Thinking New Economy Briefings will be thought-provoking pieces which reflect policy and research developments that affect Greater Manchester.

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THINKING NEW ECONOMY BRIEFINGS ARCHIVE

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BRIEFING 21:
Transnational EU Programmes 2014 – 2020 (555kb)

Greater Manchester (GM) has benefited significantly from a number of European funding programmes managed by different Directorates within the European Commission (EC). Many innovative projects have been seen across GM over the years with support from INTERREG programmes, the 7th Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Programmes, PROGRESS, the Lifelong Learning Programmes and many others. The final call of the current programmes will mainly be realised during summer and winter this year. The legislative proposals for the new programmes have now been published and they will be discussed by the Council and the European Parliament during 2012-2013, with legislation acts being adopted by mid 2013. All Programmes should start in January 2014. This paper sets out the EU transnational programmes which are relevant to GM and the opportunities that these may present.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2012

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BRIEFING 20:
FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN GREATER MANCHESTER (697kb)

Projected to lead the economic recovery in Greater Manchester (GM) and with the highest employment growth forecast across all sectors in the coming decades, Financial & Professional Services (F&P) is a key industry to the UK and GM economy. The F&P sector in GM is larger than in all other city regions in Great Britain (GB) outside of London, providing 21.9% of total employment (approx. 250,000 people) in over 26,000 firms. Research by Pro.Manchester suggests that to support the sector meet its growth potential and maximise the positive impact on GM, it will be important to ensure that local residents have the appropriate skills to access employment opportunities in the sector and that good links between F&P firms and GM’s higher education institutes are established. Additionally, it will be crucial to improve the attractiveness of the city as a location and to continue to have proactive marketing and communications of GM’s offer to employers and employees as an important part of the strategy to grow the sector.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2012

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BRIEFING 19:
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY (508kb)

The Government has published the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as a platform for delivering local growth and to help achieve ‘sustainable development’. The NPPF sets out the Government’s planning policies for England, outlines how they are expected to be applied and defines the economic, social and environmental role of the planning system.

Following consultation on the draft last Autumn the wording and structure of the document have changed but the essential messages are broadly similar, although slightly less bullish. The Framework remains ‘’pro-growth’’ retaining the presumption in favour of sustainable development but still does not recognise that some locations offer more potential for sustainable growth than others.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2012

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BRIEFING 18:
BUDGET 2012 (532kb)

Manchester featured more than any other city in this year’s Budget, with the Chancellor’s announcement of the “City Deal”, the go-ahead for key parts of the Northern Hub and as one of the cities receiving investment in superfast Broadband. Greater Manchester (GM) firms should also benefit from a distinctly business-leaning raft of policies, including a significant cut in corporation tax, “credit easing”, plans for youth enterprise loans and a raft of capital investments. Quick economic changes should not be expected though, as these are long term plans. Overall, the Budget was fiscally neutral, meaning that what was given with one hand was taken away with the other. Losers include GM’s middle income pensioners and cigarette smokers. The revised economic forecasts show a small uptick in growth and corresponding dips in worklessness and inflation. The substantial moves to localised public sector pay may have a very significant effect in the future, as may the further cuts in welfare signalled. Broadly though, this was a Budget with tax, regulatory, infrastructure and enterprise measures targeted to increase private sector growth.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2012

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BRIEFING 17:
AUTUMN STATEMENT 2011 (532kb)

The Autumn Statement was made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday 29th November and provides an update on the Government’s plans for the economy based on the latest forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

A wide-ranging package of more than 140 reforms was announced, also through publication of the second phase of the Government’s Growth Review and of the National Infrastructure Plan.

This briefing summarises the key announcements of interest and importance to Greater Manchester (GM), in particular on infrastructure, broadband, employment and skills, energy and housing.

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2011

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BRIEFING 16:
EXPORTING MORE GREATER MANCHESTER (543kb)

New Economy’s latest report highlights how many firms in Greater Manchester make a significant proportion of their income from export sales – with £7bn worth of goods and services being sold in total.

However, the report suggests that Greater Manchester firms are punching below their weight on the international stage; exporting less in value terms than the city regions of Leeds and Birmingham – although more than Merseyside and the Bristol city region.

The findings of the report show that due to the region’s size there is clearly scope to increase connectivity and further open Greater Manchester’s economy to foreign trade and investment opportunities.

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2011

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BRIEFING 15:
GREATER MANCHESTER FORECASTING MODEL (GMFM 2011) (519kb)

GMFM is developed by Oxford Economics for New Economy on behalf of the ten AGMA authorities and is a key component of Greater Manchester’s evidence base. The model is of importance to all key policymakers in the conurbation who have a role in shaping public and private sector strategy. This briefing sets out the key findings presented to the GMFM seminar hosted by New Economy on 12 October.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2011

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BRIEFING 14:
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT ORDERS (ldoS) AND SIMPLIFIED PLANNING ZONES (SPZs) (517kb)

LDOs and SPZs were introduced in 2006 to identify areas where planning permission for certain uses or sectors would not be needed but very few have actually been adopted to date. They aim to simplify the planning system and represent a shift in favour of development. In the current economic climate any tool which could be used to help bring forward investment is attractive and in Greater Manchester (GM) LDOs and SPZs have the potential to be used to support a wide variety of policies and objectives. This briefing paper outlines what LDOs and SPZs are, why they have not been more widely adopted and ways in which they could be used in GM

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 2011

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BRIEFING 13:
OPEN PUBLIC SERVICES WHITE PAPER (537kb)

The Open Public Services White Paper was released in July 2011 and outlines the proposed path for reform of UK public services. Much of this agenda is of a high level of interest for Greater Manchester (GM), particularly including the plans to further “Community Budgets”. GM will continue to engage with government on this and other aspects of the Paper over the coming months to monitor likely impact, to help shape the proposals further in the most sensible direction and to ensure that maximum benefit is realised for the conurbation.

