Devolution: 'Do better’, business community tells politicians
In the wake of last week's very public row over how devolution should be handled in the Gloucestershire, its business community tells the county’s political movers and shakers to ‘get on with it’.
Dear reader,
Welcome to your first email edition of The Raikes Journal of the week.
Last weekend saw Raikes post three successful editions - opening up on Monday with a profile article on one of our founding members, Darren Stevens, followed by a piece on Tuesday trying to sum up the political row that broke suddenly about devolution in Gloucestershire.
And then on Friday our members-only edition looked at whether the £300 million-plus visitor spend in Gloucester spoke as loudly as we suspected it might about the fortunes of the city. Was it categorical proof of its renaissance?
All proved popular reads.
And for our main story today we return to the devolution ‘debate’ (a follow-up to last Thursday’s article featuring mostly the thoughts of the county’s political movers and shakers).
After the political gloves came off in some quarters and the boots went in from one or two parties we thought we’d ask the business people of the county what they thought of it all so far.
If Gloucestershire gets devolution right it should have a new, powerful voice in Downing Street, to be heard alongside the likes of Bristol and other far bigger urban areas when their elected mayors are calling for more funding.
That main story comes after a sobering short piece about the work being done by Gloucester City Homes to help counter the rising incidence of homelessness among young people.
It’s a small thing - just eight beds in a special new unit GCH is opening up - but it could make a huge difference and we think it deserves attention.
Have a great week.
Andrew Merrell (editor).
NB: We believe Raikes now publishes probably the best-read business-related email ‘newsletter’, pound for pound, in Gloucestershire. Readership is growing and 2025 looks good!
If you have a story, an issue, a news item, a charity or an interview you want us to write about or investigate, challenge the powers that be on, then please email me: andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.
New centre highlights the scale of the challenge to support our homeless young people
As the county faces unprecedented challenges to help support its young people there is some good news, with a new centre opening for those at risk of homelessness - highlighting the efforts being made to help and the scale of the crisis.
Last year Gloucester City Homes was in the news after securing a £130 million funding deal as part of plans to deliver 400 more homes and then there was not so good news, when its scheme to redevelop the landmark Clapham Court refused by the council.
It’s not deterred the housing association, which is by far the biggest single provider of accommodation in the city and in autumn last year went on to welcome tenants into its 600th new home.
And now it is about to unveil a far more modest but by no means less important development. Eight-bed property, Hewmar House, off London Road in Gloucester, has been converted for GCH by Quedgeley-based building firm Aqua Construction to support young people facing homelessness.
How much of an issue is it among the young in the county? Apparently the number of times 18 to 25-year olds presenting as homeless county-wide in a single year runs into the hundreds.
Raikes asked a charity that knows better than most about the issue, Gloucestershire Nightstop (which provides a network of temporary safe houses for young people caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to accommodation).
A statement from the charity said: “This initiative (by GCH) marks a step forward in offering care leavers additional support in building a stable future. Youth homelessness continues to be a growing concern across our county.
“We have witnessed the increasing pressure of the cost of living crisis and the disproportionate impact on young people across the county, particularly through our Juliet’s Purse Homelessness Prevention Fund seeing how many young people are being impacted by lower rates of benefits and pay but expected to meet the same rising living costs.”
Natalie Thelwell, director of housing operations at GCH, said: “Hewmar House is our first young person’s centre. It is an investment of £1.4 million.”
The centre has already created seven new Jobs and is due to open on January 27.
Funded by the Single Homeless Accommodation Programme (SHAP), the scheme aims to provide the support young people need ‘to build brighter, more stable futures'.
With the backing of local authorities, housing experts, and charities, the service will also offer support with essential life skills, mental health and pathways to education, training, and employment.
According to Centrepoint, the national charity that also works with homeless young people, the number of young people in the UK facing homelessness increased in 2022-23 by six per cent.
In that year an estimated 136,000 young people asked for help from their local councils because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness.
In the South West youth homelessness increased 11 per cent in 2022 to 2023 to 11,300. In Wales there was a decrease in youth homelessness of one per cent in the same period.
More than 50 per cent of young people say the reason they find themselves facing homelessness is because family or friends are no longer willing or able to accommodate them.
Eleven per cent blame domestic abuse, nine per cent eviction from a private, social or supported housing tenancy, four per cent non-violent relationship breakdown with a partner, and four per cent a landlord wishing to sell or re-let the property.
