Welcome for think tank's report on city's future development

Release Date:  19-Mar-2009

Bristol City Council has welcomed a report from the independent urban policy researchers Centre for Cities that backs the council's inclusive approach to sustainable future growth and development.

The report, Inclusive Growth in Bristol, is authored by researcher Catherine Glossop. It underlines the importance of Bristol planning today for future housing and employment growth - and the critical importance of ensuring city residents are 'skilled up' to get into work so everyone can benefit from the future upswing after the recession passes.

Bristol, with an above average employment rate of 76.7%, has maintained a strong economy over the past decade, outperforming all other major English cities outside London, says the report.  But not all parts of Bristol have shared in this success – like South Bristol, and parts of the inner city.  15.3% of Filwood’s working age population are on incapacity benefit, compared to 7.6% citywide.

To ensure Bristol’s most deprived communities stand to gain when the upturn comes, the report recommmends that:

• Bristol City Council and the West of England Partnership should use the recession period to get plans in place to create mixed communities with a wider range of incomes and households, linked together with a worklessness and skills action plan for the area.
• Bristol City Council should take advantage of reduced price land and housing stock and use the downturn to assemble key sites for development and plan transport links, public space and community services.
• The city’s Employment and Skills Board need to commission a long-term skills need assessment - focused on skilling-up and retraining workers in South Bristol communities for future jobs.

Councillor Barbara Janke, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “I welcome the findings of the report which underlines the stance that the new council Cabinet has always taken.

" With its partners in the West of England, the city council is determined to ensure that future major developments deliver mixed and sustainable communities – integrating employment and jobs with affordable new homes, public facilities, education and training opportunities, well planned open spaces and effective public transport.

“This report confirms what we have understood for some time and underlines the importance of the work already underway here and across the sub region to up our game when it comes to effective integrated planning for future housing and employment growth and skills development. We welcome the additional research from Centre for the Cities, which will help inform our future consideration of these complex and important issues.”

A copy of the report and further information about Centre for Cities can be accessed via the link below.

Author:  Simon Caplan. Media enquiries about the report to Rosamund Taylor, Acting External Affairs Manager, Centre for Cities - 020 7803 4316 or 07876 175 426. Email: r.taylor@centreforcities.org

For all media enquiries relating to this press release, please contact Corporate Communications on 0117 922 2650.

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