Wellbeing – put simply - means everyone in the North of Tyne having what they need to live well now, and in the future. It is about people having access to quality jobs and fair work and living in welcoming and safe communities that are free from pollution and other environmental problems.
In January 2022 Cabinet formally adopted the Inclusive Economy Board’s (IEB) Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne, on behalf of the Combined Authority.
Since then, officers at North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) have been working on finalising the metrics for the 52 indicators within the wellbeing framework and have also created a detailed internal and external implementation plan for the framework.
To date, 51 of the 52 metrics are finalised and a data set has been created with Centre for Thriving Places. The plan for the data set is a work in progress, but we are hoping to create a public dashboard from the data and an accompanying annual report. This will be discussed at the Inclusive Economy Board in November.
Implementation and promotion of the Wellbeing framework
The Wellbeing Framework has been embedded in NTCA’s cabinet report templates and will shortly also be embedded in business case templates, wider business processes and in the inclusive economy policy statement. We will also be requesting for it to be added to our corporate plan.
We are currently working out the details of a champion scheme and are starting with the Roundtable and community groups to ask for interested parties, who may be able to champion and embed the North of Tyne Wellbeing Framework in their own organisations.
Our partners Carnegie have commissioned an evaluation of the Roundtable approach during this time, which has identified the highlights some learning points. This will be shared with the Roundtable and community groups in early October.
Read the latest Wellbeing Framework update here and find out ‘How to talk about the Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne.’
Alongside the Wellbeing Framework itself, we’ll also shortly be publishing a dashboard and dataset, to help with decision making across the region. We are working with the National Innovation Centre for Data to develop this.
The framework and the dataset are helping the Combined Authority to make decisions that improve the wellbeing of everyone in the region. We’ve embedded it in our decision-making processes to make sure that our policies and investments focus on wellbeing in the North of Tyne.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to understand what matters to people who live in the North of Tyne. We cannot continue to focus on narrow economic metrics, like Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Wellbeing Framework offers a new way of understanding and prioritising social progress. It includes things like having enough money to meet your needs, having good quality homes in safe communities, having access to greenspace and living in neighbourhoods free from pollution, and having a voice in the decisions that affect us. This is why the Wellbeing Framework is so important today. It allows us to look beyond the crises, to create a North of Tyne where everyone has what they need to live a good life.
We’re now asking organisations, businesses and institutions across the North of Tyne to do the same. We’re setting up a network of ambassadors across the region who will champion and use the framework within their own organisations.
We would love to hear from local organisations who are interested in using the Wellbeing Framework and in becoming an ambassador and in the coming months we’ll be publishing case studies on our website.
Please contact emma.patterson@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk if you’d like to discuss this.
Roundtable for Wellbeing in the North of Tyne
NTCA used a Roundtable methodology to create the framework, working with 12 independent members to gather the views of citizens and experts. The Roundtable for Wellbeing in the North of Tyne issued a call for evidence and met four times between May and October 2020, members heard from nearly 2,000 institutions and people the region, and from this evidence, the Roundtable produced ten wellbeing outcomes. These outcomes provide a set of goals to enhance the social, economic, environmental, and democratic wellbeing of everyone living in the North of Tyne and form a Wellbeing Framework.
The full report of the Roundtable for Wellbeing is available here, the executive summary is available here, and the shorter read report is available here.
Read the blog by Roundtable Co-chairs Sarah McMillan, Assistant Director of Policy, Northumberland County Council and Professor Mark Shucksmith OBE, Carnegie UK Trustee/Newcastle University to find out what the Roundtable for Wellbeing in the North of Tyne heard and what it means.
NTCA was the first Mayoral Combined Authority in the UK to formally adopt a wellbeing framework. In doing so, we committed to aligning future decision making with the goal of improving social, economic, environmental and democratic outcomes for everyone living in the region.
This evaluation by Northumbria University for Carnegie UK tells the story of how we got there. It argues that ‘wellbeing roundtables’ can be an effective way to gather evidence and engage diverse communities in the creation of a shared vision. It also draws out nine learning points that will be useful for governments at all levels that are interested in developing a wellbeing approach. Download it here.