Briefing notes...
🎟️ We mentioned this on Friday on our members-only edition in the main story, but tickets for Gloucester History Festival’s Spring online event have gone on sale. This is a programme of speakers from the best of the festival archive, including Jeremy Bowen, Dan Snow and Mary Beard, all specially curated by the festival’s president, Professor Janina Ramirez. Snow is in conversation with Korean War veterans Brian Hamblett and the late Tommy Clough, who were both captured in the Battle of Imjin River. You can see the full programme for £30 or individual talks for £6 each. Find out more here.
💷 Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has received a significant investment from BBRC-managed City Funds to allow it to develop three new programmes. The £400,000 will allow the club to pull together partnerships from across the area to create educational and employment opportunities for young people; to invest in its ongoing partnership with the City of Bristol College, building on the work which saw it support the Bristol Refugee Project with open cricket sessions, and the new funding will also help it reinstate its partnership with the BIMM music institute, which previously ran in 2021 and 2022, enabling young up-and-coming artists to play at the venue on matchdays to larger audiences than they might usually.
🎉 The No Child Left Behind project was established in Cheltenham in 2018 to highlight the estimated 4,400 children and young people living in poverty in the town and to make them feel part of their community. Since then it has worked to try to support those young people and celebrate their achievements. On January 30th it is due to stage a community showcase at Cheltenham Town Hall. The Year of Action event will aim to help understand the issues being faced by young people growing up in the town and showcase the work being done to help them. Find out more here.
🔔 Following on from Mark Bennett’s appointment as the new chief financial officer at Benefact Group, the parent company of insurance firm Ecclesiastical, there has been another senior appointment. James Medlicot has been named as the new UK casualty director of Gloucester-headquartered Ecclesiastical – joining from HDI Global. Medlicot replaced Tom Taylor, who has moved to a new role as group head of underwriting. Prior to joining HDI, Medlicot spent 19 years at Aviva. By its own admission, Ecclesiastical is enjoying “an ambitious growth phase” with the “strategic goal of expanding its casualty portfolio over the coming years”.
🎉 This week will see the official launch party of the opening of the offices of the first tenant in Gloucester’s new Forum building, part of the overall £107 million scheme to transform the former bus station area of the city into a new centre for business, hospitality and leisure. Fasthosts, the provider of internet services and hosting, is a £40 million turnover-plus business and effectively pledged its future to the city with the move into the new development.
Diary Dates
Tuesday: Investment property owners through to those considering investing in the residential rental market are invited to a seminar by Willans LLP solicitors. The event, called ‘A Guide to managing your investment property in 2025’ will feature the Cheltenham firm’s head of residential property, Suzanne O’Riordan, James Melvin-Bath, who heads Willans’ residential landlord and tenant disputes team, along with guest speakers Vanessa Clark (Azets) and Paul Davis (Ludice Wealth Management). Due to take place at Gloucester Guild Hall on Tuesday 14 January from 5.30pm to 7pm. Find out more here.
Wednesday: The Growth Hub Cirencester is due to stage its latest workshop. Be your own boss: how to start and run your own business workshop with Rachel Sweet is due to take place today from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Find out more here.
Thursday: If you want to understand how to apply for a patent for your business idea then The Growth Hub in Tewkesbury could well have the answer for you with this seminar. Patent attorney Flo Bazant is to reveal some of the salient points for you to consider in this 1-2-1 Zoom event aimed at business owners. Find out more here.
* Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne, our sponsors Hartpury University and Hartpury College, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
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Devolution: 'Do better’, business community tells politicians
In the wake of last week's very public row over how devolution should be handled in the Gloucestershire, its business community tells the county’s political movers and shakers to ‘get on with it’.
By Andrew Merrell.
Just before Christmas the Government published its White Paper outlining what it sees as an opportunity to gift power and influence to local authorities, if they can find the right way of reorganising themselves.
In Gloucestershire all seemed simple – with the county council leading, the plan would be to become a unitary authority with the six district authorities disappearing in name to fall under one leader.
All that would then remain would be to partner with a neighbouring area to ensure a sufficient number of residents, in order to qualify under the Government plans, and off we sail into a brave new world.
And then came news the leader of the county council would be writing to Downing Street to ask for a delay to this year’s local elections to allow Gloucestershire to concentrate on the prize... and that’s where it all went awry!
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