2003-2009
From 1996 to 2009 the City Fringe Partnership delivered major initiatives to improve the prospects of residents and support London's small businesses.
Download CFP research on the area and key employment sectors, as well as sector investment plans and evaluation reports of its programmes.
CFP projects, project delivery partners and links to organisations at the heart of CFP activities.
About the CFP:
The legacy
- Delivered the first ever London Jewellery Week.
- Founding partner of London's first digital manufacturing innovation centre.
- Established employer groups which continue to meet.
- Facilitated the £17.5 million Goldsmiths Centre in Clerkenwell.
- Encouraged employers to ring fence 250 jobs in healthcare for local residents.
- 2,700 businesses given targeted advice and training.
- Created and safeguarded over 220 jobs.
City Fringe Partnership 2003 - 2009
In 2002 the City Fringe Partnership (CFP) won a bid for the City Fringe to become a City Growth Strategy scheme pilot with the London Development Agency identifying the City Fringe as a priority area for investment.
As a new Treasury-led approach to economic development, the City Growth Strategy focused on the competitive advantages of deprived areas, such as their proximity to a large market (in this case the City) or the strength of clusters of businesses or key employers. CFP was responsible for delivering programmes of investment into these strategic industries as well as employment initiatives for the local workforce.
The City Growth approach
The CFP's research into industry clusters led to the development of Sector Investment Plans for the following priority industries:
- Fashion
- Furniture & Product Design
- Health & Social Care
- Jewellery
- Print & Publishing
- The Visitor Economy
The research and subsequent investment plans addressed barriers to competitiveness, gaps in training provision and the specific needs of the small businesses within these sectors. The CFP encouraged both new and existing networks of businesses, universities, trade associations and local regeneration initiatives to form dedicated industry groups. By involving industry at each step of the way, CFP Sector Investment Plans addressed issues raised by local businesses regarding new markets, supporting innovation and improving business performance for the benefit of the local economy.
Its links to major education institutions and local skills projects helped to ensure that Londoners were at the heart of these businesses. By addressing market failures across a range of sectors the aim of the CFP was to improve the competitive advantage of London-based businesses and encourage collaboration, for example when tendering for contracts. The CFP also worked with the City of London to examine ways to improve local procurement within the City fringes by major firms. The results of its study into City supply chains can be viewed here.
At the same time the CFP commissioned two Pathways to Jobs programmes that focused on some of the groups and communities furthest from the labour market. These projects concentrated on working with unemployed residents in the City Fringe, helping them to gain the skills that could support them into work.
The CFP's Systems Team, responsible for monitoring and programme management, produced this handbook for monitoring projects.
Many of the CFP's projects from 2003 - 2009 are highlighted across this website and a full list of project delivery partners is available here on the Projects and Links page.
