The 'quasi-market' in social care and its responsiveness to differentiated need: A case study of service provision for older African-Caribbean people in two London authorities.

This study is an exploration of the extent to which the introduction of a 'quasimarket' within Personal Social Services in England had enabled them to respond more sensitively to the different needs of those they served compared to the previous model of large scale local authority provision. This issue was examined in depth by concentrating on the possibly, distinctive needs/preferences of older 'African-Caribbean' people, as an illustration of the opportunities and difficulties that this new style of 'public management' presented in two London Authorities. To explore this question, three discrete, but connected methods of inquiry were pursued. The first focused on the implementation of the 'NHS and Community Care Act 1990', and more specifically the recommended introduction of a range of 'private' and 'not for profit' provider's under contract. The findings suggest this was only partially implemented. There were changes to the way in which services were purchased, and the way they were provided, but these changes did not constitute a genuine 'quasi-market'. The development of the purchasing function offered the potential for local authorities to respond to 'ethnic diversity', but this did not happen. Indeed an Exploration of service developments suggested that the previous model was more responsive to the differentiated needs of older 'African-Caribbean' people than this new model. The second dimension of this research explored the 'mixed economy' of care through a case study of 'meals' provision. The findings suggested a tendency to monopoly provision, with 'risk' and 'cost' operating as more significant factors than 'differentiated need' in shaping purchasing decisions. The third part of this study explored whether there were distinctive service preferences expressed by older 'African-Caribbean' people for 'culturally specific' provision, and found that whilst there were some, there were also a range of preferences within that community

'Connecting Communities': Evaluation of a Pilot Project aimed at promoting digital inclusion in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

This report is a final evaluation of the ‘Connecting Communities’ Project launched in June 2020. The project provides a model for addressing digital exclusion in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, through a digital UBS pilot with the provision of a free broadband connection, digital skills training, and a Google Chromebook. Digital inclusion is a pillar of livelihood security. The Institute for Global Prosperity defines livelihood security as an infrastructure of overlapping assets that provide the foundations for prosperous lives and proposes a programme of Universal Basic Services (UBS) as part of its livelihood security framework. UBS is a radical, feasible policy that can secure people’s livelihoods through a shared infrastructure of public goods and services; it works to enhance the capacities and capabilities of citizens and helps to build the resilience necessary to weather social, economic or public health crises (Moore, Snower and Bruni, 2022; Moore and Boothroyd, 2022). The ‘Connecting Communities’ Project is modelled on the IGP’s proposal for a Universal Basic Service for ‘Information’ and provides valuable insight into how this policy might help to address digital exclusion, and broader livelihood security

Evaluating the contribution of planning gain to an inclusive housing legacy: a case study of London 2012

When London won the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2005 it heralded a new moment in games making where it was claimed that the hosting of a mega event would be galvanized to create an inclusive legacy. Affordable Housing was a key dimension of this legacy. This article seeks to interrogate four key policy assumptions that underpinned the strategy for delivering affordable housing associated with the Growth Dependent Planning Paradigm. Firstly, that rising land values would create the potential to capture value for public good. Secondly, that S106 agreements (Planning gain) introduced in the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act would capture this value. Thirdly, that state and market would work in a symbiotic relationship reconciling private profit with public good and fourthly, that governance of planning should be overseen by an appointed rather than elected body. This article interrogates these assumptions through a longitudinal analysis of planning applications between 2000 and 2017. It argues that this policy framework has been relatively ineffective in levering public good. The findings are relevant for those interested in planning gain, value capture, urban regeneration and the potential for mega-events to achieve broader social objectives

The commodification of intermediate housing, subsidies for the wealthy and community led alternatives.

Drawing on seven years of research in London’s Olympic Park, this paper utilises Aalbers’ fifth wave gentrification theory to explore the commodification of intermediate housing on the Olympic Park in London. Intermediate housing has historically played an important role in housing lower income groups and it comprises an increasing proportion of new affordable housing provision in the UK. However, current models, such as shared ownership and intermediate rent, are contributing to exclusionary displacement, insecurity of tenure and socio-spatial restructuring. This is shaped by the increasing financialisation of housing, with affordable housing based on market prices rather than incomes. This leads to the key beneficiaries in high value areas such as London being households on some of the highest incomes. Thus at a time of fiscal austerity, limited state subsidies are being targeted at those on higher incomes rather than those in greatest need, resulting in a housing gap for the originally intended beneficiaries. Drawing on campaigning action research with East London Citizens in the Olympic Park, the paper therefore proposes that new forms of non-market intermediate housing are urgently needed, that are community led, genuinely affordable, promote security of tenure and remain affordable in perpetuity

A case study of employment and housing in London’s 2012 Olympic site, 2005-2022

On September 12-13th, UCL Urban Laboratory hosted a community breakfast and 2-day conference interrogating a decade of ‘Olympic Regeneration’ in East London, marking a decade since the London 2012 Games. This event, in collaboration with UCL IGP, Cardiff University, Oxford Brookes University and the University of East London, was free and open to the public, and based at Timber Lodge and UCL at Here East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This presentation formed part of a session focussing on the theme of 'Prosperity.