To: Future Oxfordshire Partnership
Title of Report: Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP) Update
Date: 29 November 2022
Report of: Emma Coles, OIEP Manager
Status:
Open
Introduction
1. The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership is a county-wide group that brings together over a hundred organisations - employers, business, education, community groups and local government – to share knowledge, expertise and resources, and create links between different areas of work. Our aim is to work together to create a more equal and sustainable region that creates opportunities and benefits for all people within the county. Our focus is on tackling areas that really need attention, which will have impact and will really make a difference.
2. Our Mission: ‘The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership is working together to create a more equal and sustainable region that creates opportunities and benefits for all people within the county. We are working to tackle some of our region’s biggest problems to create a fairer environment where everyone can contribute and share in our success’
3. Oxfordshire is home to significant inequalities. It is one of only three regions that contributes a surplus to the UK economy, but despite its global position and perceived affluence, its wealth and opportunities are not evenly distributed. The city of Oxford is the second most unequal place in the UK, in terms of income, housing affordability and life expectancy. Education attainment is below average, affecting all generations. These problems extend beyond the city and exist across the whole of Oxfordshire; 17 of 61 wards in Oxfordshire are the most deprived in England, with Northfield Brook in the 10% most deprived. The OIEP is working together in partnership to tackle these inequalities and are working to create opportunities for all people in Oxfordshire, making use of everyone’s potential, so that we can all benefit from Oxfordshire’s success.
4. We have set up 4 action focused working groups to deliver our vision – education, employment, social value and procurement and place shaping which are looking at working with projects across Oxfordshire that the partnership can support, grow or amplify their work as well as creating a repository of case studies, information and signposting related to the inclusive economy. The working groups have been established with members of the partnership who have a particular knowledge and experience in that particular area. The working groups are currently developing their work programme proposals, seeking to find, and build upon, specific initiatives or specialise organisations who are already successful in tackling some of the issues of inclusivity. The delivery plans are most likely to be focused on how we can grow capacity or reach of such programmes by gaining support (whether in kind, in funding, or by way of making connections) of our Membership, and others. The proposals will be reviewed and signed off by the Steering Group in December.
5. The partnership is co-chaired by Baroness Jan Royall (Somerville College) and Jeremy Long (OxLEP) with input from countywide partners from the private, public (including district, city and county authorities) education and Voluntary and Community Sectors. In September a full time Partnership Manager began in role to support the partnership, providing secretariat and programme support.
6. Governance
The governance of the OIEP is set out below, with the Future Oxfordshire Partnership providing oversight to the work of the OIEP.
7. Website
The OIEP now has a section on the FOP website where people can find out more about the work of the partnership and over time will be a place where we will be able to signpost organisations to practical resources on how to implement different elements of the inclusive economy agenda, such as how to become an inclusive employer.
8. Charter
OIEP have developed a Charter which is a statement of our shared commitment to creating a more inclusive local economy and reflects the ambitions of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership. The Charter is aimed at both individual people and organisations to pledge to for 12 months and demonstrates commitment to Oxfordshire’s inclusive economy work.
The Purpose of the Charter is to:
o To mobilise support for an Oxfordshire inclusive economy and raise awareness and profile
o To publicly state commitment with individuals, businesses and organisations signing of an online pledge
o To set and raise standards around inclusive economy
o To encourage residents and businesses to work together to help protect Oxfordshire’s economy with an aim to prevent money leaving the county
9. Pledges
The Priorities of the Charter are to promote action via pledges which will be based around our 4 key areas of focus – education, employment, social value and procurement and investing in places that need it most. There will be case studies and videos for each of the pledges so people will be able to see the impact on their organisation or as an individual of committing to that pledge for 12 months.
The charter and pledge scheme will be published on our webpages and this will be where businesses and residents can sign up to pledge commitments.
10. Charter Launch
The OIEP will be holding a launch event to for the Charter 24th January 2023, 10am-2pm at the Old Fire Station in Oxford. By hiring the space at the Old Fire Station, we’re supporting a local charity and social enterprise, and the work that they do with homeless people. Catering is provided by Damascus Rose Kitchen, a social enterprise supporting refugee women in Oxford.
At the event you will hear about the inclusive economy Charter and find out how you can get involved in making it happen in your organisation or community as well as the work of the partnership. There will be practical presentations, inspiring case studies, and learn how others are already succeeding as well as an opportunity to network with the other delegates.
Financial Implications
11. For 2022/23 and 2023/24, a Partnership Manager and communications support is provided through contribution from a shared Partnership budget.
Legal Implications
12. There are no immediate legal implications associated with the content of this report.
Other Implications
13. There are no other immediate implications associated with the content of this report
Conclusion
14. The OIEP has successfully established its structure, membership and governance as a partnership. Our next steps are to complete the working group proposals so we can build our delivery plan to deliver our vision and to launch the inclusive economy charter to build momentum across the county to create a more equal and sustainable region that creates opportunities and benefits for all people within the county.
Background Papers
15. Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter – see Appendix A
Appendix A –
Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership Charter
The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter
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About this Charter
Oxfordshire, despite its perceived affluence, global position and role as 1 of only 3 regions that contributes a surplus to the UK economy, is home to significant inequalities. 17 of 61 wards in Oxfordshire are the most deprived in England, with Northfield Brook in the 10% most deprived. The city of Oxford is the second most unequal place in the UK, in terms of income, housing affordability and life expectancy. Education attainment is below average affecting all generations. These problems extend beyond the city and exist across the whole of Oxfordshire.
