Key information
Publication type: General
Publication date:
Contents
RSM UK Consulting LLP (RSM) was commissioned by Greater London Authority (GLA) to evaluate the Good Growth Fund (GGF / the Fund). The evaluation was undertaken in two phases (interim and final). The interim (process) evaluation report was undertaken between October 2019 and January 2020 - the report was finalised in July 2020. This report presents the findings of the final (impact) evaluation. It reports on expenditure and performance data dated March 2021 and reflects fieldwork that was largely carried out in March / April 2021.
Overview
The Good Growth Fund's three strategic themes are:
- Empowering People –The GGF seeks to make London fair and inclusive by strengthening its civic infrastructure and networks which will bring people together to share their cultures and collaborate. As a result of the Fund, the GLA hopes all Londoners are equipped to participate in the job market.
- Making Better Places –. The Fund seeks to make better use of London’s existing spaces, providing inclusive and healthy places to work and live. There is a specific focus on bringing back empty spaces, improving the usability of public realm and providing accessible and adaptable infrastructure.
- Growing Prosperity – To accommodate good growth, the Fund seeks to support diverse and accessible local economies and help them realise their full potential. The GLA want to see innovative projects that use targeted interventions to support specific industries and local economies.
Key takeaways and lessons learnt
Key strengths of the GGF at a programme level include:
- the provision of development funding - this form of funding has been identified as being a powerful tool that has allowed projects to work with the GLA to build their capacity, support the development of new and innovative approaches, enhance the promoter’s credibility with other stakeholders and develop better planned and higher quality projects;
- GLA’s flexibility and collaborative approach has been cited by many of the projects as being key to the successful delivery of their projects; and
- the provision of access to expertise and networks via experienced GLA Area Officers, access to other GLA teams (e.g., the Regeneration and the Housing and Land teams) and access to specialist support through the Architecture Design and Urbanism Panel (ADUP), the Specialist assistance Team (SAT) and the London Review Panel (LRP) have been instrumental in supporting the development of high-quality projects.