Impact case study database

DMU research on Gypsy Traveller accommodation has achieved national impact through co-produced, applied research with communities, plus engagement with policymakers and practitioners. Richardson has built and developed relationships with key influencers who are able to lever the research as evidence to drive change and a renewed approach to planning and managing sites. This has led both to more accommodation being built, and a pathway to improved local authority approaches to planning and managing sites (for example G5 was a specific result of a local authority wanting the ‘ten ingredients’ from the JRF study [G7] applying to their own sites so that they could improve their planned approach [C1]).

The impact from Richardson’s public management research is most evident in the communities in England for whom the research has direct relevance, and it also has national impact as noted by the co-chairs of the APPGGTR: ‘Your research evidence, examples and recommendations have made it possible to scrutinise the impact of some of the legislation and policy which result in inequalities around Gypsy and Traveller accommodation’[C2]. This impact from Professor Richardson’s research is evident in five key areas of Gypsy and Traveller life:

(1) INCREASED AND IMPROVED ACCOMMODATION PROVISION

Richardson’s most recent JRF research findings [G7, R6] were used to lobby government and to plan and deliver Gypsy and Traveller sites. For example, in a consultation on the powers for dealing with unauthorised encampments, the professional body, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), wrote to the Minister for Housing as part of the 2018 consultation on unauthorised encampments, citing five recommendations quoted from the report: ‘CIH would strongly recommend such an approach… We strongly believe that this is not only a more equitable way forward, but also one that will bring quicker results, help reduce conflicts and improve living and safety conditions for Gypsy and Traveller families’ [C3]. Richardson’s JRF [G7, R6] findings are included in detail in the House of Commons Briefing Note on Gypsies and Travellers [C4] for MPs to consider in their public-policy decisions. DMU research has resulted in increased provision: ‘Even more significantly for us in Leicestershire, directly resulting from your research in the county, we have been able to deliver new sites (77 pitches) which are home to approximately 300 people who would otherwise not have had secure or sustainable accommodation’ [C5].

(2) NEW APPROACHES TO UNAUTHORISED ENCAMPMENTS

Richardson’s research on unauthorised encampments in Leeds [G4] analysed the benefits of negotiated stopping. Following publication of the report, the Leeds Gypsy Traveller Exchange CEO said: ‘It is so refreshing to have a report which (a) teaches us something new and (b) is going to be incredibly useful in furthering our work to improve the quality of life for Gypsies and Travellers…. Strategically the report has been incredibly helpful in backing us up to highlight the things that we do already know, and will redouble our efforts to hold local authorities to account…’ [C6]. The findings from the studies [G4, G7] led, first, to a multi-stakeholder workshop in November 2017 with the (now) London Deputy Mayor for housing, police, local authority professionals and the organisation London Gypsies and Travellers and, second, to a research project with London Gypsy Travellers, speaking with officers, elected members and Travellers in London council areas, to explore the potential for a pan-London approach to negotiated stopping [G8]. The resulting report was debated in an APPGGTR Roundtable in November 2019 which published a roundtable summary report in February 2020 written by Richardson, leading to a parliamentary question on 12 March 2020 by Kate Green MP (Co-chair of the APPGGTR) [C2]. The London Deputy Mayor wrote that ‘The findings from the research have enabled the Greater London Authority (GLA) to understand in more detail how a negotiated stopping approach might work in London and my team is working to identify next steps in this area, including how we might approach implementation of this approach on GLA-owned land and options for promoting the sharing of best practice and joint working between local authorities’ [C7].

(3) MORE ROBUST EVIDENCE-BASE TO INFORM PLANNING PRACTICES

The Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) research in Somerset, led by Richardson [G2] continues to influence planning practice, with the report held up as robust, and an example of best practice in the field. An independent planning consultant who works on applications across the country, reported that: ‘I have also used the Somerset GTAA as a benchmark by which to assess other GTAAs, in particular on the subject of community involvement. [I] would suggest that there has been considerable real-world impact of this piece of work in addressing the inequalities faced by Gypsies and Travellers in Somerset’ [C8]. By working with the community, the research findings were rooted in a robust evidence base, and this has been the case in the Leicestershire research [G5], which built on the Somerset co-production methodology, where the Head of the county Gypsy and Traveller Unit said: ‘[The Leicestershire GTAA] was successfully tested in a number of local plan examinations where the evidence-base was found to be sound’ [C5].

(4) HIGHER QUALITY SITE MANAGEMENT

As found in discussions with housing providers, as part of establishing a national housing providers’ advisory forum, there is only a small number of housing associations managing sites, with suggestions from some that it has traditionally been seen as ‘difficult’. This is starting to change, and the JRF [G7] study involved housing associations new to this field. The Chief Executive of Rooftop explained: ‘Your 2006 book ( The Gypsy Debate) and more recent research for JRF (2016) has helped to inform and accelerate Rooftop’s current and future approach to both policy and practice…. From my interactions with others in the housing industry I can also say it appears to have had impact more broadly…. This has encouraged us to explore setting up a national advisory panel… on which we hope you will continue to influence and advise’ [C9]. Another beneficiary of Richardson’s research, Cornwall County Council, said her work had led to plans for site improvements: ‘The findings from Prof Richardson’s study for us here in Cornwall have framed a clearer understanding of working relationships and management practices for the council and the ALMO Cornwall Housing Ltd. This has resulted in plans for site improvements and better places to live for our Gypsies and Travellers’ [C1].

