The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Manchester, has launched a new inclusive growth tool that monitors LEPs nationwide on both prosperity and inclusion.   

The initial report’s findings, which compare prosperity and inclusion scores for 2010-14 based on a composite of eighteen indicators, suggest that there is little correlation between prosperity and inclusion in the UK (see image below).

Figures for the North West LEPs indicate a mixed bag- while changes in both prosperity and inclusion in Cheshire & Warrington and Cumbria were better than average, Liverpool City Region and in particular Lancashire performed quite badly. Greater Manchester had a high prosperity score for the period yet it was in the bottom quartile for inclusion. 

The monitor will be updated by the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, which is a joint venture between JRF and the University of Manchester, headed by Ruth Lupton of the university. The GM VCSE Devolution Reference Group met with Ruth in May, and will be working with her to ensure that the voices of communities are adequately reflected in the unit’s work.

The tool will complement the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission and the Greater Manchester Growth and Inclusion Review, which have both launched recently. 

More information on the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit can be found on the University of Manchester’s website.