Anchored in Greenwich

We’ve established the Anchored in Greenwich partnership to bring together organisations who:

• are at the centre of the local economy
• are major employers in the borough
• are cooperatives or community interest organisations
• have purchasing power, land and assets

The partnership support organisations to maximise the benefits to the economy by:

• using their spending power and role as employers to encourage fair and equal local economic development
• bringing institutions together to work on shared priorities and increase the impact of their work
• increasing community wealth-building approaches among institutions through advocacy
• creating new ways to build community wealth through land and asset management, employment and community finance

Aims and outcomes

They aim to deliver change at three levels.

1. Royal Greenwich: develop organisational capacity to direct local assets for local economic and social benefit
2. Network: to support individuals to create a more inclusive economy
3. Individuals: create positive change in how the Royal Greenwich economy works

They aim to achieve the following outcomes:

• grow local and social supply chains to achieve local economic value
• increase the number of employees from deprived areas of the borough
• create ways to manage their land and assets to maximise benefits for the borough

Partners

A range of private, public, voluntary and community organisations are involved, including:

• Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency (GCDA)
• Greenwich Enterprise Board
• Greenwich Hospital
• Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL)
• London South East Colleges
• Metro Charity
• Peabody
• Ravensbourne University London
• Royal Borough of Greenwich
• South East London Community Energy (SELCE)
• University of Greenwich
• Visit Greenwich
• Alcatel Submarine Works 

Partners signed a charter to achieve its goals through a commitment to use:

• spending power
• employment power
• land and assets

Partners have pledged to:

• build local supply chains and award more contracts to businesses in the borough
• explore the use of land and assets to give more space to businesses, especially social based cooperatives, social enterprises and community interest companies
• decarbonise to prevent and adapt to the climate crisis and find out how to support these activities
• become a Living Wage Employer to address low pay - this celebrates the areas doing more to commit to the Living Wage Partnership groups

There are 2 partnership groups:

• Anchor Executive Group
• Network Coordination Group

Each group:

• involves representatives from each participating organisation
• meets regularly
• arranges activities
• engage across the borough

Network sub groups

There are 4 network sub-groups that meet the Anchor Charter pledges. They progress specific workstreams.

These groups focus on:

• championing the London Living Wage to address in-work poverty and create a more inclusive local economy
• supporting the development of a framework and criteria for social value
• championing economic growth that respects the environment, reduces carbon emissions, increases biodiversity and builds climate resilience
• exploration and mapping of our land and assets to see how local businesses could benefit more from use