Request
As a reminder to our earlier email which was sent to you soon after the live event, we have received more enquiries from our diverse residents on issues we raised which we are still waiting for a response.
We are being asked what are the key metrics on NLWA's hiring and retention of minorities, women and persons with disabilities, as well as activities and initiatives throughout to drive diversity, equity and inclusion for Upper Edmonton residents by virtue of our proximity, location, diverse demography and communities.
What has caught our attention from your Annual Monitoring report 2018/19 is the data which shows Enfield being the second-highest population with 333,869 so the questions we asked before needs a response from your office.
According to your website, there is a statement that stated that the fund for 2021/22 was open from 6 April 2021 and closed at 12 noon on 7 May 2021.
We would still like to know how the successful funding you referred to at the live event was advertised as your website only features case studies that are 2 years old or even older e.g. Cirque de Surplus plus a few others are not local groups.
NLWA should also reflect the diverse makeup of Upper Edmonton and demonstrate a policy promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.
Response
REF: Upper Edmonton Diversity
Thank you for contacting us regarding the Authority Meeting held on 24 June and for raising the concerns on behalf of the people in your area.
During the meeting, there was reference to waste prevention community projects which North London Waste Authority has funded in the community. The Waste Prevention Community Fund is designed to support waste prevention initiatives in the north London area. The fund provides successful applicants from community-based (non-profit making) organisations with money to develop new approaches to reduce waste and/or extend the reach and impact of existing waste prevention activity in north London.
The fund for 2021-22 was advertised through NLWA social media channels and website and a press release, the constituent boroughs mailing lists, and articles in Third Sector and Pebble online publications. Information about the fund was also circulated to not for profit organisations and community groups that were previously recipients of the fund.
We have noted through the NLHPP Community Liaison Group meetings your requests for local funding from the project, but we weren’t aware funding for waste prevention projects would be of interest to your group as well. We can add you to the mailing list for groups interested in running waste prevention initiatives in your local area if you could confirm you would be interested in this please?
We have not allocated any funding through the NLHPP for community projects at this stage and will keep you informed through the Community Liaison Group and via email updates about any future plans which could be of benefit to you or your residents.
The NLHPP is an important part of the ongoing regeneration of Enfield, and part of Enfield Council’s plans to promote high-tech industries in Edmonton. As you may be aware, over the 10-year construction period at least 100 apprenticeships and 225 on-site training placements are being created for local residents to help kick start careers in construction and engineering. We’ve been working with a number of local companies on the project and our contractors to bring forward these life-changing opportunities for local residents.
So far, we’ve placed 16 apprentices in highly skilled roles covering civil and ground engineering, quantity surveying and business management, nine of whom are from the borough of Enfield. A number of the apprentices were identified following a major recruitment drive last summer where we advertised in local papers (Enfield Independent, Ham&High, Waltham Forest Guardian, Waltham Forest Echo), on a job website (Reed), Facebook and Twitter paid posts, Google paid keywords and on our dedicated website page here. On this page, local residents can submit their details to be added to our mailing list, so that they are notified as more roles open up. This year, we are also working with Enfield (Build Enfield), Haringey (Haringey Works) and Waltham Forest (Step into Work) employment providers to link local people to opportunities on the Project. Specifically, we are targeting under-represented and hard to reach groups to ensure these opportunities are communicated to those who most urgently need them.
Of the 16 apprentices to date, 38% are from BAME backgrounds. As more opportunities come forward, we will be issuing notifications to our mailing list to apply directly through the borough employment providers. As well as apprenticeships, we’ve already created 50 on-site training placements for local people helping to equip them with skills required for a career in construction. During the short-term training placements, residents have the opportunity to work towards obtaining a CSCS card, a crucial stepping stone for a career in construction. Of the 50 trainees we’ve welcomed to date, the vast majority are from the boroughs of Enfield, Haringey or Waltham Forest, and 44% are from BAME backgrounds.
Our Project has a target of 10% expenditure with local businesses. At present we’ve been able to procure a number of local businesses to help deliver our nationally significant infrastructure project. This has included Walthamstow-based New Life Catering who are providing canteen catering services on-site, Enfield-based subcontractors Embassy Demolition, Galldris Service Ltd and J O’Doherty Haulage and Waste Disposal, as well as Enfield-based IT Consultant James Clear-Tournas.
NLWA’s equality objective states that we will aim to ensure we provide a waste service that is fair, open to all and promotes equality of opportunity. We are therefore working to ensure that any contractors appointed can comply with the duty, understand their obligations, and meet the duty in practice. Our contracts contain suitable equality obligations on contractors to not discriminate in relation to the provision of services to the public and employment practices in relation to their staff. Procurement procedures include a check of tenderers’ equality policies.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
