HRL

With funding from Investing in Communities (IiC) via the Essex Development & Regeneration Agency (ExDRA), and following a competitive tendering exercise, consultants Ancer Spa were commissioned by Harlow Renaissance to undertake a study into the ways in which the relatively low numbers of business start-ups and self-employed people in the town can be increased to support regeneration and growth across the Harlow area.

As revealed by the 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, Harlow is the most deprived district in the Mid & West Essex sub-region with:

1. the highest rate of young people ‘not in education, employment or training’ (NEET) in the sub-region (9.9% Aug. 2006)
2. higher unemployment (2.9% October 2007) than the Essex average
3. fewer self-employed (7.3% 2006-07)
4. the lowest number of registered businesses (1,920 in 2006) than any other district in Essex

The main objectives of the study were to:

1. Understand why people in Harlow are less likely to start their own businesses than in other parts of Mid and West Essex, focusing particularly on the most deprived wards in the town and on people in the following target groups:
1. Economically Inactive Adults
2. Women
3. People from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities
4. Disabled People
5. Lone Parents
6. Volunteers
2. Be clear what constitutes entrepreneurship in Harlow
3. Determine what can be done to encourage a more dynamic entrepreneurial culture in Harlow