anchor institution networks

Power in procurement: anchor networks could be the engine of the Procurement Act

The new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) marks a decisive shift in the government’s approach to public spending. It sets out a clear ambition to increase public sector procurement through small businesses and social enterprises and to foster greater collaboration between contracting authorities in order to secure broader social and economic value.

With the Procurement Act (2023) now in operation, the London Anchor Institutions’ Network (LAIN) and CLES convened a workshop to explore how an anchor network approach could help bring these ambitions to life and, in doing so, strengthen local economies. LAIN, convened by the Mayor of London in 2021, is committed to driving inclusive economic growth through anchor institutions buying more of their goods and services from smaller and diverse-led local businesses. The Network was keen to share practice with other anchor networks around the country and explore ways for anchor institutions to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by the Act.

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2024: our greatest hits

As the year draws to a close, our Chief Executive, Sarah Longlands, looks back at the last twelve months of CLES’s work.

It has been a turbulent 12 months, with change – both good and bad – very much at the forefront on the domestic and international stages. Yet, despite the uncertainty of the times in which we find ourselves, at CLES we remain simultaneously pragmatic and optimistic about the power of our mission: delivering local economic change. As we wrote in our general election manifesto – Our Local Economic Future – change may be dreamt of by aspiring national leaders, but it is both delivered and felt in communities.
“the growth of ideas, of confidence, of time and of resources”
But this kind of change doesn’t happen by invoking economic growth as the key to every lock. The kind of change that our communities need comes instead from the growth of ideas, of confidence, of time and of resources: to challenge preconceptions and tired economic assumptions, to think differently and with ambition.

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  • GUIDE

    How to build an anchor network

    3rd September 2024
    0.0     .pdf
    ...

    • Recruitment needs a radical rethink

    This article originally appeared in the Municipal Journal.

    The Government kicked off its election campaign last week on the back of much rejoicing about the latest inflation figures. It is clear to see some politicians are pinning their hopes on lower inflation equating to higher votes.

    But the sight of Westminster politicians crowing about the numbers while steadfastly ignoring the lived reality that many families are still struggling to afford basics such as food, energy and rent, reveals how disconnected our national politicians are from life on the ground in our places.

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    How do we level up the UK?

    Focus on quality jobs that work for people

    This article originally appeared in the New Statesman.

    Attracting the inward investment of big capital doesn’t always lead to better outcomes. People need well-paid, good-quality jobs in the communities where they live.

    Regardless of your views on levelling up as a political catchphrase, there’s no doubt it hints at a remedy for feelings of place abandonment that have become all too common over the past 30 years as communities across the UK have seen their jobs, identity and hope slowly sucked away.

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    Anchor networks sow the seeds of change

    This article originally appeared in the HSJ.

    Recent months have seen an increased interest in anchor institution networks, whereby NHS institutions and partners – like local authorities, universities, housing associations and the VCSE sector – collaborate to develop solutions to local social and economic problems. At CLES we work with and support many of these networks and, as this interest fuels an increase in activity, we are observing how these collaborations are not simply firefighting problems as they arise but also feeding into a more fundamental change in how anchor institutions view their role in the local economy.

    In my role as Co-ordinator for the Birmingham Anchor Network I have been privileged to observe this process in action. This time last year the Network launched its pilot Hospitality to Health employment programme, as a response to an urgent employment crisis being faced by two of its members. Housing association, Pioneer Housing Group, were concerned about the number of their residents at risk of redundancy from a hospitality sector reeling from the effects of Covid-19, while at the same time University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust needed to recruit significant numbers of staff at entry level positions to support in responding to the pandemic.

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    Serendipity doesn’t have to be left to chance

    In the final blog of his series for this year, exploring the power of anchor institution networks, Conrad Parke discovers that what sometimes looks like serendipity is really intent.

    Last Friday we had the final Birmingham Anchor Network co-ordination group meeting of 2020. As this turbulent year draws to a close our main agenda item was the agreement of the Network’s priorities for 2021. However, I think because of the proximity to Christmas, a number of the usual attendees (who are either Chief Exec or director level) had to send replacements who, in the main, were more operationally focussed.

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