(5) INCLUDING GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS IN RESEARCH

Alongside influencing strategic and practical decisions, Richardson’s approach has created opportunities to amplify the voices of Travellers during the co-production research process itself. The advocacy charity One Voice said: ‘Without your research Jo, we would not have the evidence we need for planning inquiries on site delivery, and we would not have voices from the community embedded so strongly throughout the research process to enable Gypsy Traveller people to feel the benefits of your work through the provision of more, and better managed, accommodation’ [C10]. The Head of the Multi-Agency Gypsy Traveller Unit in Leicestershire said of the accommodation needs research [G3]: ‘…we knew that your co-production methods would involve meaningful engagement with the communities and a robust evidence-base of need’ [C5].

There is international interest in Richardson’s research: for example, an invitation to deliver a keynote lecture for Harvard University’s Program on Negotiation (12 May 2016) on the basis of her emerging findings for the JRF [G7] study and her pivotal use of conflict resolution and negotiation framing of the debate dating back to the first JRF [G1] project.

Granger’s research on alternative approaches to data capture and analysis in creative economies has been developed into ‘Flokk’ and ‘Citizen Sensor’, as practical evidence-based models. Granger’s work has provided a rich set of nuanced data, which has benefited creative policy design [C1, C3, C7] and provided a set of methods adopted in other sectors with documented impact [C5, C6]. This evolving body of research has allowed Granger to build relationships with industries and stakeholders such as local authorities and local enterprise partnerships about research evidence for policy design. It has also opened up new avenues of research on hidden areas of culture and creativity in cities, e.g. AHRC research on ‘Valorising Hidden Culture’.

(1) IMPACT ON THE RELATIONAL TURN IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

As a result of theoretical research on spatial-relational mapping [R1], Granger’s research on creativity in the Midlands resulted in a report on ‘data deserts’ in Leicester [R2], presented at a city event ‘Disruption in the Creative Industries’ (8 November 2017), and leading to the development of Flokk as a practical model for the creative sector in Leicester (https://flokk.online\).

Creative Coffee, the primary network of creative practitioners in Leicester, noted changes in the way practitioners in Leicester’s creative sector view the sector in relational terms. Lee Tomes, Chair of the Creative Industries Company notes:

Rachel’s work is highly innovative and continuously sets the bar for what the sector should be thinking and doing. In April 2019 we invited Rachel to head up our series on disruption in the creative industries and to showcase how Flokk … supports new client bases, … new collaborations … new markets, and new investments …[.], bringing the sector to life and opening up data for all actors to access and use to inform business practices [C1].

(2) IMPACT OF DATA ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

As a result of Flokk, Carl Quinn, CEO of Solvers Studio notes:

Flokk makes it possible for me to examine current value chains in the local economy and to support my networking as a new SME. The extension of Flokk into Citizen Sensor extends the possibilities for co-designing in the city, … and for this reason we invited Flokk Lab to become a resident of InnoHouse. [C2]

Granger’s subsequent work with InnoHouse [R5], featured in a Covid crisis workshop (10 July 2020) and in the 2020 Leicester Business Festival (5 November 2020). Leicester Business Voice notes: ‘[Rachel’s] relaunch of Flokk at Leicester Business Voice at the University of Leicester’s Innovation Hub … reflects a growing interest in alternative and open forms of business data for in-house data capture and analysis’ [C3, G3].

(3) IMPACT OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE FOR POLICY DESIGN

In January 2018, DMU cited Flokk and creative research in its evidence base for the Leicestershire Industrial Strategy, and more recently in the Covid Recovery Plans. Granger has also applied Flokk to provide core intelligence for Leicester’s Smart Strategy [C4], its Cultural Plan 2021–2025 [C5] and the city’s innovation plans. As the LLEP notes, Flokk improves economic intelligence gathering in Leicestershire, with more nuanced economic policy formed as a result:

Flokk is showcased as a best practice model for economies to identify innovation capability and to develop innovation networks. We are delighted to be using Flokk as a core part of our approach to the MIT Reap programme and as a longer-term economic intelligence tool for the Leicestershire Economic Recovery Plan [C7];

(See also: https://innovation.mit.edu/resource/mit\-reap/\)

Flokk has also begun to have wider impact, supporting a range of practitioners in cities like Copenhagen (capturing more than 1,500 business interactions and value chains in new smart and sustainable urban sectors). The City of Copenhagen notes the limitations of Danish statistics in identifying driving clusters in an economy, and the way Flokk has prioritised electronics to grow the Urban Sustainability sector of the new economic strategy (2021–2030). On the strength of this, Flokk has been recommended to other cities and regions in Denmark through the Data.Dk platform, providing smart data collection for wider usage [C6].

(4) IMPACT ON PARTICIPATORY MODELS

Flokk’s use of crowdsourcing data continues to be a source of wider inspiration, and following feedback from Creative Coffee in April 2019, Granger has developed Leicester Citizen Sensor to support residents’ participation in evidence-based policy [G4]. Citizen Sensor (https://leicestercitizensensor.online\) builds on Flokk to provide qualitative, non-business data on the lived experiences in the city, which has informed the AHRC ‘Valorising Hidden Culture’ project [G2], the Leicester Urban Innovation Lab (http://leicester\-lab.co.uk\), and individual communities such as Braunstone Gate and West End Community, with the latter using Citizen Sensor to support traffic changes in the locality [C8].

As the Head of Economic Regeneration at Leicester City Council states: ‘Flokk sets out a model for a new wave of participatory data sourcing in smart cities, and I see Flokk and the Citizen Sensor as providing a vital service for this city’ [C9]. As Leicester City Council go on to state:

Flokk lab provides a key resource for the city of Leicester and we are delighted to work closely with [Rachel] to extend the benefits of Flokk to other areas of the Council’s services and as a key part of the new Urban Innovation Lab, with citizen participation centre stage of that exciting development. [C10]

Work by researchers at DMU has built a new body of knowledge of the international financial management diagnostic tools in use, helping Development Partners working with developing and transitioning countries to increase both their understanding and their ability to navigate the selection of the tools on offer. The research has formed the basis of capacity-building in PFM around the world and created new resources to be used by Development Partners.

BUILDING CAPACITY IN PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF EU TRAINING PROGRAMMES

Drawing on previous experience of delivering PFM training, the team used their research findings to rewrite two specific courses to reflect both their work on the PFM diagnostic tools and the more detailed case studies. Both courses have been developed to increase capacity by providing the knowledge and skills to manage, plan and monitor PFM reform effectively and in negotiating and implementing budget support programmes, the default approach for delivering effective aid. Acting Head of the EU Unit for International Partnership has said that the research carried out for the PEFA Secretariat has supported the unit ‘in improving both capacity and decision-making skills for those negotiating and implementing the PFM reform strategies as part of the Budget Support programmes… [this] accounted for €1.6BN of the aid given by the EU in 2019’. [C1] DMU research has been used to underpin the following courses:

• The 5-day PFM Fundamentals training course (4-day online version) developed for those involved in designing, implementing or assessing the PFM reforms, and those using diagnostic tools to assess progress. The training provides a technical introduction to the diagnostic tools identified in the 2016 DMU research and explores ways in which the tools can be used together, also drawing on case studies developed from the research. A prerequisite for anyone involved in EU PFM, 3 online sessions and 8 face-to-face courses have been delivered since 2017, involving a total of 254 people (83 delegates online; 171 face-to-face). as well EU regulatory institutions such as OLAF (Anti-corruption Office) and EU Court of Auditors. [C1,2]

• The EU Directorate General for Development and Co-operation 3-day PFM Reform training course, delivered to staff from the EC headquarters and its delegations, with a focus on negotiating budget support contracts with Development Partners and national governments. The training course refers directly to the findings of the 2016 research, looking in depth at identifying weaknesses of the PFM systems and selecting and using different combinations of tools to develop a coherent reform strategy. Since reframing the material using the team’s research in 2017, the programme has been delivered to 72 delegates across 8 courses. The delegates are primarily concerned with negotiating conditionalities for Budget Support and come from a range of positions including institutions from the Directorate Generals of: Development and Co-operation, Economics and Finance, Partner Governments and partner aid agencies. [C1,3]

Feedback from both courses has been very positive, with the majority of participants finding it either useful for their current role or helping them to prepare for future roles. Specific examples include the macro-economist and programme officer for the EC who states that the training has helped him in two of his job roles, first in the General Directorate for Economic and Financial Affairs in Brussels and, since August 2020, as part of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic:

‘The training and the use of PFM diagnostic tools allowed me to more easily identify the weaknesses and needs of Public Financial Management systems. This knowledge and access to diagnostic tools in a clear and concise way with guidance on how to use the tools has helped in both the analysis of weaknesses and identifying reforms to prioritise in accordance with International Good Practice. The guidelines are particularly helpful in identifying the links of the multitude of diagnostic tools to the system weaknesses identified by the PEFA assessments.’ [C4]

This participant has been able to apply what he learned about the diagnostic tools to the development of conditionalities for the second and third programmes under the instrument of Macro-Financial Assistance in Jordan, totalling EUR900,000,000 (2017 and 2020). In his current role as economist responsible for macroeconomic and PFM issues in the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, he has applied the learning to monitor the authorities’ PFM reform Action Plan as adopted on 30 June 2020 in the context of ongoing budget support programmes [C4].

