Developing Stockport’s Economic Plan

Stockport Council wanted to grow the local economy to create and support successful businesses that are stronger, resilient and productive which generate quality jobs which are better paid, sustainable and accessible for the benefit of all our residents. They wanted their Economic Plan to establish how this could be done.

We worked closely with Stockport Council, Hatch and the Stockport Economic Alliance to produce an ambitious economic plan. This plan reflects the potential of Stockport, while addressing the challenges of a post-covid economic recovery.

We provided specialist engagement support to ensure representative feedback from a wide range of stakeholders with a focus on inclusive economic growth.

We began by reviewing existing evidence. We wanted to build on this insight, not repeat it. Our review was the starting point for the strategy and engagement plan.

Our engagement included:

• Over 20 one-to-one interviews
• Three workshops at key strategic points
• Ten focus groups exploring specific issues and themes

We engaged with a wide range of different groups and people. This included younger and older residents, people with physical and mental health disabilities, businesses, third and voluntary sector, and people living in social housing.

We adopted an agile and flexible approach to engagement meaning we could capture the views of all key groups in a meaningful way and that all target groups were heard. Our approach ensured we got to the core of the issues with people who understood the specific local context, we engaged them appropriately, and ensured engagement was meaningful, productive and feedback was embedded into the strategy.