The Grand Union Alliance: community-based networking as response to large-scale urban development

Large-scale developments in London often have negative impacts on less well-off communities as they include: demolition of social-rented homes, low levels of new social-rented homes, over-development of luxury housing, loss of existing local industry and replacement of jobs, services and infrastructure that fail to meet the needs of existing low-income communities. However, residents, especially deprived or excluded working class communities, don’t generally engage in the technical and alien language of the planning policy impacting on large-scale developments taking place across London. This paper, written by two community organisers and a researcher, discusses the organising model whereby the Grand Union Alliance, a large network of around 250 groups, individuals and small businesses was gradually developed. The consensus model of working, developed over many years in the Just Space setting, allowed shared positions to come forward across different interests, and supported extensive community-based contributions to the planning process, with some success in influencing planning policy. The paper shares this model of organising, together with some of the challenges and outcomes, in the hope of informing other initiatives to engage with large-scale urban developments across London, and elsewhere

Women, Families and Work : How to help L&Q's women residents into work and tackle the barriers they face

Women’s rates of employment are lower than men’s. Housing association residents' rates of employment are lower than those in other tenures. Thus women housing association tenants have high rates of out-of-work benefit claims and high rates of poverty. It is known that women housing association residents with children face constraints to employment, ranging from their own individual circumstances to shortages of services and problems with the jobs available. In this context, housing associations, including L&Q, have increasingly become involved in providing information, support and training to help their residents both to get work and also to progress in it. The research aimed to better understand the constraints felt by L&Q’s women residents with children making the transition to work, and the supports that could them make and sustain the transition. It also aimed to identify a range of practical ways in which L&Q could support women residents to overcome barriers to work. It complements ‘Real London Lives’, another research project carried out by L&Q and its 15 partner housing associations which form the G15 group in London (http://reallondonlives.co.uk

Women, families and work : how to help L&Q's women residents into work and tackle the barriers they face

Women’s rates of employment are lower than men’s. Housing association residents' rates of employment are lower than those in other tenures. Thus women housing association tenants have high rates of out-of-work benefit claims and high rates of poverty. It is known that women housing association residents with children face constraints to employment, ranging from their own individual circumstances to shortages of services and problems with the jobs available. In this context, housing associations, including L&Q, have increasingly become involved in providing information, support and training to help their residents both to get work and also to progress in it. The research aimed to better understand the constraints felt by L&Q’s women residents with children making the transition to work, and the supports that could them make and sustain the transition. It also aimed to identify a range of practical ways in which L&Q could support women residents to overcome barriers to work. It complements ‘Real London Lives’, another research project carried out by L&Q and its 15 partner housing associations which form the G15 group in London (http://reallondonlives.co.uk

Women, families and work. How to help L&Q’s women residents into work and tackle the barriers they face. Executive Summary

Women’s rates of employment are lower than men’s. Housing association residents' rates of employment are lower than those in other tenures. Thus women housing association tenants have high rates of out-of-work benefit claims and high rates of poverty. It is known that women housing association residents with children face constraints to employment, ranging from their own individual circumstances to shortages of services and problems with the jobs available. In this context, housing associations, including L&Q, have increasingly become involved in providing information, support and training to help their residents both to get work and also to progress in it. The research aimed to better understand the constraints felt by L&Q’s women residents with children making the transition to work, and the supports that could them make and sustain the transition. It also aimed to identify a range of practical ways in which L&Q could support women residents to overcome barriers to work. It complements ‘Real London Lives’, another research project carried out by L&Q and its 15 partner housing associations which form the G15 group in London (http://reallondonlives.co.uk

Women, families and work. How to help L&Q’s women residents into work and tackle the barriers they face. Executive Summary

Women’s rates of employment are lower than men’s. Housing association residents' rates of employment are lower than those in other tenures. Thus women housing association tenants have high rates of out-of-work benefit claims and high rates of poverty. It is known that women housing association residents with children face constraints to employment, ranging from their own individual circumstances to shortages of services and problems with the jobs available. In this context, housing associations, including L&Q, have increasingly become involved in providing information, support and training to help their residents both to get work and also to progress in it. The research aimed to better understand the constraints felt by L&Q’s women residents with children making the transition to work, and the supports that could them make and sustain the transition. It also aimed to identify a range of practical ways in which L&Q could support women residents to overcome barriers to work. It complements ‘Real London Lives’, another research project carried out by L&Q and its 15 partner housing associations which form the G15 group in London (http://reallondonlives.co.uk