The benefits of the training are mirrored by First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Cambodia, who attended the PFM Reform training in November 2018. She has stated that what she learned on the course has ‘helped … tremendously in [her] work in Cambodia’ [C5]. The knowledge she gained has enabled her both to carry out her role more effectively and to provide essential information to colleagues, something which she says she would have been unable to do if she had not attended the training. She states, ‘I am without doubt that the knowledge I gained during the PFM course before my deployment made my work easier and more importantly added value not only to Sweden and EU but essentially to the Cambodian efforts to reform the PFM sector in their country’ [C5].

The application of the training and research in fragile states was endorsed by the EU attaché for Public Finance and Budget Support in Afghanistan, who stated:

‘The training and the use of PFM diagnostic tools have assisted me in my role as Programme Officer for public finance management and as task manager of the EU State and Resilience Building Contract at the EU delegation to Afghanistan. The training deepened my understanding of Afghanistan’s PFM systems and particularly the diagnostics to use in assisting the fight against corruption and in designing and monitoring the implementation of budget support operations.’ [C6]

BUILDING CAPACITY THROUGH BESPOKE TRAINING PROGRAMMES: MOLDOVA, AZERBAIJAN AND THE GAMBIA

As well as training courses, Mear and colleagues have also developed and delivered bespoke support to build capacity related to using specific PFM tools in specific situations. Examples include working in Moldova on accounting legislation (May and November 2016, drawing on the research as the initial fieldwork was being carried out), in Azerbaijan on improving its PFM system in line with international standards (October 2017), and in The Gambia on rebuilding PFM on its return to democracy (December 2018). Training in The Gambia was attended by 28 delegates, including senior staff in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, the Gambia Office of Statistics, the Gambia National Audit Office, the Accountant General Department, the Central Bank of The Gambia, and the Office of the President. In the televised opening remarks, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs highlighted the importance of the training for those involved in the implementation of the reform programmes for The Gambia and the value of applying the learning to the government reforms. Feedback from the training demonstrated its importance, with participants saying it was ‘very essential and relevant to my work’ and that the experience ‘will enable my capabilities in executing my duties at work.’ [C1,C7]

BUILDING CAPACITY IN PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR CHINESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Since 2017, Mear has also delivered training to visiting Chinese government officials. Across a total of 10 courses, 160 delegates have attended the training, aimed both at Chinese Ministry of Finance officials and at Chinese provincial government officials to support their transition to international PFM standards. Attendees have included the Deputy Director and senior staff members of the National Development and Reform Commission (the body in charge of China's macroeconomic planning, responsible for formulating and implementing strategies for national economic and social development and coordinating major economic operations); senior officials within the Supervision and Evaluation Bureau of China's Ministry of Finance; senior officials from the Department of International Economic Relations, Ministry of Finance; and regional delegations (including XinXing, Guangzhou, Sichuan, Hainan and Guangxi Zhuang) [C8].

CREATING NEW RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

The research commissioned by PEFA led the team to create two new resources for development partners, made available through the PEFA platform. The first, the Stocktake of PFM Diagnostic Tools 2016, provides a detailed overview of available tools, highlighting which are new and where updates have been made. The guide also creates a new typology for the tools, identifying three categories that enable a more informed choice. The annexes to the report are specifically designed to help stakeholders select and coordinate diagnostic tools, by providing an overall view, identifying complementarity of technical coverage, and providing details on the basic elements of each tool, as well as web links where available. The second resource, the much shorter Guide to PFM Diagnostic Tools, draws on the Stocktake to provide users with an outline mapping of the tools and their complementarity. These resources help development partners to apply the appropriate combination of diagnostic tools for their particular situation, which helps to identify weaknesses in the system and improve aid effectiveness [C9].

INFORMING THE NEXT PHASE OF PFM REFORM

In 2018, Mear was appointed as the Academic Lead on the Forward-Looking Advisory Group (FLAG) for the PEFA Secretariat reviewing the next phase in supporting PFM reforms. FLAG includes senior representatives from partners countries – the former Minister of Finance and Planning Ghana; the former First Deputy Minister of Finance Georgia; Ministry of Finance and Credit Columbia; and the former Minister of Economy & Finance Guinea – as well as representatives from the International Budget Partnership and the African Development Bank. Mear is the sole academic representative [C10]. The Advisory Group undertook technical analysis of the drafts and working papers prepared by the study team and provided expert advice to the Steering Committee on the quality, implications and use of the review findings. The PEFA Steering Committee is a high-level committee that provides strategic direction to, and oversight of, the PEFA programme, and commissioned an analytical study to provide the Committee ‘with a common basis and to propose options to define the future PEFA program in terms of focus and scope, development of the framework, organization of the Secretariat function, and funding modalities’.

