The reason for revising the original 10-year CGS after only 5 years was simple necessity.
Firstly, significant changes to the sub-regional, regional, and national strategic and policy contexts. Add to this substantial reductions in public regeneration funding availability compounded by the prevailing economic downturn.
Secondly, while the main original challenges remain, significant new ideas and opportunities had emerged.
The third and most important factor however was the phenomenal progress made with delivering the original CGS projects themselves, in tandem with the advent of £23million 5-year LEGI programme that after 2.5 years had already helped create over 900 new business and 1,800 new jobs.
Thus of the of the 70 original CGS projects, 36 had already been completed in full (12), were progressing well (36), or a decision made not to pursue them after detailed study (8). Only 4 projects were fully stalled, and all of those related to the Omega Business Park development outside St.Helens' control.
Given so much progress and change, the logic for comprehensively revising the CGS was clear. As with the original Strategy, a rigorous consultation process was undertaken in producing the revised CGS launched in late November 2008.
Needless to say, significant challenges remain for St.Helens plc, particularly in the prevailing economic climate. These include low business density, competition and the pace of change elsewhere, levels and concentrations of worklessness, low aspirations and the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training, the limited future supply of employment land, lack of local pride, a low media profile and external image/perceptions.
Yet although St.Helens stakeholders are under no illusion about their scale, these challenges are more than outweighed by the drive, determination and delivery focus that have characterised the first 5 years of CGS delivery, underpinned by exceptional degrees of partnership between the public and private sectors, and now backed up by a renewed and realistic 10-year transformation programme...