RELEASE DATE: JULY 2011

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BRIEFING 12:
BUDGET 2011 AND THE PLAN FOR GROWTH (529kb)

Budget 2011 was released on 23rd March 2011 and sets out Government spending plans for the year ahead. It builds on action announced in the Spending Review 2010 and the Emergency Budget last June to rebalance the economy from unsustainable public spending towards exports and investment.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2011

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BRIEFING 11:
BRITAIN’S SUPERFAST BROADBAND FUTURE (530kb)

As part of its overarching Growth Review, the Government has set out its vision for superfast broadband in the UK with the strategy document “Britain’s Superfast Broadband Future”. This thinking: new economy briefing provides an analysis of the report, looking at the UK’s current position, its future broadband strategy, the Government’s growth proposals, the role of the private sector, and Greater Manchester’s position within this.

RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 2010

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BRIEFING 10:
THE IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT OF THE SPENDING REVIEW (553kb)

This thinking: new economy briefing focuses on the impact the Spending Review and the Budget will have on employment in Greater Manchester, drawing on the latest assumptions of the Greater Manchester Forecasting Model (GMFM) and the Office for Budget Responsibility.

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2010

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BRIEFING 09:
ECONOMIC GROWTH WHITE PAPER (527kb)

This long-awaited White Paper sets out the actions the new administration is taking to bolster economic growth. Several opportunities arise for Greater Manchester, and in particular for its businesses. A new structure is created – the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership – around which to test, develop and coalesce strategic economic thinking, and to take the initiative in realising economic opportunities.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2010

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BRIEFING 08:
SPENDING REVIEW (541kb)

After months of expectation, the Government announced the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review (Review) detailing which government departments need to cut their spending, and by how much. The Review shapes the Government’s finances for the next four years and its impact will undoubtedly be felt in Greater Manchester (GM).

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2010

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BRIEFING 07:
EMERGENCY BUDGET (514kb)

Amidst a climate of serious concern about the macroeconomic risks associated with a loss of investor confidence in the UK, the Emergency Budget sets out a five year plan adding £40bn fiscal contraction to the £73bn already budgeted. What does this mean for Greater Manchester? This latest briefing from the Commission for the New Economy provides an overview of the Emergency Budget’s measures from a local perspective, including how they will impact Greater Manchester’s economy and what are the challenges and opportunities arising from this new fiscal environment.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2010

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BRIEFING 06:
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT (1465kb)

Briefing explores the role of public sector employment in Greater Manchester’s economy and implications of fiscal contraction in the comings years. It finds Greater Manchester is better placed than any city region outside of London, to cope with this contraction due to its high percentage of jobs in the private sector – indicative of a strong business base. But also notes that job growth over the last 10 years has had a significant public sector component, suggesting that public sector fiscal contraction could still be an issue for the city region. This raises several important policy implications for Greater Manchester which are explored in more detail in the briefing.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 2010

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BRIEFING 05:
BUDGET 2010 ANALYSIS (492kb)

The 2010 Budget represents an attempt to strike a balance between the need for deficit reduction and not compromising recovery from a recession that witnessed the UK economy contract by 6% . This analysis provides more detail as to how the Budget is expected to help business-led growth, and the relative impacts of the Budget on Greater Manchester.

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2010

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BRIEFING 04:
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS’ ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH STRATEGY (520kb)

This briefing aims to raise awareness of where the BIS research agenda is currently at and heading, noting relevance for GM partners. The top research priority for BIS remains increasing the understanding of the dynamics of the five drivers of productivity – enterprise, investment, innovation, competition and skills – and the role of state intervention in addressing market failures in these policy areas. These are policy areas that were explored in detail through the Manchester Independent Economic Review and are at the core of the Greater Manchester Strategy.

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 2010

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BRIEFING 03:
PRE-BUDGET REPORT ANALYSIS (51kb)

The Pre-Budget Report Analysis highlights the areas of significance within the December 2009 Pre-Budget Report, focusing especially on those areas that relate to economic development, skills, employment and growth within Greater Manchester.

RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 2009

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BRIEFING 02:
SKILLS FOR GROWTH: THE NATIONAL SKILLS STRATEGY (54kb)

Focusing on the main elements of the National Skills Strategy, this briefing highlights how the Skills For Growth Strategy affects skills development across the UK, and how this affects Greater Manchester.

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2009

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BRIEFING 01:
STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN LEEDS AND MANCHESTER: FEASIBILITY AND IMPLICATIONS (33kb)

Investigates recent research into the Leeds-Manchester Corridor, and the potential for growth of both cities by the development of this corridor.

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2009