In 2018 and 2019, we articulated together the conceptualisation of Islamophobia that emerged from the two underpinning research projects and their respective outputs, in our written and oral submissions to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims’ inquiry into a working definition of Islamophobia, and in our focus-group meeting with MPs to agree the wording of the definition the APPGBM finally adopted. Prior to this inquiry, there had been no widely available definition of Islamophobia in the UK public sphere. During and after the inquiry, MPs described our research findings, submitted as evidence, as ‘hugely valuable’ and ‘robust’, and as having a direct ‘impact’ on the inquiry [C6].

Our evidence to the APPGBM detailed the working definition and cognate concepts we had found through the underpinning research detailed in section 2, defining Islamophobia as:

Hateful, abusive or discriminatory attitudes, practices or behaviours that target people on the basis of their perceived racial-religious identity as Muslims.

We emphasised in particular that ‘Islamophobia is a specifically racial and religious form of discrimination’ and that ‘crucially, such actions and behaviours are predicated on perception of the victims’ “Muslim-ness”’. We were then among ‘a select number of individuals and organisations’ invited to give oral evidence [C1]. On 20 June 2018 we presented our oral evidence in the House of Commons, and faced questions from MPs. We were also invited by the APPGBM to add to our submitted written evidence, based on further issues we had raised during questioning by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, and in response received an email from the APPGBM stating that ‘this will really make a huge difference to our inquiry’ [C2]. In October 2018 we were invited back to Parliament for a small, closed focus group, consisting of five academics (ourselves included) and six MPs, to debate and agree upon a final wording on the definition of Islamophobia that the APPGBM would endorse [C3]. We engaged in robust debate with the cross-party committee of MPs and insisted, citing our research findings, both that Islamophobia must be defined as a form of racism and that the concept of ‘perceived Muslimness’ was appropriate to defining Islamophobia. The definition the APPGBM adopted used the wording we negotiated and agreed at that meeting, shaped by our research findings. In its final report, published on 27 November 2018, Islamophobia Defined, the committee defined Islamophobia as ‘a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’. Our written and oral evidence was cited and quoted verbatim throughout the report, and our contribution acknowledged (see, for example, our definition of ‘perceived Muslimness’ used by MPs [C4: 46]).

MPs Wes Streeting and Anna Soubry wrote to us in 2019, explicitly identifying the impact of our research on the adopted definition:

We would like to thank you for your involvement in our inquiry. Your contribution has been hugely valuable to the rigour of our deliberations […] thanks to the breadth of and robust evidence presented in your submission. The final report of the APPG has cited your submission, and the primary research on which it is based, in numerous places throughout the report. We hope you will appreciate this as indicative of the high regard in which your contribution was held and demonstrative of its impact on the APPG on British Muslims’ inquiry into a working definition of Islamophobia [C6]

The definition (and a set of examples, in common with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance antisemitism definition) has since been voted on and formally adopted by major local authorities across the country (e.g. London and Greater Manchester), was formally adopted by most major political parties by spring 2019 (Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and all parties in the Scottish Parliament), and endorsed by dozens of MPs and members of the House of Lords, and all major British Muslim civil society and advocacy organisations [C7], in addition to being adopted by a number of UK universities. The Muslim Council of Britain invited Dr Ali and Dr Whitham to write a blog explaining the definition’s importance [C5], while it also garnered extensive national media coverage ( Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, Spectator and online). The wider significance of the definition was recognised; as Akeela Ahmed MBE put it in a Metro article, the real social impact at stake here is that this ‘definition of Islamophobia will save the lives of British Muslims’ (30 November 2018; https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/30/a\-definition\-of\-islamophobia\-will\-save\-the\-lives\-of\-british\-muslims\-8188403/\). While the definition will remain politically contested, its impact has thus been to force widespread (and growing) public recognition – evidenced in the institutional adoptions of the definition described above – that Islamophobia is indeed a form of racism, rooted in racialised conceptions of ‘Muslimness’, rather than simply a form of ‘religious discrimination’ or even ‘legitimate’ theological critique, and that it underpins racist street violence and political discourse, as our research and evidence showed in compelling detail.

In 2019 we submitted further written evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee's (HASC) inquiry into Islamophobia, and part of our evidence to the APPGBM was quoted verbatim in the first HASC oral evidence session, in May 2019. Since the publication of the APPGBM report, we have continued to engage in media work to raise further awareness of the importance of this definition being adopted by so many institutions – including live BBC television and radio interviews in 2019. As organisations and institutions continued to debate, vote on, adopt and implement the definition, through 2020 and into 2021, the impact from this research remains ongoing.

Research carried out by the DMU team has created a new evidence base about the challenges and opportunities in the local SME landscape as they relate to public procurement. The constructive intervention of the collaborative research, working with Leicester City Council, business support networks, small EMBs and other local stakeholders, has also changed understanding of what is needed to address both the supply and demand side of public procurement, particularly in relation to small EMBs. This ‘engaged’ approach has (1) shaped new procurement rules, processes and practices within Leicester City Council resulting in an increase both in local spend on services and products from local SMEs and (2) increased local engagement with the procurement process.