Our mission is to create more opportunities for all people in Oxfordshire, making use of everyone’s potential, so that we can all benefit from Oxfordshire’s success.
The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership[1] has created an ‘inclusive economy charter’ (The Charter). This allows organisations and individuals to pledge their support to this important work and to make commitments to actions they will take. The Charter is a statement of our shared commitment to creating a more inclusive local economy and reflects the ambitions of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
The Charter is aimed at both individual people and organisations. Everyone is welcome to join us.
Why sign the charter?
Actively supporting inclusion across Oxfordshire’s economy will generate real benefits for your organisation. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are increasingly being considered by employees, customers, funders, investors, and partners. Participating in the work of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership, through the pledges you make within this Charter, provides a way of demonstrating your commitment to social issues -
Joining the work of the Partnership is not only a good thing to do, but it will make a difference to your business too.
By signing this Charter, you are demonstrating your support for and commitment to making Oxfordshire a fairer and more inclusive place to live and work.
When you sign the charter, you are pledging to support the work of the Partnership for the next calendar year. After a year, we will ask you to renew/update your pledges.
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About the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership
The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership brings together over a hundred organisations – including employers, business, education, community groups and local government.
We are working to create opportunities for all people in Oxfordshire, making use of everyone’s potential, so that we can all benefit from Oxfordshire’s success. Our aim is to create an environment and communities that can adapt to change, a region that is resilient in the face of shocks in the economy and a workforce that responds to different needs and different kinds of work in the future.
We are a county-wide group, working to share knowledge, expertise and resources to address some of our greatest challenges. This is not a short-term initiative, but a long-term endeavour. Our vision is an Oxfordshire that creates opportunities and benefits for all communities and people within our region.
We take good practice and are looking for ways to amplify or scale these activities so that they have the greatest level of impact. We are focusing on 4 areas - inclusive employment; educational attainment; social value and procurement; and place-based interventions – investing in places that need it most.
Pledge your support by signing the Charter
I pledge my support to the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership:
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Name of individual
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Name of Organisation (if relevant) |
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Address of Organisation (if relevant) |
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I am signing on behalf of…. (Please select one option only) |
Myself
My Organisation
Myself and My Organisation
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Preferred E mail for contact |
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I am happy to be contacted by Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
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Yes
I consent to information contained in this Charter being used by the Inclusive Economy Partnership in its communication activities
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Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Pledges
There are many ways for you to support the work to create an inclusive economy in Oxfordshire. In this table, we provide the thematic areas of the work of the Partnership. Please consider including your own pledge and tell us what you will do to support/ show commitment in your organisation or as an individual to further an inclusive economy in Oxfordshire.
In developing your pledge, please refer to information from the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership working groups. Each group has created a set of recommendations and an action plan. We are keen to receive support and commitment to implement and deliver these action plans.
The pledges are a way to publicly share the commitment you have made to further an inclusive economy in Oxfordshire, and we will share these on the Future Oxfordshire Partnership website to raise awareness and inspire action from others. In no more than 50 words please include your own pledges as either an individual, organisation (or both).
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Educational Attainment |
Social Value & Procurement |
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Example: pledge to provide work placements/apprenticeships for young people.
Example: pledge to support colleagues and/or those I manage to develop their skills in the workplace.
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Example: pledge to proactively procure from local sustainable, inclusive and socially purposeful businesses to increase social value.
Example: pledge to “buy local” wherever possible
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Inclusive Employment |
Place based interventions |
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Example: work on our recruitment practices to ensure they are inclusive and proactively support the recruitment of a diverse workforce.
Example: pledge to question and challenge unintended bias or prejudice when selecting/recruiting new members of staff. |
Example: pledge to work in partnership to deliver place-based interventions that help to foster a healthy place for all.
Example: pledge to reduce congestion and pollution by investing in an electric bike fleet for our workforce.
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Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership - Data Protection Statement
As part of our support to you, Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (Overseen by Future Oxfordshire Partnership will collect and process personal data relating to you/your organisation in order to communicate with you about the work and activities of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations. This statement is in compliance with current requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.
What information do we collect?
We collect the following information about you:-
-Your name
-Name of your organisation (if applicable)
-Contact details
-Address/location
Data will be stored in the following location:
Centrally on our main spreadsheet and saved on a secure, password protected drive
Why do we process personal data?
We will process your data only where you have provided your consent for us to do so and only for the purposes of supporting you in relation to the Charter and the work/activities of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
Who has access to data?
Your information may be shared internally for the purposes of support and administration of the Charter but will be accessible only by individuals providing administrative support to the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.
How long will we keep your information?
We will hold your data on file throughout the work of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership, in order to complete any evaluation/monitoring required.
Providing personal data, data protection and your rights
As a data subject you have number of rights. Please refer to our main privacy notice for details of your rights and how we protect your data: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20141/data_protection/560/data_protection_and_privacy
Further information/Questions:
For any further questions about you data as part of the Charter scheme please contact the data processor: Emma Coles, Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership Manager – ecoles@oxford.gov.uk
I hereby consent to my data being processed as outlined above:
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Yes
No
Name:_________________________________________________________________________
Organisation: ___________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ______________________________________________________________________
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