Sunderland City Council commissioned the Ortus team (whilst at TBR) to undertake an assessment of the likely economic impacts that are likely to arise through the delivery of the Economic Masterplan. The study delivered a baseline assessment of the Sunderland economy based on published statistics, economic projections and knowledge of recent and “live” projects to establish a “starting point”. This was followed by an assessment and analysis of the anticipated quantitative and qualitative outputs and outcomes of the programme of activities identified by Economic Leadership Board (and its supporting Results Groups) from the 3,6,9 Framework. These measures included:
- Contribution to economic growth
- Contribution to productivity output, employment and incomes
- Contribution to business growth and diversification
The assessment reported on three direct quantitative impacts: Gross Value Added (GVA) as a measure of the monetary contribution that the refreshed Plan could make to the local economy; Employment (jobs – the number of full time equivalent jobs supported by the proposals in the Plan); and Business Stock & Diversification – the number of new businesses and enterprises supported by the proposals in the Plan. The study considered both the direct and indirect economic impact of the proposals, where the indirect effects included supplier multiplier effects, income mutiplier effects, impacts arising from capital spending and tourism & culture impact.
Lastly, in addition to the quantifiable analysis, the study identified and assessed the wider range of benefits and outcomes that the Masterplan proposals could bring to the City, including commercial attractiveness, tourism & culture, entrepreneurship & business start-up, research & innovation and sustainability. Our work helped inform the Council and partners of the likely impact of their strategic plans and provided independent evidence to support lobbying, funding bids and to inform other initiatives and projects.