(1) SHAPING NEW PROCUREMENT RULES, PROCESSES AND PRACTICES WITHIN LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL

For many years, procurement within Leicester City Council (LCC) was operational in nature, often lacking structure and not fully aligned with strategic priorities. An established relationship with DMU enabled LCC to access Woldesenbet Beta’s research on SMEs and, drawing on that evidence base, they were able to make significant and sustained changes to their procurement rules, processes and practices, creating a new, more inclusive and transparent procurement approach. The Assistant Mayor (Policy Development) and Head of Procurement has stated that:

Engagement with DMU’s researchers contributed to the establishment of new procurement procedures (Contract Procedure Rules) for the City Council, streamlined open and transparent procurement processes, a new social value charter and accompanying guide for suppliers/​​contractors and better-informed strategic decisions … Sustained changes were made to improving the culture of procurement process and practices. [C1]

Specific changes include:

• In 2015, modifications to the procurement rules and procedures creating greater flexibility. These changes now allow the council to use the most appropriate procedures and permit a procurement value of up to GBP75,000 (previously GBP30,000) for goods and services, and up to GBP250,000 for works to be advertised in a ‘relaxed and responsive manner’, so that procurement officers can decide upon the most appropriate procedure for each contract [C4].

• Changes in LCC’s procurement practices in 2015 included not using the preferred supplier list, opting out from the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), developing separate processes for new tenders, and splitting large contracts into smaller lots [C4].

• LCC added a new Social Value Charter in 2018 into the council’s procurement framework in order to maximise social value sustainably by ‘employing locally and responsibly, sourcing locally, supporting and engaging with local communities, improving environmental sustainability, and doing business ethically’ [C3], reflecting the DMU research on diversity and inclusivity in procurement.

(2) SUPPORTING AN INCREASE IN LOCAL ENGAGEMENT WITH PROCUREMENT PROCESSES

Following the changes to procurement processes, local small suppliers have become subcontractors for larger ones. For example, Morgan Sindall, Leicester Market Development Project and Charles Henry & Sons Ltd have spent 85%, 52% and 50% respectively on subcontracting with local small businesses. DMU’s research demonstrated the importance of diversity and inclusivity for small EMBs in the public-sector supply chain. The city council subsequently changed their rules and processes to address the power imbalance between small EMBs and LPOs which in turn resulted in an increase in LCC’s locally based spend by 8.3% (GBP 19,000,000) between 2015 and 2016 [C1]. The annual spend with local small SMEs reached 46% in 2018 [C1], from 18% in 2015. This increase is unprecedented in the context of public sector spending with SMEs, which at a national level fell to 24% in 2015/16 and 22.5% in 2016/17 [C1]. Local SMEs have also increased their level of success with public-sector contracts, not least because of their increased understanding of the process, gained from their involvement with the DMU research. A director of one such business has commented that:

We have developed a clearer idea and have become more confident in searching for, applying for and creating the documentation for local government tenders. Over the last few years, as we have won contracts with local authorities, we have been added to their preferred supplier lists and have generated some repeat business from this. Two recent examples of successful contracts were from the LCC in 2019/20 and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in 2015–2016 … [E]ngaging with Professor Woldesenbet Beta’s research has encouraged us to explore other innovative avenues for securing local authority contracts, for example using more direct approaches like applying for contracts via online jobsites and contacting employment agencies. [C2]

The research raised awareness of the challenges of political leadership and management facing local councillors under austerity. It shaped councillors’ understandings of their roles, while communicating their everyday experiences to national government, political parties and local government membership bodies. Its pathway to impact was based on councillor engagement and co-production, privileging three ways of working: engaging individual councillors and councils; shaping the strategy of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE); and putting councillors at the heart of parliamentary debates.

(1) CREATING A SPACE OF LEARNING FOR INDIVIDUAL COUNCILLORS

The Councillor Commission opened a space for councillors to voice their reflections on their roles and functions in councils. Copus was the chair of the Commission. He undertook 31 workshops across England, engaging with 24 local authorities and the Local Government Association. He also collaborated with the National Association of Local Councils to undertake a national survey of parish and town councillors. Over 300 councillors participated in the workshops and roundtables; the Commission received 128 submissions from individuals and organisations. The recommendation of the Commission [R5] for an inquiry into working relations between parish councils and principal authorities led to the Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils producing a guide to effective partnership working [C1]. In Hampshire, the work of Copus resulted in the successful bidding for GBP60,000 of additional funding for local councils and the putting in place of a charter between the tiers of councils in the county, as recommended by the Councillor Commission [R5, C2]. The Two Tribes? report [R6] was used as evidence in the 2018 submission to the Boundary Commission of Labour councillors in Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, with Labour councillors arguing against the increasing workloads resulting from any reduction in the number of councillors ‘for the reasons highlighted in the authoritative APSE report’. The Two Tribes? report [R6] was also used by the all-party Kirklees Democracy Commission as evidence of the disengagement of non-executive councillors from Overview and Scrutiny. Similarly, the report [R6] was deployed as campaign advice by the It’s Our City resident network in Sheffield for its People’s Petition to hold a referendum on the democratic organisation of the council [C3].

