not too bad. Until ...

The capital requirements for the development of Hanley, or the City Centre as they insist on calling it, are £478,568,000. Nearly thirty-six times the amount earmarked to be spent on four towns is to be lavished on one town. No wonder the job advert for Regeneration Managers warns of limited resources. No wonder the inhabitants of the outlying towns are pig-sick of regeneration.

In the interests of greater social inclusion within the conurbation and to support its economic regeneration, the NSRP seeks to provide a portfolio of high quality/specification detached houses or luxury apartments that meets the housing aspirations of existing and future residents on higher incomes.

This is Social Engineering at its height. It has already begun in Burslem and Middleport. It seems that the Council, Renew and NSRP will not be satisfied until they have driven all existing Boslemites from Burslem and its surrounds and replaced them with executive types that commute to Manchester or Birmingham. We fail to see how this plan in any way promotes social inclusion. All that Renew has managed to do so far is to knock down low-cost housing and replace it with housing that is far beyond the reach of the former owner-occupiers. We would classify that as social exclusion.

We hope that the NSRP will be able to drive regeneration in Stoke. We hope that this regeneration will benefit the people of Stoke. We hope that higher skills and higher incomes will be able to be derived from the indigenous Stokies, and will not be imported from outside. We hope ...

But we fear that, in denying the ordinary people of Stoke proper representation on the instruments of change in Stoke and proper consultation about the actualities of change, regeneration in this form will only succeed in exacerbating social divides, in breaking up communities, and in further alienating the people of Stoke from the ruling élite.

Before this draft document becomes a firm plan, it is absolutely essential that the people of the City are properly consulted, and that their views and local knowledge are taken into account.