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IED Annual Awards 2019: Sefton Council wins Most Sustainable Outcome award
Sefton Council’s Economic Growth and Housing Service has won the Most Sustainable Outcome award from the Institute of Economic Development (IED), the UK’s leading independent professional body representing economic development and regeneration practitioners in local and regional communities.
The award was given for the Council’s ‘Business Friendly’ strategy for supporting new sustainable development and maximising the social, economic and environmental benefits in the borough – and includes input from all its incumbent services for planning, business growth and inward investment; employment and skills; regeneration, visitor economy and housing.
At the forefront of this approach is InvestSefton, the business growth and inward investment team, which has developed a range of growth and investment projects including Mersey Reach, a £20 million prime urban logistics development serving Sefton and the wider Liverpool City region area; and the related Planning Development Agreement which saw a requirement for the developer, ChanceryGate, to enter into an employment charter with the Council to ensure that local residents had the maximum opportunity to benefit from resulting employment and training opportunities through Sefton@Work.
The Council’s planning, InvestSefton and Sefton@Work teams have worked collaboratively to deliver maximum impact for the borough. When completed Mersey Reach will create over 300 new full-time jobs, a total investment value of £20 million and generate £5.5 million GVA additional impact. The development exhibits many sustainable measures, all secured through a detailed planning process.
Stuart Barnes, Head of Economic Growth and Housing at Sefton Council, said: “We are delighted to win the IED Most Sustainable Outcome award for our ‘Business Friendly’ strategy and work on Mersey Reach. The economic benefits are business growth and the creation of new jobs, making a positive contribution towards the operation of the local economy. This has increased in-borough spending and brought about spin-off benefits for other local businesses. The secured measures offer upskilling of local workforce, reduced levels of unemployment and worklessness, increased living standards and reduced inequality. The way in which the project has been delivered provides a template for the Council in terms of handling new development and investment.”
IED Chair Bev Hurley said: “We would like to congratulate Sefton Council on winning our Most Sustainable Outcome award for 2019. The initiative harnessed a multi-agency approach and built in a local economic benefit to every aspect. The judges were particularly struck by the genuinely integrated approach to the project and the sustainable outcomes that are starting to be achieved through it. Among the stand-out aspects was the increasing innovation in sustainable heat solutions and ability to use clean technology to drive local economic gain as well as an environmentally-sustainable solution.”
Sefton Council’s Economic Growth and Housing Service award success was announced at the IED Annual Awards 2019, staged as part of the IED Annual Conference in London, on 4th December.
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Contact: Phil Smith, Institute of Economic Development PR consultant, 01778 218180 / 07866 436159 / phil@philsmithcommunications.co.uk.
Notes to editors:
The Institute of Economic Development (IED) is the UK’s leading independent professional body representing economic development and regeneration practitioners. Established over 30 years ago, the IED's key objective is to represent the interests of economic development practitioners and ensure their views are widely expressed and noted. The IED is committed to demonstrating the value of economic development work for local and regional communities; the pursuit of best practice in economic development and the attainment of the highest standards of professional conduct and competence.