(2) SHAPING THE STRATEGY AND PUBLIC POSITIONING OF APSE

APSE is a UK local government membership association, working with over 300 councils. The research [R1, R3, R6] shaped its national strategy and public positioning, with Griggs acting as its academic research adviser from 2015 through to the end of 2020. Due to this partnership, APSE undertook a new programme of research and member engagement on the role of councillors [R6]. Over a period of three years, APSE funded five policy reports from the LGRC. Internally, APSE’s chief executive states that the profiling and recommendations of the research led to requests for councillor training from its member authorities. Externally, he argues that the research informed strategic interventions with the Conservative and Labour parties, ‘notably our engagements with the Conservative Councillors’ Association and the Labour Party’s Community Wealth Building Unit. It also shaped APSE’s position on Welsh local government reorganisation’ [C4]. APSE Scotland have used the research and its findings on Scotland [R6] to promote the role of local councillors in the review of Scottish local governance, engaging with Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, as well as MSPs and local councillors. Its 2017 fringe party meeting at the SNP conference was attended by more than 150 delegates. The research also triggered collaboration between APSE and the Centre for Public Scrutiny. Building on this internal and external positioning, APSE launched its 2030 Local Government Commission in partnership with the LGRC [C4].

(3) PUTTING COUNCILLORS AT THE HEART OF PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

Our research [R2, R3] and the organisation and leadership of consultative stakeholder workshops with the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee resulted in the Committee designing a model to empower councillors as governors of their communities, which redesigned working relationships between central and local government. This model was codified by Copus and presented to the Commons in July 2014, as the Local Government (Independence) Bill, a private members’ bill proposed by Graham Allen MP, chair of the Committee [C5].

As a result of the engagement of Copus with the Communities and Local Government Committee, its then chair, Clive Betts MP, formed an independent commission into the role of councillors [C6]. Its findings, The Voice of the Councillor [R5], were discussed by the Committee at its review of Overview and Scrutiny in Local Government [C7]. The Department of Communities and Local Government responded that the findings would ‘inform the work of the department’ [C8]. Lord Kennedy, shadow local government spokesperson, referred to the report as ‘an excellent piece of work that must form a key part of the repositioning of local councillors and strengthening their role.’ In October 2017, Lord Kennedy directly posed a written question to Lord Bourne, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department of Communities and Local Government, asking ‘what assessment [Her Majesty’s Government] have made of the report The Voice of the Councillor, the final report of the De Montfort University and Municipal Journal Councillor Commission, published in July’ [C9].

The findings of LGRC research undertaken for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on District Councils (APPGDC) on the role of councillors was the subject of an adjournment debate in the Commons on 15 November 2017. Responding to the debate, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Jake Berry, commented that ‘the report has shown Government a way in which district councils can remain at the heart of our local government family for the long term’. He added that it was a: ‘hugely important report’ and that ‘the Government will continue to fully engage … and respond over the coming weeks and months to the specific issues raised.’ Mark Pawsey, chair of the APPGDC, ensured that the recommendations of the LGRC research were recorded for the public record in Hansard [C10].

Serendipity is a Leicester-based diversity-led arts organisation formed in 2010 which became part of Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio in 2018 (awarded June 2017). As the only diversity-led performing arts organisation in the National Portfolio, Serendipity has become a recognised leader of innovation in this sector of the UK creative economy. Without the ability to exploit its increased activity, stakeholders would have no, or very limited, access to Serendipity’s unique proposition, which would result in a reduction in audience size and income as a consequence. This has built confidence in the business and enabled it to advance its corporate vision. As the Director of Diversity at ACE comments: ‘Serendipity is internationally recognised for its diversity-led practice and reach which has benefitted significantly from its partnership and collaborations with Professor Harwood.’ [C2]

A series of interventions undertaken over three years (2016–2019) have developed Serendipity and its business environment for African/​-Caribbean diaspora performing arts, leading to business growth and increased demand for arts and cultural products. Linking to underpinning research, Harwood worked with the CEO to explore how to develop new digital products (virtual performances, shop, e-learning materials, digital texts such as e-books) [using findings from R1 to R5], markets (new audiences) and a business model (subscription tiers and strategy for income generation) [drawing on findings from R6]. This led to the development of an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership awarded in 2018 (GBP109,948; KTP010965, delivered between April 2018 and September 2019) which supported development of Serendipity’s commercial proposition [aligning with findings in R1, R2, R4]. The focus was on how Serendipity’s programme could be exploited, resulting in a new strategy for digitisation that is now central to its business model. This led to five FTE jobs (in marketing and business development, product and project development and support, and administration); structural changes in the business’s operation that resulted in changes to all existing job descriptions which now incorporate a broader range of commercial activities; and new products that support its activities and programme, including income targets for new product lines, consultancy and sponsorship. Furthermore, faced with Covid-19 challenges which prevented many cultural organisations from offering a programme at all during 2020 because of venue closures, Serendipity was immediately in a position to move its programme and strategy fully online. As the Director of Tourism, Culture & Investment at Leicester City Council, comments in his supporting statement:

