Forming Strategic Priorities through Stakeholder Mapping: The New local Report
An Introduction - Why was the Centre for the South formed?
The Centre for the South was founded to develop accessible and evidence-based policy insights; to build bridges between the University and non-academic partners; and to tackle local challenges and find pragmatic solutions for the central South.
These efforts are in alignment with the new Civic University Agreement - a commitment from the University of Southampton to encourage a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with local and regional authorities. As a leading research institution and major employer in Southampton, the university aims to enrich the local economy and empower local communities through civic partnership and shared knowledge.
Who is the Centre for the South?
The organisation is a small team of policy and knowledge exchange professionals working under the University of Southampton (find out more about who we are here).
The work of the Centre for the South consists of bringing academics and their research findings closer to community leaders and policy makers through events, webinars and think pieces.
How are the priorities of the Centre for the South determined?
Based on previous engagement with local authorities and the third sector, we have identified four interrelated themes which provide the context for our work:
Health
Environment
Community
Economy
However, the most thorough answer to this question lies below in our stakeholder mapping report.
The New Local Report
“There is a clear need to align the intellectual capacity of local universities to some of the greatest social issues that the region faces. This report should be used as a snapshot of those issues, to be developed on and expanded on by those researchers in the Centre for the South.”
New Local, an independent think tank and network of over 70 councils, was commissioned by Centre for the South to interview the region’s stakeholders on issues of interest. This aimed to shed light on regional challenges across sectors, direct future academic research, and develop solutions in both a short and long-term capacity. Stakeholders consisted of 23 senior decision makers from local authorities, voluntary services, and various other sectors, seen below.
Figure 3, New Local Report
“The predominant gaps in stakeholders’ minds relate not to the what to do in the region – or even the why – but the “how”.”
Across each segment of the report, gaps in research identified by the stakeholders have been highlighted. These questions provide an opportunity for academic research to support the region in a practical fashion.
A recurring sentiment across the report expressed how organisations were focused on short-term survival in light of funding cuts and the consequences of the Covid-19 lockdown.
“There is less money and so it needs to be spent in the most effective way – to be both used, and needed, by the public. In doing so, whether overtly or not, stakeholders created an opportunity for a new relationship between citizens and state, and a new theoretical framework for the delivery of public services beyond the public management paradigm”
The central South is also described as a region of varied wealth and weak regional identity, lacking the perceived need to receive priority by government funds.
“Publicising the region, through a strong branding, was viewed as a priority to both attract investment and re-establish civic pride. It was also viewed as necessary in order to support policy influence. ”
A centralised, organised and multisectoral approach to policy making in the central South, in collaboration with researchers, would help facilitate the switch from “survival” to long-term progress, such as financially resilient preventative healthcare services.
Figure 10, New Local report
The report also features discussion on how the region’s education system could work hand-in-glove with local industries to address skills shortages, and how local authorities could collaborate to create greener infrastructure such as transport networks.
“Joined up working was seen as vital to address the fragmented nature of infrastructure ownership”
As well as the aforementioned challenges, all the research gaps identified by the report are shown in the figure below. Researchers should be empowered to analyse these gaps in understanding to develop creative and new approaches and solutions. Addressing these priorities therefore presents a significant opportunity for researchers to develop multi-disciplinary teams, align existing research questions to providing substantial practical application and impact, and seek funding through innovative partnerships.
Figure 2, New Local Report
Strategic Priorities of the Centre for the South
This report and its findings lie at the core of all projects designed, funded and delivered by the Centre for the South. It brings to light core challenges of the region which were expressed with a strong consensus and demand by stakeholders across sectors. These challenges were formed into themes around which to base our work; our 6 Strategic Priorities.
The following priorities bridge the four themes of health, environment, community and economy earlier discussed with local authorities, and offer a wide range of research and policy opportunities.
Full Report
The full New Local Report features powerful quotes and insights from stakeholders, diagrams highlighting themes of discussion and solution strategies, and key research questions within each theme. To read it for yourself, click below:
