Strategy and Research

Strategy and Research Team

The Strategy and Research Team is at the heart of the economic development service, providing overall strategic direction. The Team provides key input into the development of an Economic Development Framework for both the City of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh City Region, and is responsible for the production of various economic development-related publications such as Capital Review, CentrePulse and the Labour Market Bulletin. The other key responsibilities of the Team are fielding enquiries from potential investors – using information and research expertise to provide an excellent service and help guide the effective targeting of inward investment activity – and providing assistance to existing businesses in the city in partnership with Scottish Enterprise.

The functions listed on this page are those in which the Strategy and Research Team takes the lead. However, the Team also contributes to projects led by other teams, both within and outwith the Economic Development Service.

Strategy Development

Economic Development Framework

In conjunction with relevant stakeholders, including regional partners and private sector networks, the Strategy and Research Team is beginning work on the creation of a new Economic Development Framework for the City of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh City Region to replace the existing “Delivering Our Potential” document.

The Economic Development Framework for the City of Edinburgh will define objectives deriving from a number of existing strategy documents and help establish the necessary measures to maintain Edinburgh’s competitiveness and prosperity. The City Region Economic Development Framework will build upon the success of collaborative efforts such as the Borders Rail Link and the Edinburgh Science Triangle, increasing cooperation, reducing service duplication and large scale projects. It is anticipated that the document will be launched in spring 2009. Please see the "Foundations for the Edinburgh City Region" document at the foot of the page for more information.

Planning and Transport Strategy

Adequate infrastructure is a vital component of economic development, with connectivity and the availability and affordability of residential housing and business premises ranking amongst the top concerns of potential investors. The Team therefore participates in the formulation of a wide range of planning and transport strategies, and advises on the economic impact of major development and infrastructure proposals such as “Trams for Edinburgh” and the redevelopment of both Waverley and Haymarket railway stations. More information on planning and transport can be found on the City of Edinburgh Council website.

Research and Information

City Centre Monitoring

The City Centre Monitoring project comprises five strands of work – pedestrian footfall, retail turnover, parking availability, unit vacancy and shopping patronage. Information on these topics is summarised and analysed in the quarterly Health Watch publication and the annual CentrePulse publication. In addition to identifying trends of note and enabling the comparison of Edinburgh with competitor cities, the data generated by the City Centre Monitoring project is likely to play a role in informing the operational activities of the “Essential Edinburgh” Business Improvement District (BID), which was introduced in May 2008.

Key Sectors Research

The Key Sectors Report is an in-depth consultation of representatives of Edinburgh’s key sectors (defined for the purposes of the study as creative industries, financial services, life sciences, property development, retail, tourism, small businesses and the public sector) with the intent of finding out what issues are important to them and their sector. The Report is based on data gathered from a series of electronic surveys and face-to-face interviews with chief executives and senior managers. The initial Key Sectors Report was published in 2002, and a follow-up study was published in 2006. The third iteration is scheduled to be completed in 2009, and will be made available shortly thereafter on the Capital Review website.

Capital Review

The Strategy and Research Team is responsible for the production of Capital Review, the Council’s quarterly economic development bulletin. The most recent edition, along with archived issues and a variety of useful documents, can be found on the Capital Review website.

Edinburgh by Numbers

Edinburgh by Numbers is an annually published booklet containing key statistical data relating to living, investing, visiting or studying in the City of Edinburgh. It can be accessed on the Capital Review website.

Labour Market Bulletin

The quarterly Labour Market Bulletin, produced jointly by the Strategy and Research Team and the Jobs Strategy Partnership, contains quantitative and qualitative data relating to the City of Edinburgh labour market. The Bulletin provides both detailed information on unemployment and inactivity at a ward level and statistics relating to the demand for employees, together with feature articles and a summary of company expansions, contractions, openings, closures and relocations. The Bulletin can be downloaded from the Capital Review website.

Communication

The Strategy and Research Team serves as a liaison between the Council and key Edinburgh stakeholders with whom the Council cultivates working relationships. This has been accomplished through the creation and maintenance of channels of communication with prominent organisations such as the Edinburgh Business Assembly and the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

Collaboration

Edinburgh City Region Conference

The Edinburgh City Region Conference, held annually since 2004, promotes the City Region and furthers cooperation between regional partners. Delegates attending the 2008 event discussed what it means to be a world class city region and debated the role of regional collaboration in promoting sustainable development. The speeches and presentations delivered at the 2007 Conference and the 2008 Conference can be downloaded from the Capital Review website.

Glasgow-Edinburgh Collaboration

The Strategy and Research Team plays a key role in the Glasgow-Edinburgh Collaboration Initiative (GECI), which was established in 2005. Involving the City of Edinburgh Council, Glasgow City Council and Scottish Enterprise, the GECI is aimed at achieving strategic city cooperation in areas of mutual interest – “Collaborating to Compete”. Further information on the GECI and its objectives is available on the Glasgow-Edinburgh Collaboration website.

Investment Promotion

Investment promotion

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, launched in May 2005, is a brand designed to promote the Edinburgh City Region as the optimal place to live, invest, visit and study. In February 2008, the official Edinburgh Inspiring Capital website was launched. As of July 2008, the Strategy and Research Team has two dedicated officers dealing with investment promotion and acting as a first point of enquiry for potential investors. More information on the Brand is available at the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital website, with the Invest section dealing with investment in Edinburgh.

Civil Service Relocation

The Strategy and Research Team is active in encouraging the transfer of Civil Service jobs from London and southeast England to Edinburgh. After the 2004 Lyons Review recommended that 20,000 jobs be relocated (with the King Sturge Report identifying Edinburgh as a potential new location) Edinburgh, together with Glasgow and Scottish Development International, launched a campaign involving the production of a brochure aimed at relocation agents and the uploading of information to the Office of Government Commerce website that has resulted in an increased flow of civil service jobs to the cities.

The Strategy and Research Team are…

More information on the members of the Strategy and Research Team is available on the Capital Review website.  Please note that at the time of writing (November 2008) team roles and individual functions are being revised as part of a review of the Economic Development Service.

Lesley Martin, Service Manager - 0131 529 4309

Alison Muckersie, Principle Officer - 0131 469 3967

Susan Robertson, Senior Economic Development Officer - 0131 529 4276

Leon Johnson, Economic Development Officer - 0131 529 6444

Mandy Lawson, Economic Development Officer - 0131 529 4817

Maria Paredes, Access to Work Co-ordinator - 0131 529 3106

David Hanna, Economic Development Assistant - 0131 529 3161

Kyle Drummond, Graduate Intern - 0131 529 4849

Edinburgh City Region Economic Development Framework (80 kB)