The value of this work has been obvious during the recent COVID pandemic. Some organisations who run programmes supported by the council had to cancel their activities entirely and subsequently did not receive our financial support this year. Serendipity were very quickly able to generate alternative on-line formats for both their key programmes and therefore we were able to fund them. Without the investment and support being referred to here they would also have lost out. [C3]

A key challenge faced was exploiting cultural assets for business sustainability by developing new products, services and markets that maximise income from assets. To address this, and building on research findings [in R1, R2 and R3], it has devised a new supplier contract for its international performing artists whereby digitisation (recorded images, voice, text and associated data) and related intellectual property rights are now exploitable through a range of new resources such as books (including audio and e-books) and merchandise such as posters, prints and postcards, clothing and bags, as well as reused in new ways related to ongoing development of digital engagement platforms including social media promotion (related to R4 and R5), streaming services and paywalls (mobile apps, e-learning, digital membership schemes, audience experience opportunities) and product licensing deals [reflecting findings in R6]. This draws on its extensive print-based archive representing a back catalogue of Black culture that had never before been commercially exploited by the business. It has also developed a new website incorporating a shop platform with analytics and links to its financial accounting processes. As a consequence of the increased visibility, which has resulted from extended digitalised activities and clarity arising from the revised contractual arrangements which sets out intellectual property agreements, supplier-artists now have improved and enhanced opportunities to benefit from Serendipity’s income-generating and business-related activities. In her supporting statement, the CEO of Serendipity states: ‘Contracts with our artists have been developed to enable us to provide a breadth of digital services and appropriately exploit intellectual property rights’ [C1].

The outcome has been a new business model; reduced reliance on grant funding resulting in a more independent and sustainable business arising from increased income from event ticket sales and new digital products (e.g. e-books, subscriptions, online events); increased visibility through marketing activities building new audiences and extending audience reach, which in turn has led to development of new programmes and growth in demand for diversity-led events. For example, its grant income funded a primarily East Midlands–based events programme focused on two core activities: Let’s Dance International Frontiers (LDIF) and Black History Month (BHM), both highlighting African/​-Caribbean diaspora stories and Black history in local communities. Both now contribute to an extended, year-round programme. Its recent launch of Temperature on the Streets, a podcast and news bulletin programme reflecting a wider range of diversity-led activities within the region, and an annual magazine, Black Ink, including stories of cultural activities, have already achieved high levels of recognition in the national and international media (e.g. Guardian newspaper, British Theatre Guide, among numerous others). This has increased the scope and scale of its business ecology, increasing the number of its stakeholders and suppliers of professional services, technical and venue provision, as stated by the Artistic Director of Tabanka Dance Ensemble:

As a result of Serendipity’s work with Professor Harwood, Serendipity is internationally recognised for its diversity-led reach. Dance companies, including Tabanka Dance Ensemble, see the value in being part of Serendipity’s programmes for the connections, collaborations and future developments that can be achieved as a result. Including reaching new audiences, future work opportunities and the chance to work across formats (conferences and workshop residencies, publications and digital platforms). [C4]

Serendipity also now has a range of online platform-based assets that have enabled it to grow its remote audiences, including in the Americas, Africa and Europe. Its digital developments meant it was immediately able to switch to an online programme for its events as the Covid-19 virus closed venues. Impact on its business has therefore been manageable rather than catastrophic. Moving offices in October 2019 to accommodate its growth as a consequence of business developments, it has built a new library targeting community and research audiences, a meeting space and a box office for ticket sales, and has developed a state-of-the-art training facility seating up to 24 people through which it runs courses and events, and which it hires to other businesses. Serendipity’s CEO comments in her supporting statement:

With new facilities, Serendipity now has the physical space and capacity for the increase in its activities, including an in-house box office (which had previously been managed by a third party), a bespoke state-of-the art training and room hire facility, and an archive library that now provides access to the extensive resources and black history back catalogue. [C1]

Research and knowledge exchange contributed towards Serendipity’s successful application to become an ACE NPO (2018–2022, GBP840,000), as well as develop its programme of events and activities, by providing a robust commercial footing for its audience engagement strategy. Online, Serendipity reached 50,000 impressions in 2019 (53% increase from 2018 – impressions are the visibility of social media posts in follower timelines). It has also developed performance artists and creative businesses who are suppliers, collaborators and partners by improving their access to resources and income-generating opportunities, even when the pandemic has meant international artists have been unable to travel to the UK to complete their contracts. With increased emphasis on paid-for consultancy, the CEO has developed an international audience extending beyond performers as suppliers, to include an international corporate client-base for whom she advises on African/​-Caribbean performing arts diaspora, archiving and curating Black history.