Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 7
The Authors 8
Summary 9
1. Introduction 13
1.1 The City Strategy initiative 13
1.2 Key evaluation aim and objectives 16
1.3 The challenges facing an evaluation of CS 16
1.4 The evaluation strategy adopted 17
1.5 The scope and structure of the report 21
2. Delivery of local co-ordination of Welfare to Work 23
2.1 The CS vision 23
2.2 Resources for CS 28
2.3 Partnership formation 31
2.4 Partners and governance arrangements 35
2.5 Key messages 38
3. Partnership in practice 41
3.1 Assessment of partnership configuration, governance arrangements and leadership 41
3.1.1 Partnership configuration and governance arrangements 41
3.1.2 Leadership and strategic direction in CSPs 48
3.2 The implementation and evolution of partnership arrangements 50
3.3 The scope of partnerships 53
3.4 Central-local relations 59
3.4.1 Introduction 59
3.4.2 Working relationships 60
3.4.3 Enabling measures 61
3.4.4 Reflections 64
3.5 Key messages 66
4. City Strategy Pathfinders' activities 67
4.1 Working with the mainstream 67
4.2 Targeting activities 68
4.2.1 Spatial targeting 69
4.2.2 Sub-group targeting 71
4.3 Engaging hard-to-help groups 79
4.4 Engaging with employers 86
4.5 Projects, initiatives and programmes 95
4.6 Key messages 99
5. Evidence of the impact of City Strategy 100
5.1 Evidence relating to process 100
5.1.1 Improvements in partnership working 100
5.1.2 Alignment of priorities 105
5.1.3 Alignment of funding and budget enlargement 107
5.2 Evidence relating to outcomes 108
5.2.1 Introduction 108
5.2.2 Progress against benefit reduction targets 110
5.2.3 Employment rate trends 114
5.2.4 Developing a Comparison Area 116
5.2.5 Modelling benefit off-flows 117
5.3 Evidence of cultural change 120
5.3.1 Reflections on new ways of working 120
5.3.2 Integration across policy domains 121
5.4 Key messages 124
6. Challenges and issues 125
6.1 The shifting institutional and policy landscape 125
6.2 The consequences of recession 129
6.3 Size and geographical coverage of CSPs 132
6.4 Strategy, delivery and outcomes 135
6.5 Key messages 137
7. Key themes and policy implications 138
7.1 Key themes 138
7.1.1 The central-local relationship 138
7.1.2 External and internal evolution 139
7.1.3 Partnership and focus 140
7.1.4 Labour demand 141
7.2 Policy implications 142
Appendix A. Topics and evaluation questions set out in the evaluation framework for the local evaluations issued by DWP to CSPs 144
Appendix B. Aide memoire for national level interviews on the City Strategy initiative 147
Appendix C. Generic questions for electronic survey of CSPs 151
Appendix D. Enabling measures to support City Strategy and 'make work pay' 154
Appendix E. Benefit and employment rate trends 157
Appendix F. Local authorities included in the comparator area 160
Appendix G. Modelling benefit off-flows 161
Table 2.1 City Strategy Pathfinder schema 40
Table 5.1 Nationally determined benefit reduction targets 110
Table 5.2 Figures on key benefit levels, February 2009 113
Table 5.3 Nationally determined employment rate targets 114
Table 5.4 CSP employment rates, March 2009 115
Table G.1 Dependent variable: log of off-flow rate. Independent variables: log of UV ratio, log of off-flow rate lagged, CS dummy 167
Table G.2 Dependent variable: log of off-flow rate to work. Independent variables: log of UV ratio, log of off-flow rate lagged, CS dummy 168
Figure 1.1 The City Strategy evaluation strategy 18
Figure 2.1 City Strategy - a basic theory of change 24
Figure 2.2 City Strategy process logic chain 26
Figure E.1 Aggregate key benefit trends across CSP areas, February 2005 to February 2009 157
Figure E.2 Total benefit claimants in each CSP area indexed to May 2007 (i.e. May 2007 = 100), February 2005 to February 2009 158
Figure E.3 CSP employment rates (for people of working age) by CSP, December 2004 to March 2009 159